The Big Five, also called the Five-Factor Model or OCEAN, is the most widely supported scientific model of human personality. It grew out of decades of research in which psychologists analysed the words people use to describe each other and found that they cluster into five broad dimensions.
The five traits
Openness to experience
Curiosity, imagination and interest in new ideas, art and experiences. Higher scorers tend to enjoy novelty and abstract thinking. Lower scorers tend to prefer routine and the familiar.
Conscientiousness
Organisation, self-discipline and reliability. Higher scorers plan ahead and follow through. Lower scorers are more spontaneous and flexible, though sometimes less organised.
Extraversion
Sociability, assertiveness and energy in social situations. Higher scorers are talkative and seek stimulation. Lower scorers (often called introverts) prefer quieter settings and smaller groups.
Agreeableness
Warmth, trust, cooperation and concern for others. Higher scorers are compassionate and accommodating. Lower scorers are more competitive and direct.
Neuroticism (emotional stability)
The tendency to experience negative emotions such as anxiety, irritability and low mood. Higher scorers feel these emotions more often and more intensely. Lower scorers are calmer and more emotionally stable.
Traits are spectrums, not types
Unlike type-based quizzes, the Big Five treats each trait as a continuum. Most people score somewhere in the middle, and no score is "good" or "bad" in itself. Each pattern has strengths and costs depending on the situation.
Facets: the detail inside each trait
Each broad trait can be divided into narrower facets. For example, extraversion includes friendliness, gregariousness, assertiveness, activity level, excitement-seeking and cheerfulness. Longer inventories such as the IPIP-NEO report all 30 facets.
Is personality fixed?
Personality is fairly stable across adulthood but not frozen. On average, people tend to become somewhat more conscientious, agreeable and emotionally stable as they age, and life events and deliberate effort can shift traits gradually.
Take a Big Five test
All of our Big Five tests are built from the International Personality Item Pool, a public-domain collection of scientifically studied items. Choose a length on our Big Five personality test page, from a fast 50-question version to the detailed 300-question IPIP-NEO. To see how this differs from type quizzes, read our personality test guide.