Openness to Experience

People with exceptionally high levels of openness to experience are almost always characterized by others as extremely smart, creative, exploratory, intelligent and visionary. They are extremely interested in learning, and are constantly acquiring new abilities and skills. They are extremely curious and exploratory. They are exceptionally interested in abstract thinking, philosophy, and the meaning of belief systems and ideologies. They live for cultural events such as movies, concerts, dance recitals, plays, poetry readings, gallery openings and art shows. They are very likely to enjoy writing (or even to be driven to write). They enjoy complex, abstract ideas and deeply love to confront and solve complex, abstract and multi-dimensional problems.

They are almost always prolific readers, and are interested in a vast range of topics. They have an exceptionally broad and deep vocabulary. They can think and learn remarkably quickly. They are unusually proficient at formulating new ideas, and can be exceptionally articulate (particularly if average or above in extraversion). People exceptionally high in openness can see old things in remarkable ways. They can think outside of the box. When they hear or come up with an idea, many other ideas are usually triggered. They can formulate any single problem in an exceptionally diverse range of ways, and can generate a tremendously large number of problem-solving solutions. They will constantly seek change, often to make things better, but also just for the sake of change.

People who are exceptionally high in openness to experience are poorly adapted to and do not do well in situations or occupations that are routinized and predictable. They fit badly at the bottom of hierarchies. They are unusually ill-suited to entry-level, repetitive, rote positions, because they are always thinking up new ways to do things, and such ideas are seldom welcome from someone at the bottom. They are extremely radical thinkers. They shake things up, particularly if they are also disagreeable and assertive. They are likely to be revolutionary rebels (particularly if average or below in conscientiousness).

Individuals exceptionally high in openness to experience are entrepreneurial in spirit, as well as smart and creative. They can be overwhelmingly interested in creating new ventures, sometimes for profit, sometimes for curiosity, and sometimes for personal transformation. Exceptionally high levels of openness to experience appear necessary to the formation and leadership of business and other forms of complex organization, although conscientiousness appears required for the attention to detail and process management that such organizations also always need.

Because people who are exceptionally high in openness to experience are interested in absolutely everything, they can find it hard to settle on a single path in life, to specialize to a necessary degree, and to create an integrated identity. This is particularly dangerous if they are above average in neuroticism and/or below average in conscientiousness. People characterized by the combination of high openness to experience and high neuroticism constantly undermine their own convictions and beliefs by incessant questioning and make themselves lost and anxious. Open, unconscientious people tend to be “under-achievers” (particularly if also above average in neuroticism). Such people appear to have the capability to succeed, can learn quickly, and are creative, but they seldom implement their ideas.

Openness to experience is the dimension that best predicts political allegiance (with conscientiousness, particularly the aspect of orderliness, coming in at second place). Those who are liberal, politically, are very much more likely to be high in openness to experience than conservatives.

Women and men differ very little in openness to experience at the trait level, although there are differences in the aspect levels.

Trait openness to experience is made up of the aspects of intellect and openness.

People exceptionally high in intellect are obsessed by engaging with ideas and abstract concepts. They require exposure to novel information, particularly when it is complex and sophisticated. They are extremely curious and exploratory, and actively need to find, tackle and solve challenging problems. They will constantly seek out and initiate issue-oriented discussions, and tend to compulsively read, think about and discuss idea-centered books (generally non-fiction). They are notably articulate, and can formulate ideas very clearly and exceptionally quickly (particularly if average or higher in extraversion). They have a much broader and wider vocabulary, and continually require themselves to learn new things. People exceptionally high in intellect will continually find and generate novel, creative concepts and voluntarily search for and adapt exceptionally well to new experience and situations.

People exceptionally high in intellect find complex, rapidly changing occupations asbolutely necessary and will excel at them (particularly if they are also high in conscientiousness and low in neuroticism). However, they are not at all suited to stable, straightforward and more traditional occupations, where the rules don't change, and will experience continual periods of boredom and intolerable levels of frustration in such positions. They are much more suited to entrepreneurial/creative enterprises (particularly if also high in the openness aspect of Openness to Experience).

Liberals are higher in intellect than conservatives (although the biggest difference between the two is openness to experience at the trait level).

Women are lower than men in intellect (although not in IQ). This is probably a difference in interest: people high in intellect, compared to openness, are more likely to prefer the sciences to the arts. The mean percentile for women in a general population (women and men) is 45. For men it is 55.

The closest synonym for openness (rather than openness to experience, which encompasses openness and intellect) is creativity. Open, creative people love beauty. They must have an outlet for their creative ability, or they simply cannot thrive. They must be surrounded by art or beautiful crafts. They are extremely sensitive to color and architectural form. They love to collect things, sometimes to the point of obsession. They are exceptionally imaginative, and love to daydream and reflect on things. They are remarkably affected by music, of many genres, and are likely to be musical or artistic themselves (both of these are rare in the general population). They can get completely immersed in a book, or a movie, or in their own thoughts, and become totally oblivious to the outside world. They respond unusually strongly to beauty, creativity and art.

Open, creative people can be impractical and flighty, however (particularly if low in conscientiousness). It can be extremely difficult to transform creativity into money, or into a career. High levels of openness are, however, necessary for entrepreneurial success, and often prove useful at the top of hierarchies, even in very conservative occupations such as banking, accounting and law, which need creative people in leadership positions to provide new vision and direction.

Liberals are higher in openness than conservatives (although the biggest difference between the two is openness to experience, at the trait level).

Women are higher in openness than men. The mean percentile for women in a general population (women and men) is 56.5. For men it is 44.5.