Assessment of heritability for personality, based on a short-form of the Eysenck Personality Inventory: a study of 12,898 twin pairs

Behav Genet. 1980 Mar;10(2):153-62. doi: 10.1007/BF01066265.

Abstract

The influence of genetic factors for two personality dimensions was analyzed using data from 12,898 unselected twin pairs of the Swedish Twin Registry. The heritability index was 0.50 (men) and 0.58 (women) for psychosocial instability. Corresponding figures for psychosocial extraversion were 0.54 and 0.66. Thus, about half the phenotypic variation may be attributed to genetic factors.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Extraversion, Psychological
  • Female
  • Genotype*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neurotic Disorders / genetics
  • Neurotic Disorders / psychology
  • Personality Inventory
  • Personality*
  • Phenotype
  • Pregnancy
  • Sex Factors
  • Sweden
  • Twins / psychology*
  • Twins, Dizygotic / psychology
  • Twins, Monozygotic / psychology