The Openness Dimension of Personality
Openness describes a person’s tendency to think in abstract, complex ways. High scorers tend to be creative, adventurous, and intellectual. They enjoy playing with ideas and discovering novel experiences. Low scorers tend to be practical, conventional, and focused on the concrete. They tend to avoid the unknown and follow traditional ways.
Openness is correlated with intelligence, but only modestly. Openness is best thought of as an attitude of intellectual curiosity, and does not necessarily indicate intellectual capacity.
What High Openness Looks Like
Openness is strongly related to a person’s interest in art and culture. People who are high in openness tend to enjoy the arts and seek out unusual, complex forms of self-expression. They are likely to be creative and enjoy playing with ideas. They often think in symbols and metaphors and notice patterns. They look beyond the facts and pursue a higher level of understanding.
People high in Openness are intellectually curious and usually have an interest scientific theories and innovation. They are interested in abstract concepts and enjoy intellectual disciplines like mathematics, science, language, music, and the visual and performing arts.
Those high in Openness tend to be adventurous and enjoy exploring new things. They may get bored with the routine and mundane, preferring instead to seek out environments that stimulate the mind. They are often (though not always) politically liberal and open to new and unconventional ideas.
What Low Openness Looks Like
People who are low in Openness tend to see things literally, and focus more on the practical, straightforward, and concrete. They tend not to be interested in theories and ideas, preferring things that are real and practical.
People who are low in Openness tend to be pragmatic and traditional. They typically are not drawn to the arts or to creative expression and prefer to spend their time doing things that feel useful. They prefer jobs and hobbies that have a practical purpose and an observable result.
Those who are low in Openness do not like to spend time playing with ideas and usually have conventional values. They are more realistic than imaginative, and have little interest in new ideas when the old system seems to be working just fine. They are most comfortable in familiar surroundings and tend to be creatures of habit. They may be resistant to change and prefer to stick with what they know.
Low Openness scorers are more likely to be politically conservative (though not always!) and to spend their leisure time enjoying popular entertainment, including major league sports, blockbuster movies, and pop music. They do not tend to be interested in art and usually avoid high-brow cultural activities like the opera or the ballet.