According to Fulmer et al. (2010), Extraversion has historically correlated positively with Satisfaction With Life (SWL), and SWL correlates negatively with depression and suicidal ideation (Heisel and Flett, 2004). However, it is undeniable that the COVID-19 pandemic has induced psychological stress within our population. Therefore, the current study attempts to investigate the psychometric intricacies of such strain. The current study was completed through the 2020-2021 Psi Beta National Research Project wherein participants completed surveys measuring constructs such as the SWL Scale and the Big Five Personality Inventory (Diener et al., 1985 & Soto et al., 2017). This study hypothesizes that, given the prevalence of social-distancing regulations, SWL will decrease as a function of extraversion — contrary to past research studies. Pearson's r coefficient along with regression analyses examining SWL scores as a function of extraversion scores were computed with JASP. Pearson's r calculations indicated that Extraversion and Satisfaction With Life scores bear a significant correlation at an r-value of 0.318 and that the regression equation between these two variables was also significant. Given the isolation supposedly associated with COVID-19 lockdowns, it was surprising to discover that Extraversion and SWL still correlated at a level of moderate strength; however, participants were drawn from a nationwide sample, and the survey did not include items that tested for COVID-related isolation. That said, future replications could survey for COVID-19-related isolation when examining the relationship between pandemic-induced solitude, Extraversion, and Satisfaction With Life.
Diener, E., Emmons, R.A., Larsen, R.J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction With Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa 4901_13 Fulmer, C. A., Gelfand, M. J., Kruglanski, A. W., Kim-Prieto, C., Diener, E., Pierro, A., & Higgins, E. T. (2010). On "feeling right" in cultural contexts: how person-culture match affects self-esteem and subjective well-being. Psychological science, 21(11), 1563–1569. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610384742 Heisel, M.J., Flett, G.L. (2004). Purpose in Life, Satisfaction with Life, and Suicide Ideation in a Clinical Sample. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 26, 127–135. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOBA.0000013660.22413.e0 Soto, Christopher J., & John, Oliver P. (2017). The next Big Five Inventory (BFI-2): Developing and assessing a hierarchical model with 15 facets to enhance bandwidth, fidelity, and predictive power. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 113(1), 117- 143. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000096.