title: Explaining the extraversion/positive affect relation: sociability cannot account for extraverts' greater happiness.
abstract: The association between Extraversion and positive affect is one of the most robust findings in the study of personality and emotion. Temperament models posit that the association is direct; instrumental models posit that the association is mediated by additional processes. Two experience sampling studies were conducted to test instrumental mechanisms that might underlie the effect. According to a mediation model, extraverts' greater social activity can account for their increased positive affect when compared to introverts. According to a person-by-situation interaction model, extraverts react more positively to social situations than do introverts, and this interaction can account for the association. Only weak support for the instrumental models was found; consistent with temperament models, a moderate direct association remained even after controlling for these effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. lucasri@msu.edu
authors.forename: Richard E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Kimdy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Le
authors.forename: Portia S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Dyrenforth
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007439:Introversion, Psychological; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D012649:Self Concept; D012938:Social Perception; D013694:Temperament