Examining the associations between the Big Five personality traits and body self-conscious emotions

This study examined the relationships between the Big Five personality traits and body-related self-conscious emotions in a sex-balanced sample of Spanish undergraduates (N = 748). After controlling for sex, age, and weight discrepancy, neuroticism (positive for shame and guilt), extraversion (negative for shame and positive for pride), conscientiousness (negative for shame and positive for pride), and openness (negative for shame and guilt) emerged as significant cross-sectional predictors of body-related self-conscious emotions. No moderation effect by sex was observed. The explained variance ranged from 10% (hubristic pride) to 26% (shame). Young adults possessing greater than ideally assumed body weight, high levels of neuroticism, and low levels of extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness may be especially vulnerable to body-image disturbances.