Among female students only, those who scored highly on neuroticism (i.e. anxious, insecure characters) were more likely to blog. This is consistent with work on internet usage that also found an association with neurotic personality types, but only among women. The researchers surmised that nervous women may blog to “assuage loneliness or in an attempt to reach out and form social connections with others.”
Among both men and women, those who were more open to experience were also more likely to blog – perhaps unsurprisingly given that blogging is a relatively new phenomenon and given that this personality dimension is associated with creativity.
This quote is from a post on Research Digest blog. They discussed a recent publication in Computers in Human behavior: GUADAGNO, R., OKDIE, B., ENO, C. (2008). Who blogs? Personality predictors of blogging. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(5), 1993-2004. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2007.09.001.
What do you think, do you recognize these results that used the Big Five Traits? Let me know in the comments.
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I think I am a bit of an exhibitionist, while at the same time being coy and shy…a blog allows me to share myself without having to share who I really am. I guess I perceive less risk in posting a blog vs. sharing with people I know.
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So the women who blog were more neurotic, but the others were more open to experience? Hmmm.
I took a look at the big five traits and I have to say my neuroticism appears to be mostly a “symptom” of my depression/and or anxiety disorder. When I feel well I am much more open, agreeable, extraverted and contientious and much less neurotic. Although at sporadically, even when I am depressed high levels of the first 4.
I blog for a few reasons:
I think I am a bit of an exhibitionist, while at the same time being coy and shy…a blog allows me to share myself without having to share who I really am. I guess I perceive less risk in posting a blog vs. sharing with people I know.
1) To be involved in something where I feel either a sense of shared experience, or at least a shared understanding.
2) I love to write
3) Like your blog post said it helps me reach out when I am lonely and feel less alone
4) I (mostly) replaced my diary with a blog so no one in my family will find my diaries if I pass away.
5) I love feeling a sesnse of connection with people from all love the world
6) I love that a “diary” can contain photos and that I get feedback…something a diary doesn’t provide
7) It helps me work out al my “neurotic” problems…so yes,I think I am one of those neurotic women
9) (The most important reason): I really wanted to show how a strong therapeutic alliance with one’s psychiatrist can help someone with Chronic MDD survive, and sometimes thrive, despite medications not always working opimally. I wanted others to see how hrd it can be (maybe like they are experiencing)…but that it is possible to hang on and live through this illness.
Well I don’t know, this was done with college students, this limits generalization.
I recognized the “open to experience” especially with computer and the Internet. As stated before I also blog to keep up with science and the medical literature. But first of all I think it is fun and I definitely like the interaction and comments and reading other interesting blogs. I find the experiences of other bloggers with depression and ECT very interesting, different point of views.
Neurotic? Raises hand. Sure…I admit it. If we weren’t what would we have to write about?
Hi Dr. Shock!
I must say I blog literally to reach myself. I’ve been blogging a little over a year and during that entire time was quite depressed. Sometimes I couldn’t reach myself with the words of speaking or explain what was going on inside of me or with me, so I took to blogging. My blogging is very random, but it’s what I need at that time and it helps me to at a later dat go back and reflect on what I was feeling, my expereince. And if it helps someone else in the process…great!
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