Agreeableness and extraversion are two of the five core personality traits from the Big Five model.
The traits overlap somewhat; agreeable and extroverted people are often perceived to be friendly and likable and typically viewed positively by their peers; yet, there’s a distinctive difference between them.
While extroverts are energetic and excitable, agreeable individuals tend to be much more humble and down to earth. The question is, “Are the two linked?”.
Are Agreeableness and Extraversion Related?
While past research has found some similarities between agreeableness and extraversion, the evidence for a significant negative or positive relationship is lacking.
Research showcases several similarities between agreeableness and extraversion, which may (and that’s a very tentative ‘may’) suggest a relationship between the two.
Relationship Satisfaction
Agreeable and extraverted individuals tend to experience more relationship satisfaction.
Interestingly, a study conducted in 2014 found that extraverted and agreeable individuals gain more satisfaction from friendships than their introverted and disagreeable counterparts.
This same study also found that different pathways affected each traits’ association with relationship satisfaction.
For example, extraverts gained more relationship satisfaction because they were more trusting than introverts.
In comparison, it was agreeable people’s lack of engagement in harmful exchanges that determined their satisfaction in relationships.
This shows a fundamental difference between the two personality traits.
Life Satisfaction
Agreeableness and extraversion have been shown to share a positive correlation with life satisfaction.
However, out of the two traits, it is extraversion which has been shown to have the biggest impact on life satisfaction.
Genetic Links
Interestingly, research has uncovered a potential link between agreeableness and extraversion on a genetic level.
It was found that both personality traits were related to polymorphism of the ADH4 enzyme, a genetic component believed to be related to a predisposition for alcohol and drug dependence.
This research doesn’t look into the relationship between the two. However, it does indicate a potential genetic link.
Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Mental Health
Alongside environmental and genetic factors, personality can play a role in mental health. For example, neuroticism has a positive association with feeling hopeless, developing depression, and displaying suicidal behaviors.
There’s a mix of results regarding the relationships between agreeableness, extraversion, and mental health.
Research has found a high genetic association between extraversion and ADHD, also known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Extraverts may also be more likely to engage in reckless behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse due to their increased impulsivity and heightened exposure to peer pressure.
The evidence linking agreeableness and mental health is patchy. However, in a 2017 cross-sectional study, Park and colleagues propose that high-agreeable individuals can be overly-sensitive to negative evaluation. They also suggest agreeable people can be too concerned about how others would react if they were to display mental health difficulties or seek out support.
Therefore, it may not be that agreeable people do not experience psychological conditions. Instead, they may be less willing to reveal their psychological conditions to others.
Final Thoughts
Agreeable and extraverted individuals tend to be liked by others, but for different reasons. Agreeable people are considered trustworthy and kind; extraverts are often the life of the party—they bring the energy!
While the behavioral characteristics of these two personality traits overlap, there’s little evidence of a relationship between the two. Yes, they both gain satisfaction from friendships, but through different means. And they both love life, but extraverts more so.
The truth is, we need further research to untangle the relationship between agreeableness and extraversion fully.
- Tov, W., Nai, Z. L., & Lee, H. W. (2014). Extraversion and agreeableness: Divergent routes to daily satisfaction with social relationships. Journal of Personality, 84(1), 121–134. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12146
- Fors Connolly, F., & Johansson Sevä, I. (2021). Agreeableness, extraversion and life satisfaction: Investigating the mediating roles of social inclusion and status. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 62(5), 752–762. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12755
- Luo, X., Kranzler, H. R., Zuo, L., Wang, S., & Gelernter, J. (2007). Personality Traits of agreeableness and extraversion are associated with ADH4 variation. Biological Psychiatry, 61(5), 599–608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.05.017
- LaFee, S. (2016, December 8). Personality traits and psychiatric disorders linked to specific genomic locations. UC San Diego News Center. https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/personality_traits_and_psychiatric_disorders_linked_to_specific_genomic_loc
- Pittman, D. (2021, April 26). Introverts vs extroverts: Do they handle mental health differently? Talkspace. https://www.talkspace.com/blog/introverts-vs-extroverts/
- Park, S., Lee, Y., Seong, S. J., Chang, S. M., Lee, J. Y., Hahm, B. J., & Hong, J. P. (2017). A cross-sectional study about associations between personality characteristics and mental health service utilization in a Korean national community sample of adults with psychiatric disorders. BMC Psychiatry, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-017-1322-2
