Research shows neuroticism predicts negative interpersonal interactions, highlighting sex differences in effects.
Individuals high in neuroticism report more social problems than those low in neuroticism. This study investigates person-environment mechanisms that underlie this pattern of results and possible sex differences. Participants (N = 120) recorded dyadic interpersonal interactions on personal digital assistant (PDA) devices as they occurred over a week and rated the positivity/negativity of each. Neuroticism across the sample predicted the occurrence of negative interpersonal interactions even after accounting for the total number of interactions. Hence, the link between neuroticism and negative interpersonal relations is not likely explained by selection into more interactions overall. Importantly, men exhibited a stronger relationship between neuroticism and the occurrence of negative interpersonal interactions. The results suggest that the interpersonal effects of neuroticism might be sex-dependent.
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Greenfield et al. (2014) studied this question.
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