Abstract
Recent research has shown that life satisfaction is lower in states with a high neuroticism level than in less neurotic states. The present study disentangles the effect of state- and individual-level neuroticism on life satisfaction in a multilevel regression analysis using nationally representative data from 16 German federal states. The results show that controlling for individual-level neuroticism results in a reduction of the effect of state-level neuroticism on individuals' life satisfaction, although it remains statistically and practically significant. Hence, the ecological correlation between state-level neuroticism and state-level life satisfaction reported in prior research is not a mere reflection of individual-level associations. The process of emotional contagion is proposed as the potential mechanism of the state-level neuroticism effect. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-5 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of Research in Personality |
| Volume | 58 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Personality
- Emotional contagion
- Life satisfaction
- Neuroticism
- Regional differences
- STATE-LEVEL