Homophily in Personality Enhances Group Success Among Real-Life Friends

Michael Laakasuo; Anna Rotkirch; Max van Duijn; Venla Berg; Markus Jokela; Tamas David-Barrett; Anneli Miettinen; Eiluned  Pearce; Robin  Dunbar

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00710

Homophily in Personality Enhances Group Success Among Real-Life Friends

Michael Laakasuo, Anna Rotkirch, Max van Duijn, Venla Berg, Markus Jokela, Tamas David-Barrett, Anneli Miettinen, Eiluned Pearce, Robin Dunbar

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

Abstract

Personality affects dyadic relations and teamwork, yet its role among groups of friends has been little explored. We examine for the first time whether similarity in personality enhances the effectiveness of real-life friendship groups. Using data from a longitudinal study of a European fraternity (10 male and 15 female groups), we investigate how individual Big Five personality traits were associated with group formation and whether personality homophily related to how successful the groups were over 1 year (N = 147–196). Group success was measured as group performance/identification (adoption of group markers) and as group bonding (using the inclusion-of-other-in-self scale). Results show that individuals’ similarity in neuroticism and conscientiousness predicted group formation. Furthermore, personality similarity was associated with group success, even after controlling for individual’s own personality. Especially higher group-level similarity in conscientiousness was associated with group performance, and with bonding in male groups.

Original language	English
Article number	710
Journal	Frontiers in Psychology
Volume	11
Number of pages	11
ISSN	1664-1078
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00710
Publication status	Published - 4 May 2020
MoE publication type	A1 Journal article-refereed

Fields of Science

ALTRUISM
BEHAVIOR
Big Five
COHESION
DIVERSITY
NETWORKS
PREDICTORS
SATISFACTION
TEAM PERFORMANCE
TRAITS
WORK
friendship
group performance
groups
inclusion-of-other-in-self
personality
515 Psychology
5144 Social psychology

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10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00710Licence: CC BY

fpsyg-11-00710Final published version, 0.98 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Homophily in Personality Enhances Group Success Among Real-Life Friends",

abstract = "Personality affects dyadic relations and teamwork, yet its role among groups of friends has been little explored. We examine for the first time whether similarity in personality enhances the effectiveness of real-life friendship groups. Using data from a longitudinal study of a European fraternity (10 male and 15 female groups), we investigate how individual Big Five personality traits were associated with group formation and whether personality homophily related to how successful the groups were over 1 year (N = 147–196). Group success was measured as group performance/identification (adoption of group markers) and as group bonding (using the inclusion-of-other-in-self scale). Results show that individuals{\textquoteright} similarity in neuroticism and conscientiousness predicted group formation. Furthermore, personality similarity was associated with group success, even after controlling for individual{\textquoteright}s own personality. Especially higher group-level similarity in conscientiousness was associated with group performance, and with bonding in male groups.",

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author = "Michael Laakasuo and Anna Rotkirch and {van Duijn}, Max and Venla Berg and Markus Jokela and Tamas David-Barrett and Anneli Miettinen and Eiluned Pearce and Robin Dunbar",

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month = may,

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T1 - Homophily in Personality Enhances Group Success Among Real-Life Friends

AU - Laakasuo, Michael

AU - Rotkirch, Anna

AU - van Duijn, Max

AU - Berg, Venla

AU - Jokela, Markus

AU - David-Barrett, Tamas

AU - Miettinen, Anneli

AU - Pearce, Eiluned

AU - Dunbar, Robin

PY - 2020/5/4

Y1 - 2020/5/4

N2 - Personality affects dyadic relations and teamwork, yet its role among groups of friends has been little explored. We examine for the first time whether similarity in personality enhances the effectiveness of real-life friendship groups. Using data from a longitudinal study of a European fraternity (10 male and 15 female groups), we investigate how individual Big Five personality traits were associated with group formation and whether personality homophily related to how successful the groups were over 1 year (N = 147–196). Group success was measured as group performance/identification (adoption of group markers) and as group bonding (using the inclusion-of-other-in-self scale). Results show that individuals’ similarity in neuroticism and conscientiousness predicted group formation. Furthermore, personality similarity was associated with group success, even after controlling for individual’s own personality. Especially higher group-level similarity in conscientiousness was associated with group performance, and with bonding in male groups.

AB - Personality affects dyadic relations and teamwork, yet its role among groups of friends has been little explored. We examine for the first time whether similarity in personality enhances the effectiveness of real-life friendship groups. Using data from a longitudinal study of a European fraternity (10 male and 15 female groups), we investigate how individual Big Five personality traits were associated with group formation and whether personality homophily related to how successful the groups were over 1 year (N = 147–196). Group success was measured as group performance/identification (adoption of group markers) and as group bonding (using the inclusion-of-other-in-self scale). Results show that individuals’ similarity in neuroticism and conscientiousness predicted group formation. Furthermore, personality similarity was associated with group success, even after controlling for individual’s own personality. Especially higher group-level similarity in conscientiousness was associated with group performance, and with bonding in male groups.

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KW - BEHAVIOR

KW - Big Five

KW - COHESION

KW - DIVERSITY

KW - NETWORKS

KW - PREDICTORS

KW - SATISFACTION

KW - TEAM PERFORMANCE

KW - TRAITS

KW - WORK

KW - friendship

KW - group performance

KW - groups

KW - inclusion-of-other-in-self

KW - personality

KW - 515 Psychology

KW - 5144 Social psychology

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