Does Agreeableness Increase With Age?

Although our bodies see significant physical changes as we age – decreased bone density, thinning of the hair, lowered muscle elasticity, to name a few – it isn’t always clear whether age has an impact on specific personality traits.

One such personality trait that is of particular debate among researchers, is the Big Five Personality Trait of agreeableness.

Is agreeableness retained with age? Will it flourish as you get older or wilt along with youth?

Does Agreeableness Change with Age?

The overriding conclusion is that agreeableness not only stays stable as you age, it likely increases as you get older. However, not all studies are in accordance.

Research has found that agreeableness increases throughout your 30s and even into your 60s. It’s been suggested that this reflects a role transition from focusing on a career to raising a family.

Interestingly, a study conducted in 2003, found that of the 132,515 adults involved, there was no significant difference between gender, challenging the popular idea that men grow grumpier with age.

And others support this finding. For example, agreeableness, emotional stability, and conscientiousness has been shown to increase with age. This relationship is consistent across genders.

Mixed Results

Despite the above findings, a recent analysis of 11 prior studies on agreeableness and age, found conflicting evidence:

• 5 studies showed a significant increase in agreeableness with age
• 2 studies showed a significant decrease.
• 2 studies found an insignificant negative relationship.
• 2 demonstrated a negligible positive relationship.

This mishmash of findings led these researchers to conclude that agreeableness may increase with age. However, some evidence is discordant with this idea.

Do All Personality Traits Change With Age?

Maturity Principle

It’s not just agreeableness that is likely to change with age. Evidence repeatedly illustrates the gradual transition in personality humans display over the years. This phenomenon even has a name; the “maturity principle.”

The maturity principle highlights how humans often become more extraverted, emotionally stable, conscientious, and agreeable with age. 

These changes can be pretty apparent in some while less so in others. Nevertheless, no one escapes these inevitable adaptations.

Social Standing

It’s also been suggested that your social standing may be related to the change in personality traits you see as you age.

For example, self-esteem has been shown to increase while neuroticism decreases as you transition into a romantic partnership. Those who remain single show, in comparison, less of such adaptation.

Research has also found a link between personality traits and social investment in community involvement, religion, close relationships, and work.

Those more engaged in these life domains showed higher agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability.

However, the same pattern can’t be said for all personality traits. Neuroticism, for example, is frequently shown to decrease with age when interacting with particular life events, or comparing data between different countries.

What Is Neuroticism and Why Does It Decrease With Age?

Neuroticism is typically viewed as an adverse personality trait. Negative feelings such as anxiety, irritability, self-doubt, and anger appear commonplace in neurotic individuals.

They often exhibit poor emotional stability and sudden emotional outbursts. If you’re neurotic, you may be inclined to jealousy, regularly becoming envious of others. Perhaps you feel generally angry at the world and everyday events.

Neuroticism is thought to evolve over time, as well as undergo trajectory adjustments when associated with several factors. Childhood trauma, genetics and gender, are some such factors.

But why doesn’t this personality trait increase like many others? While neuroticism decreases with age, this change doesn’t tend to be drastic. The most neurotic individuals in early adolescents will still show the highest neuroticism scores during their elderly years.

And some research shows that neuroticism doesn’t change at all, remaining relatively stable throughout the lifetime. It seems that this is an area of study that needs more exploration.

Closing Remarks

Would you describe yourself as agreeable? This personality trait is characterized by kindness towards others and genuine predisposition. And if you’re agreeable now, you’ll likely be even more agreeable later.

While the evidence for this relationship is conflicting, the majority favor the view that you become more agreeable as you age. This change is one of several apparent shifts in personality that can be seen as your social investment changes.

This silver lining provides a ray of hope on an unavoidable decline. Humans may lose strength and youth, but what is gained? Warmth, altruism, and morality.