THIS CONTENT IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology - read more

Three personality traits are linked to a happy life

In a new study, researchers suggest a link between several personality traits and how people feel about their lives.

Man sitting against a tree in a sunlit woodland, with one knee raised.
Personal motivation is strongly associated with a sense of well-being.
Steinar Brandslet journalist for Norwegian SciTech News
Presented by: Presented by: NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Published

“People who are determined, passionate, and have belief in their ability to improve appear to be more likely to flourish and experience meaningful and engaging lives,” says Hermundur Sigmundsson.

He is a professor at NTNU’s Department of Psychology.

Together with his colleague Håvard Lorås, he has investigated the personality traits of tenacity (grit), believing in oneself (growth mindset), and motivation (passion), and how these are associated with quality of life and well-being.

Lorås is a professor at NTNU's Department of Teacher Education.

Motivation is associated with well-being

A total of 585 people completed a survey.

The results show that grit, growth mindset, and passion are interconnected.

These motivational factors were all also associated with a sense of direction, leading to lives which flourish and have meaning.

“Grit and passion were particularly strongly associated with well-being, while a growth mindset had a distinct association with flourishing,” says Lorås.

Overall, personal motivation was strongly associated with general well-being.

Researchers cannot say that one causes the other

It is important to note that this study looked at people’s perceived quality of life and well-being. This does not necessarily reflect reality.

“Our study cannot establish that motivation directly leads to a better quality of life. We only studied these people at one point in time and did not examine how they developed over time,” says Sigmundsson.

The sample was also predominantly Norwegian and included considerably more women than men (363 versus 222).

Both cultural and gender differences could therefore play a role.

“We need longer-term and experimental studies to determine whether these traits actually lead to a better quality of life,” says Lorås.

Reference:

Sigmundsson, H. & Lorås, H. Motivation and well-being: exploring the relationships, Frontiers in Education, 2026. DOI: 10.3389/feduc.2026.1891860

———

Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no

More content from NTNU:

society and culture ntnu psychology personality partner
Powered by Labrador CMS