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Are Personality Traits Really Fixed and Does It Matter?

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  • Steven Stillman
  • Malathi Velamuri

Abstract

A nascent but burgeoning literature examines the importance of non-cognitive skills in determining success across many facets of life. The majority of these papers treat these skills as fixed traits for adults. We estimate the impact of a number of life events on the Big Five personality traits and locus of control. A subset of life events have large impacts on these non-cognitive skills, especially on locus of control. For some events, these impacts persist in the medium-run. We then demonstrate that treating personality traits as fixed can lead to biased estimates of their relationship with socioeconomic outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven Stillman & Malathi Velamuri, 2020. "Are Personality Traits Really Fixed and Does It Matter?," CESifo Working Paper Series 8359, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_8359
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    Cited by:

    1. Jorge García-Hombrados & Berkay Ozcan, 2022. "Age at marriage and marital stability: evidence from China," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2022-014, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    2. Iris Kesternich & Bettina Siflinger & James P. Smith & Franziska Valder, 2022. "Relationship Stability: Evidence from Labor and Marriage Markets," CEBI working paper series 22-20, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. The Center for Economic Behavior and Inequality (CEBI).
    3. van Lent, Max, 2022. "Fathering Daughters and Personality," IZA Discussion Papers 15012, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    personality; non-cognitive skills; life events; fixed traits;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • C18 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Methodolical Issues: General

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