Personality and Leisure: How the NEO FFI personality domains influence free-time activity participation, motives and preferences

Abstract

The present study investigated the influence of personality on the ways in which individuals spend their leisure time, focusing on television, Internet, and film. The personality variables of the NEO FFI (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness) were significantly related to self-reported media preferences and motives, as well as the amount of time individuals spent in different leisure activities. The personality effects were largely mediated by demographic factors such as sex, age and highest level of education, which should be included in future research into this area.