A study on optimism as a psychological strength in nurses through a prospective study from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic to two years later

Aims and objectives

This study analyzes, in nurses, the influence of openness to experience and hardiness (assessed at baseline and one year after the COVID-19 pandemic respectively) on the development of optimism (assessed two years after the COVID-19 pandemic). Concerns about self-contagion were included as a moderating variable, given their relevance as a risk factor.

Background

Nurses have been among the healthcare professionals most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most previous studies have focused on the variables contributing to psychological symptoms, whilst the attention given to the variables adding to the well-being of these professionals has been much scarcer.

Design

A prospective study was carried out.

Methods

This study was carried out using three data collection periods: Period 1 (From May to June 2020), Period 2 (From January 2021 to April 2021), and Period 3 (From April 2022 to July 2022), with the participation of 151 Spanish nurses, using online self-reporting questionnaires. The study followed the STROBE statement.

Results

The results showed that the proposed model was statistically significant. There was a positive effect of openness to experience (year 2020) on hardiness assessed one year later (year 2021). Similarly, hardiness had a positive effect on optimism assessed another year on (year 2022).

Conclusions

Concerns about self-contagion behaved as a moderator in the relationship between openness to experience and hardiness (the relationship between openness and hardiness was statistically significant when contagion concern was higher). Relevance to clinical practice: In-depth understanding of the psychological processes that trigger psychological strengths (i.e. optimism) as a result of adverse situations (i.e. COVID-19 pandemic) is essential in promoting the mental health of healthcare professionals. Interventions targeting resilient personality traits and cognitive flexibility are key to this goal. No Patient or Public Contribution: The participants contributed exclusively to the collection of the sample.

Preference for imperfect produce: The influence of political ideology and openness to experience

Food waste is a critical global issue, posing substantial environmental, social, and financial challenges, even as millions continue to face uncertainty regarding their next meal source. The seriousness of this problem necessitates a closer look into ways to reduce food waste. In this investigation, we identify a key factor which contributes to food waste-imperfect fruits and vegetables (FaVs), defined as foods that are non-uniform in shape, color, or texture. Because of their unusual and sometimes ugly appearance, people are often averse to buying them, making it important to understand factors that influence people's acceptance or rejection of imperfect FaVs. Across four online studies (including an exploratory study) with nearly 1400 U.S. respondents and using varied designs, we test political ideology as a moderator of this aversion to imperfect FaVs. Our findings indicate that politically conservative people are less likely to purchase imperfect FaVs (vs. perfect FaVs) compared to politically liberal people. The last study also uncovers the psychological mechanism underlying this greater aversion to FaVs by conservatives: lower openness to experience explains why this segment of population may be less willing to purchase imperfect FaVs. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Assessment of Personality Traits among Pediatric Dentists in India: A Cross-sectional Study

Aim

To identify the most common personality traits among pediatric dentists in India.

Materials and methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Big Five personality test (BFPT). It included 50 questions based on five personality traits-extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience. The questionnaire was e-mailed and also sent through WhatsApp messages as a Google Form to all the pediatric dentists in India. Scoring for each trait was done based on the specific formula provided. The data were subjected to statistical analysis using Mann-Whitney U test.

Results

A total of 390 pediatric dentists responded and filled out the questionnaire. The agreeableness trait was the most commonly exhibited trait, followed by the conscientiousness trait. Emotional stability was the least exhibited trait. Emotional stability was statistically different between male and female pediatric dentists.

Conclusion

Agreeableness and emotional stability were the most and least expressed traits, respectively, among the participants. This survey showed that pediatric dentists in India could have a high tolerance and competent behavior.

Clinical significance

Dentists may possess unique personality traits that distinguish them from the general population. Within the dental profession, there could be variations in personality traits depending on the specialty they practice.

How to cite this article

Asokan S, PR G, Dhanabalan O, et al. Assessment of Personality Traits Among Pediatric Dentists in India: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2023;16(3):489-493.

Perceived usefulness of, engagement with, and effectiveness of virtual reality environments in learning industrial operations: the moderating role of openness to experience

The development of virtual reality (VR) in enhancing the effectiveness of the learning process, with its interactive, immersive, and intuitive pedagogical environment, has become a necessity for corporations with increasingly complex operations. However, VR users' perceptions, openness and learning effectiveness are seldom comprehensively evaluated, particularly in learning complex industrial operations. In this study, grounded in the technology acceptance model, a moderated mediation model of perceived usefulness, ease of use, openness to experience, and engagement in VR-based learning was developed. The model was empirically validated using responses collected from 321 users who were trained on aircraft and cargo terminal operations powered by a novel VR-based learning platform. A survey to measure openness to experience and a pre-training performance test were carried out, followed by a post-training survey of learners' intrinsic factors, including the influence of perceived usefulness, openness to experience, and attitude towards learning. The study revealed that learners with an open attitude towards experiencing new technology tend to perceive VR technology as a useful platform for training. In addition, the learners with more positive views of VR technology-supported training were more engaged in learning.

Buffer or boost? the role of openness to experience and knowledge sharing in the relationship between team cognitive diversity and members' innovative work behavior

Although literature frequently argues that diversity stimulates innovative work behavior, theoretical perspectives and empirical findings on this relationship remain inconsistent. Based on self-category theory, this study aims to comprehensively investigate when and how team cognitive diversity benefits or inhibits innovative work behavior. We introduced a new context of research (i.e., virtual teams) during COVID-19 and tested a moderated mediation model using a two-wave survey of 238 employees from 56 virtual teams in China. The results indicated that team cognitive diversity negatively related to knowledge sharing, which in turn inhibited innovative work behavior. In addition, openness to experience moderated the relationship between team cognitive diversity and knowledge sharing, such that cognitive diversity positively related to knowledge sharing among employees with a high openness to experience, while it negatively related to knowledge sharing among those with low openness. These findings enrich the existing literature on innovation by clarifying the mechanisms and boundary conditions of team cognitive diversity and innovative work behavior.

The Big Five personality traits and regularity of lifetime dental visit attendance: evidence of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

Background

Regular dental visits are essential for the prevention, early detection and treatment of worldwide highly prevalent oral diseases. Personality traits were previously associated with treatment compliance, medication adherence and regular doctor visits, however, the link between personality traits and regular dental visit attendance remains largely unexplored. Thus, the objective of this study is to clarify this link.

Methods

Data (wave 7) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) were used, focusing on Germany (n = 2822). Personality was assessed using the 10-item Big Five Inventory (BFI-10). Regular dental visits were assessed. Multiple logistic regressions were used, adjusting for various covariates.

Results

Majority of the participants (84%) reported to attend regular dental visits during lifetime. Regularity of lifetime dental visit attendance was positively and significantly associated with increased extraversion [OR 1.13, 95% CI (1.01–1.26)], increased conscientiousness [OR 1.26, 95% CI (1.10–1.44)], and increased openness to experience [OR 1.12, 95% CI (1.01–1.26)]. However, there was a lack of association with agreeableness and neuroticism. Moreover, the outcome measure was positively associated with younger age, being female, born in Germany, being married, higher education, being retired (compared to being homemaker), whereas it was not associated with obesity or chronic diseases.

Conclusions

Identification of personality traits that are associated with regular dental visits can support prevention, screening and clinical management of oral diseases. Further research in this field may facilitate the development and increase the incorporation of individualized concepts to enhance patient compliance and attendance, and thus the provision of oral and dental care services.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40520-021-02051-2.

The functional connectivity basis of creative achievement linked with openness to experience and divergent thinking

Openness to experience and divergent thinking are considered to be critical in real-life creative achievement. However, there is still a lack of neural evidence to explain how creative achievement is related to openness to experience and divergent thinking. Here, a structural equation model and resting-state functional connectivity were used to investigate their relationships in college students. The structural equation model results repeatedly showed that openness to experience and divergent thinking are positively associated with creative achievement, and the resting-state functional connectivity results showed that openness to experience and divergent thinking were both correlated with the attention network and default mode network. However, openness to experience was also correlated with the primary sensorimotor network and frontoparietal control network. Mediation models further corroborated this result. Collectively, these findings support previous works and further indicate that different neural bases may underlie the associations of creative achievement with openness to experience and divergent thinking.

Relationship between personality factors and frailty. A systematic review

PURPOSE

To date, some empirical studies showed a link between personality factors and frailty. Nevertheless, a systematic review is lacking synthesizing the current evidence. Consequently, the purpose of this review was to fill this gap in knowledge based on observational studies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Three electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL) were searched. Moreover, a hand search was conducted. Observational studies focusing on the association between personality and frailty were included, whereas disease-specific studies were excluded. Data referring to methods, characteristics of the sample and key findings were extracted. The NIH tool was used to assess study quality/risk of bias. Two reviewers performed study selection, extracted the data and conducted the quality assessment.

RESULT

In sum, five (mostly longitudinal) studies were included in the final synthesis. Mainly based on large, nationally representative cohorts, these studies point to an association between personality and frailty. More precisely, they mainly point to a link between low conscientiousness as well as high neuroticism and increased frailty levels. The quality of the studies included was quite high.

CONCLUSIONS

This knowledge may assist in identifying individuals at risk for increased frailty levels (i.e., particularly individuals with low conscientiousness and high neuroticism). Efforts to increase conscientiousness and reduce neuroticism may assist in postponing frailty. Future studies are required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Prospero registration number: CRD42020193100.

Novice Instructional Designers' Attitudes towards the Best Possible Self Activity and the Correlation with Personality and Subjective Well-Being

The effectiveness of positive psychology interventions relies heavily on participants' buy-in and personality traits. The Best Possible Self (BPS) intervention asks participants to envision their ideal future, supposing that everything goes smoothly. The BPS shows salient effects in improving subjective well-being in laboratory settings. In this study, the BPS was integrated into a real-world graduate-level online course as a series of assignments. A convergent mixed method was used to explore the participants' attitudes towards the BPS and the relationship between their personality and subjective well-being. A total of 86 students registered in both the summer and spring semesters of 2020 participated in this study. Pearson correlation results show significant correlations among attitudes, subjective well-being and gains and openness to experience. The results from open-ended questions confirmed participants' positive attitudes towards the BPS. This study contributes to the practical application of BPS in real-world, online, higher education courses.

When leaders are marketers: a duality perspective on the effect of openness to experience on marketing behaviors and the moderating role of bottom-line mentality

While research has considered the effects of CEO and top-management team members' characteristics on strategic initiatives (e.g. marketing), less research has examined when non-executive leaders directly contribute to these initiatives. In this research, drawing from the duality framework on leader characteristics, we examine how leader openness to experience is associated with their increased engagement in marketing behaviors (e.g. recruiting new customers). Across two field studies, including an exploratory sample of small business owners and a sample of non-executive leaders in the outpatient physical therapy industry, we find that openness to experience was related to leaders' likelihood of executing marketing functions. Additionally, this relationship was weakened when leaders had a primary focus on short-term financial outcomes (i.e., high bottom-line mentality). We further link marketing to unit-level performance in a subsample of Study 2, suggesting that non-executive leaders' marketing behaviors can impact objective organizational performance.

Strategy Use Mediates the Relation between Openness to Experience and Episodic Memory in Younger and Older Adults

Previous research has shown that people with higher levels of Openness to Experience show higher levels of cognitive functioning. However, the mechanisms underlying this personality-cognition relation are not well understood. The goal of the current project was to examine whether strategy use mediates the relation between Openness to experience and retrospective memory, and whether the role of strategy use in the Openness-memory relation was the same in younger and older adults.

METHOD

Two studies were conducted. In each of them, younger and older adults were administered a retrospective memory task (29 younger and 27 older in Study 1, 43 adults of all ages in Study 2). They were asked to report the strategies they used during the task, and to complete an Openness to Experience scale.

RESULTS

Consistent with previous reports, higher scores of Openness to experience and greater use of efficient memory strategies were associated with higher levels of memory performance. In addition, individual differences in memory strategy use mostly mediated the relation between Openness and memory performance. Results did not support a mediation model moderated by age. That is, the role of memory strategy use in the relation between Openness and memory was the same in younger and older adults.

CONCLUSION

Higher levels of Openness are associated with better memory performance, mostly because people with higher levels of Openness use more efficient memory strategies.

Psychological predictors of medical residents' perspectives on shared decision-making with patients: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Shared Decision Making (SDM) is as ideal model for resident-patient relationship which may improve medical outcomes. Nevertheless, predictive psychological factors influencing residents' perspective regarding SDM are unclear. The current study investigated the relationship between two psychological factors, mental health and personality traits, and residents' views toward SDM.

METHOD

In a cross-sectional study, 168 medical residents of the Babol University of Medical Sciences studying in 13 field specialties were recruited. The residents completed three questionnaires including Shared Decision-Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-Doc, physician version), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and Big Five Personality (NEO-FFI).

RESULTS

Residents had an overall agreement of about 88% regarding SDM with patients. There was no significant difference between male and female residents in terms of the degree of agreement for SDM. Concerning SDM, there was no significant relationship either between residents' views and neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. In multivariate regression, mental health did not predict the SDM, but openness to experience negatively predicted residents' views concerning SDM (β = - 0.388, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The residents' personality trait of openness to experience was a significant negative predictor of SDM with patients. A better understanding of how psychological factors relate to residents' perspectives may help clinicians properly discuss the treatment options with the patient thereby encouraging them for SDM or to consider their own preferences.

Cognitive Reserve Mediates the Relation between Openness to Experience and Smaller Decline in Executive Functioning

AIMS

We investigated the mediating role of leisure activity engagement in the longitudinal relation between openness to experience and subsequent change in executive functioning over 6 years as measured through performance changes in the Trail Making Test (TMT).

METHODS

We analyzed longitudinal data from 897 older adults (mean = 74.33 years in the first wave) tested on TMT parts A and B in two waves 6 years apart. Participants reported information on leisure activity engagement and openness to experience.

RESULTS

Latent change score modeling revealed that 37.2% of the longitudinal relation between higher openness to experience in the first wave of data collection and a smaller subsequent increase in TMT completion time from the first to the second wave (i.e., a smaller decline in executive functioning) was mediated via a higher frequency of leisure activities in the first wave.

CONCLUSION

Individuals with higher openness to experience show greater activity engagement in old age. By enhancing their cognitive reserve, this activity engagement may finally result in smaller subsequent decline in executive functioning.

The NEO-FFI domain of openness to experience moderates ketamine response in treatment resistant depression

BACKGROUND

There are many putative mechanisms by which ketamine has its effect and many unanswered questions about risks and benefits of long-term ketamine therapy. A research imperative is the identification of predictors of response to intravenous ketamine, especially a sustained response to maintenance ketamine. Temperament is an inherited aspect of personality and is a predictive factor for outcome in treatment resistant depressed (TRD) patients.

METHODS

We analyzed which domains of personality impacted initial and sustained ketamine response. Utilizing the Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) on 125 participants with TRD, we tested (1) whether the degree of neuroticism predicted initial and/or sustained response to ketamine; and (2) whether extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, and conscientiousness had an impact on response.

RESULTS

Our findings confirmed previous literature that elevated neuroticism, low conscientiousness, and low extraversion was the pattern of our TRD population regardless of response. Openness was the only factor to significantly predict sustained treatment outcome.

LIMITATIONS

Our findings are limited by the lack of placebo control, small sample size, non- standardized infusion intervals, polypharmacy rather than ketamine monotherapy, a select TRD population in that they had all failed ECT, and a primarily Caucasian population.

CONCLUSIONS

Our registry adds to the literature that factors making up temperament may have predictive value in regard to treatment response, specifically the outcome for TRD patients receiving long-term ketamine infusion therapy. If confirmed, assessing for Openness could reduce inappropriate exposure to ketamine with its attendant unknown long-term risks.

Facets of openness to experience are associated with cardiovascular reactivity and adaptation across both active and passive stress exposures

Research suggests the personality trait of Openness to Experience is associated with cardiovascular stress processes. It is unknown if the underlying facets of Openness are associated with cardiovascular responsivity, and whether adaptation is evident across active and passive stress. The objective of this study was to determine if the facets of Openness are related to cardiovascular reactivity and adaptation across active and passive stress exposures. Personality measures and continuous cardiovascular data from sixty-six female adults across a protocol of active and passive stress tasks were collated. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the facet of Feelings was associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity to active stress. Examination of cardiovascular adaption revealed that the facet of Feelings was positively associated with SBP and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) adaptation, whereas the facet of Actions demonstrated a negative association. Supplementary analyses revealed the significant effects for Feelings were not reliant on the remaining Openness facets, whereas the significant effects for Actions were. No significant effects emerged for the higher-order trait of Openness. These findings suggest that the underlying facet of Feelings is associated with active stress reactivity, with the facets of Feelings and Actions appearing to be of importance to cardiovascular adaptation. This study is the first to demonstrate personality effects on cardiovascular adaptation across active and passive stress. Attending to the facets of personality traits may provide a more precise understanding of the personality effects on cardiovascular stress psychophysiology.

Conscientiousness Is Associated with Lower Risk of Dementia among Black and White Older Adults

BACKGROUND

While some personality traits may reduce risk of dementia, this is controversial and has not been studied as much among diverse populations. We examined associations between 2 traits - Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience - and risk of dementia among black and white older adults.

METHODS

We studied 875 older adults (ages 71-82, 47% black) without prevalent dementia from the Health, Aging and Body Composition study, who completed the NEO Five-Factor Inventory for Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience. Incident dementia over 8 years (mean = 6.9 years) was determined by hospital records, medications, or ≥1.5 SD race-specific decline on the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination. In adjusted models, we investigated associations between each trait and risk of dementia, including for race interactions.

RESULTS

Associations between personality traits and dementia risk did not differ by race (interactions: p > 0.7). Higher Conscientiousness was associated with lower dementia risk (adjusted HR per 1SD = 0.78; 95% CI 0.65-0.94). There was no association for Openness to Experience (adjusted HR per 1SD = 0.88; 95% CI 0.71-1.08).

CONCLUSIONS

Higher Conscientiousness is associated with lower dementia risk, even among diverse populations. Higher Conscientiousness may be protective, or lower Conscientiousness may be an early symptom of neurodegenerative disease.

Implication of the DGKH genotype in openness to experience, a premorbid personality trait of bipolar disorder

AIMS

The diacylglycerol kinase η gene (DGKH) is one of the few replicated risk genes for bipolar disorder. Meanwhile, specific personality traits, especially openness to experience, have been suggested as premorbid personality traits of the disorder. The aim of the present study was to examine the relation of the DGKH genotype with broad dimensions of personality, to obtain further evidence for its implication in the etiology of bipolar disorder.

METHODS

The subjects were 319 Japanese healthy volunteers. Personality was assessed by the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised, which has the neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness dimensions. The A/G polymorphism of DGKH (rs9525580) was detected by a PCR-RFLP method. The subjects were divided into two groups with respect to the presence or absence of the A allele, which is a putative risk allele for bipolar disorder.

RESULTS

The group with the A allele had significantly (p < 0.05) higher scores of openness to experience compared to that without this allele. Scores of other dimensions were not different between the two groups.

LIMITATIONS

The subjects had a homogeneous but rather specific background, and we did not employ a longitudinal design.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study shows that a bipolar-risk allele of DGKH is associated with higher openness to experience, providing further evidence for the implication of this gene in the etiology of bipolar disorder.

Openness to experience and psychophysiological interaction patterns during divergent thinking

Creativity is the ability to produce something novel and useful. Various tasks have been used to explore the neural bases of creativity. However, studies exploring the relationship between the brain regions during divergent thinking are still rare. Given that the brain works in networks, exploring the functional connectivity (FC) patterns during divergent thinking is important. The present study explored the FC patterns during alternative uses task and its relationship with openness to experience. Psychophysiological interaction results corroborated that the inferior parietal lobule was positively connected to the precuneus and middle temporal gyrus. Middle frontal gyrus/superior frontal gyrus was positively connected to the precuneus and supramarginal gyrus. Individual difference analysis revealed that openness to experience was positively related to the strength of FCs between some key regions of default mode, cognitive control and salience networks. Findings confirmed the network-based mechanisms underlying creativity and the neural basis of individual differences of openness to experience.

The voluntary control of piloerection

Autonomic nervous systems in the human body are named for their operation outside of conscious control. One rare exception is voluntarily generated piloerection (VGP)-the conscious ability to induce goosebumps-whose physiological study, to our knowledge, is confined to three single-individual case studies. Very little is known about the physiological nature and emotional correlates of this ability. The current manuscript assesses physiological, emotional, and personality phenomena associated with VGP in a sample of thirty-two individuals. Physiological descriptions obtained from the sample are consistent with previous reports, including stereotypical patterns of sensation and action. Most participants also reported that their VGP accompanies psychological states associated with affective states (e.g., awe) and experience (e.g., listening to music), and higher than typical openness to new experiences. These preliminary findings suggest that this rare and unusual physiological ability interacts with emotional and personality factors, and thus merits further study.

Individual differences in aesthetic engagement are reflected in resting-state fMRI connectivity: Implications for stress resilience

OBJECTIVE

Individual differences in aesthetic engagement-the propensity to be moved by art, nature, and beauty-are associated with positive health outcomes, as well as stress resilience. The purpose of the current study was to identify potential neural substrate mechanisms underlying individual differences in aesthetic engagement and reported proneness to aesthetic chill.

METHODS

Data from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) 1200 Subjects Release were utilized. Resting-state fMRI connectivity was extracted for 361 regions in the brain including cortical, subcortical and cerebellar regions for each participant, using participant-specific segmentation and parcellation of subcortical gray matter nuclei and a network-based statistics analytical approach. The Aesthetic Interests subcluster of the Openness to Experience scale (NEO-Five Factor Inventory; NEO-FFI) was used to characterize individual differences in aesthetic engagement and chill.

RESULTS

Participants reporting higher aesthetic engagement, particularly proneness to aesthetic chill responses, exhibited significantly higher connectivity between the default network and sensory and motor cortices, higher connectivity between the ventral default and salience networks, and decreased connectivity between the cerebellum and somatomotor cortex.

CONCLUSIONS

Current findings suggest that greater integration of the default mode network, involving processing of internal narrative, with neural representations of sensory perception and salience detection may be a mechanism underlying individual differences in aesthetic engagement. Thus, these individual differences may reflect general integration of environmental perception with internal emotional experience, which in turn may facilitate comfort with novelty, self-regulation, and positive adaptation to potentially stressful experiences.

Psychobehavioral Effects of Meditation

Meditation is an increasingly popular psychobehavioral therapy. Various meditation techniques in use make it hard to objectively scrutinize the psychological benefits. Therefore, in this study we set out to examine the effects of two fundamentally different meditative techniques, Zazen, 'seated meditation', in which the body and mind are calmed, and Tai Chi, 'meditation in motion', based on energetic martial art performance. The aim was to compare the effects of both techniques on personality structure, emotional intelligence, mood, and coping with stress. The study was conducted in 48 healthy volunteers, aged 39-50, divided into those practicing Zazen, Tai Chi, and the non-meditating controls, each group consisting of 16 persons. The psychometric tools consisted of Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL), Emotional Intelligence Inventory (INTE), and the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). We found that both Zazen and Tai Chi meditations significantly enhanced openness to experience, one of the personality dimensions of the Big Five Model. The enhanced openness was associated with improved strategies for coping with stress. The meditators had less avoidance-oriented approaches to perceived stress. They also had improved mood compared with non-meditating controls. The findings suggest that enhanced openness to experience could shape one's desire to hold onto the meditation regimen. We conclude that both, diametrically different types of meditation, are conducive to mental health by improving the general well-being, counteracting stress, and leading to a better vigor of spirit. Meditation may thus be considered a complimentary, albeit rather modestly acting, adjunct to psychotherapy.

Curiosity in old age: A possible key to achieving adaptive aging

Curiosity is a fundamental part of human motivation that supports a variety of human intellectual behaviors ranging from early learning in children to scientific discovery. However, there has been little attention paid to the role of curiosity in aging populations. By bringing together broad but sparse neuroscientific and psychological literature on curiosity and related concepts (e.g., novelty seeking in older adults), we propose that curiosity, although it declines with age, plays an important role in maintaining cognitive function, mental health, and physical health in older adults. We identify the dopaminergic reward system and the noradrenergic system as the key brain systems implicated in curiosity processing and discuss how these brain systems contribute to the relationship between curiosity and adaptive aging.

Inspired by Mary Jane? Mechanisms underlying enhanced creativity in cannabis users

Previous research suggests cannabis may enhance some aspects of creativity, although the results remain somewhat equivocal. Moreover, it is unclear whether differences in cannabis users' personalities may account for any potentially beneficial effects of cannabis on creativity. This study was designed to examine whether sober cannabis users demonstrate superior self-reported and objective creativity test performance relative to non-users, and to determine whether any of the Big 5 personality domains underlie these effects. A sample of sober cannabis users (n=412) and non-users (n=309) completed measures of cannabis consumption, personality, self-reported and objective creativity. Relative to non-users, sober cannabis users self-reported higher creativity, and performed significantly better on a measure of convergent thinking. Controlling for cannabis users' higher levels of openness to experience abolished these effects. Therefore, while cannabis users appear to demonstrate enhanced creativity, these effects are an artifact of their heightened levels of openness to experience.

Predicting intolerance of uncertainty in individuals with eating disorder symptoms

BACKGROUND

Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) is recognized for its contribution to various psychopathologies, in particular anxiety and depression. Studies highlight the relevance of IU for Eating Disorders (EDs) however, potential factors contributing to IU in EDs remain unstudied.

METHODS

Three hundred and forty-nine women with ED symptoms and 214 individuals without ED symptoms were recruited and compared on levels of IU, insecure (anxious and avoidant) attachment styles, extraversion and openness. Secondly, the contribution of these factors to IU were tested.

RESULTS

Compared to the non-ED group, the ED group scored higher on IU, insecure attachment, and lower on extraversion and openness. Regression analyses confirmed that higher insecure attachment, and lower extraversion predicted higher IU scores in the ED group, and that insecure attachment predicted higher IU scores in the non-ED group.

CONCLUSIONS

Results confirm the relevance of IU to ED, and demonstrate that personality traits and insecure attachment styles contribute to IU in ED. Findings add to the growing literature on IU in ED and suggest that people with EDs may benefit from clinical interventions targeting IU.

Gray matter correlates of creative potential: a latent variable voxel-based morphometry study

There is increasing research interest in the structural and functional brain correlates underlying creative potential. Recent investigations found that interindividual differences in creative potential relate to volumetric differences in brain regions belonging to the default mode network, such as the precuneus. Yet, the complex interplay between creative potential, intelligence, and personality traits and their respective neural bases is still under debate. We investigated regional gray matter volume (rGMV) differences that can be associated with creative potential in a heterogeneous sample of N = 135 individuals using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). By means of latent variable modeling and consideration of recent psychometric advancements in creativity research, we sought to disentangle the effects of ideational originality and fluency as two independent indicators of creative potential. Intelligence and openness to experience were considered as common covariates of creative potential. The results confirmed and extended previous research: rGMV in the precuneus was associated with ideational originality, but not with ideational fluency. In addition, we found ideational originality to be correlated with rGMV in the caudate nucleus. The results indicate that the ability to produce original ideas is tied to default-mode as well as dopaminergic structures. These structural brain correlates of ideational originality were apparent throughout the whole range of intellectual ability and thus not moderated by intelligence. In contrast, structural correlates of ideational fluency, a quantitative marker of creative potential, were observed only in lower intelligent individuals in the cuneus/lingual gyrus.

•

We studied gray matter correlates of creativity by means of voxel-based morphometry.

•

Latent variables were used as predictors of regional gray matter volume.

•

Creative potential was measured by means of ideational originality and fluency.

•

Originality was correlated to gray matter in the precuneus and nucleus caudatus.

•

Fluency was correlated to cuneus gray matter, but only in lower IQ individuals.

Openness predicts cognitive functioning in bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVES

Openness to experience (O) is a well-established personality factor and is associated with cognitive performance. Little is known about the personality-cognitive relationship in bipolar disorder, an illness with significant variability in mood. Cognitive evaluation is essential in psychopathology assessment as it may reflect underlying disease processes and psychosocial functional capacity. Screening using a proxy personality variable may identify those in need of comprehensive cognitive testing. We hypothesized that O and measures of cognition would associate in both the Bipolar Disorder (BD) and healthy control (HC) samples, whereas neuroticism and extraversion would correlate with cognition only in the BD sample.

METHODS

Data from a longitudinal study of BD were used to study the association between personality factors and cognitive measures of attention, executive functioning, memory and fine motor skills. Regression analyses were used to determine the variables that account for the association between personality and cognition.

RESULTS

Aspects of O explained significant cognitive variance (~5%) in both groups; this persisted when demographic variables (including BD versus HC status) were considered. Neuroticism and extraversion did not consistently correlate with cognitive performance in either group.

LIMITATIONS

There were more females in the HC group who were slightly younger compared to the BD group. We lack direct measures of positive affect, and there is a reliance on a single measure of personality.

CONCLUSIONS

BD Individuals scoring low on self-reported Openness are potential candidates for more comprehensive cognitive assessments (which represent a limited resource).

Hospital restructuring and physician job satisfaction: an empirical study

The adoption of clinical directorates through the internal reconfiguration of hospital organizations has been one of the most widespread restructuring interventions in many Western European countries. Despite its extensive adoption, a lack of knowledge remains on the analysis of how this reorganization affects professionals' job satisfaction. This paper contributes to the debate on clinical directorates by exploring how the structural characteristics of newly adopted organizational models influence physician's job satisfaction. More than 300 physicians in 18 clinical directorates in the Italian National Health Service were surveyed regarding their overall job satisfaction following the introduction of departmental arrangements. Survey results were then linked to another survey that classified newly adopted models according to the criteria used to merge hospital wards into directorates, by recognizing "Process-integration", "Specialty-integration" and "Mixed-integration" types of directorates. Our findings show that structural aspects of change significantly influenced overall job satisfaction, and that a physician's openness to experience moderated the adoption and implementation of new clinical directorates. Specifically, results demonstrate that physicians with high openness to experience scores were more receptive to the positive impacts of change on overall job satisfaction. Implications for how these findings may facilitate organizational shifts within hospital settings are discussed.