Exploring associations between subjective well-being and personality over a time span of 15–18 months: a cohort study of adolescents in Sweden

INTRODUCTION: Subjective well-being (SWB) is a contributing factor for building resilience and a resource for positive outcomes, e.g. study achievement and work performance. Earlier studies have examined associations between and prospective effects of personality traits on SWB, but few addressed the role that SWB plays in formation of personality over time. The purpose of our study was to examine associations and prospective effects of SWB on personality traits and vice versa in a cohort sample of secondary school students in Sweden who completed self-reported measures of SWB and personality traits at baseline (N = 446, 76% females) and at 15–18 month follow-up (N = 283, 71% females). METHODS: SWB was defined and measured by the WHO-5 Well-being Index and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. The Big Five Inventory was used to measure personality traits. Autoregressive models were used to analyse associations and potential prospective effects of SWB on personality traits and vice versa. RESULTS: Low levels of neuroticism and high levels of extraversion, conscientiousness and agreeableness were associated with high levels of SWB at baseline and follow-up. The association between SWB and neuroticism was notably strong. We found high statistically significant rank order stability across the two time points for all measures of personality traits with stability effects, derived from the autoregressive models, ranging from .199 for extraversion to .440 for neuroticism. Stability for SWB was statistically significant across the two time points and ranged from .182 for well-being to .353 for life satisfaction. SWB had a prospective effect on agreeableness only. None of the personality traits had any significant prospective effects on SWB. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings indicate that although correlated, bidirectional prospective effects between personality traits and SWB could not be confirmed. Neuroticism displayed the strongest negative association with adolescents’ SWB. Schools are an appropriate setting to improve well-being, and allocating resources that reduce neuroticism is crucial, including structural interventions, policies for healthy school settings and teaching emotional regulation techniques. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-021-00673-9.