Associations between loneliness and personality are mostly driven by a genetic association with Neuroticism.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Loneliness is an aversive response to a discrepancy between desired and actual social relationships and correlates with personality. We investigate the relationship of loneliness and personality in twin family and molecular genetic data.

Method

Phenotypic correlations between loneliness and the Big Five personality traits were estimated in 29,625 adults, and in a group with genome-wide genotype data (N = 4,222), genetic correlations were obtained. We explored whether genetic correlations may reflect causal relationships by investigating within monozygotic twin pair differences (N_pairs  = 2,662), by longitudinal within-subject changes in personality and loneliness (N = 4,260-9,238 longitudinal comparisons), and by longitudinal cross-lagged panel analyses

SUBMITTER: Abdellaoui A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6231981 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature