Međedović Janko
Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research, Belgrade, Serbia.
Evol Psychol. 2025 Jan-Mar;23(1):14747049251324908. doi: 10.1177/14747049251324908. Epub 2025 Mar 17.
The effects of natural selection on personality traits are still understudied, which is in contrast with their importance for analyzing the evolution of personality. In the present research, we analyzed natural selection on the Big Five personality traits by estimating the relations between personality characteristics and evolutionary fitness (reproductive success: i.e., number of children) using the World Values Survey wave 6 data ( = 22,636; 17 countries). Using multilevel Poisson regression models with random slopes, we obtained a positive linear association between conscientiousness and reproductive success. We also detected a nonlinear association between openness and the criterion measure: additional graphical and ANOVA analyses showed that nonlinearity emerged from the fact that only individuals with above average openness had lower reproductive success. The effect sizes of the associations between personality traits and reproductive success were low. Finally, we detected variation in selection gradients (i.e., differences in fixed model coefficients) across the countries-coefficients with both positive and negative signs are estimated for extraversion, neuroticism, and openness. This variation is in accordance with the state-dependent models of personality evolution, where environment is viewed as an external state-the environment's moderating effect on the personality-fitness link may preserve inter-individual variation in behavior within and between the populations.
自然选择对人格特质的影响仍未得到充分研究，这与其在分析人格进化中的重要性形成了鲜明对比。在本研究中，我们利用世界价值观调查第6波数据（样本量 = 22,636；来自17个国家），通过估计人格特征与进化适应性（生殖成功率：即子女数量）之间的关系，分析了自然选择对大五人格特质的影响。使用具有随机斜率的多层泊松回归模型，我们发现尽责性与生殖成功率之间存在正线性关联。我们还检测到开放性与标准测量之间存在非线性关联：额外的图形分析和方差分析表明，这种非线性源于只有开放性高于平均水平的个体生殖成功率较低这一事实。人格特质与生殖成功率之间关联的效应量较低。最后，我们检测到各国之间选择梯度的差异（即固定模型系数的差异）——外向性、神经质和开放性的系数估计既有正值也有负值。这种差异与人格进化的状态依赖模型一致，在该模型中，环境被视为一种外部状态——环境对人格与适应性联系的调节作用可能会在群体内部和群体之间保持个体行为的差异。
