Are Disagreeable People More Intelligent?

Morgan State University psychology professor Jacqueline Bichsel recently co-wrote a study suggesting that, upon reaching 60, disagreeable people maintain a higher level of intelligence than more easy-going seniors. “These individuals have a higher vocabulary,” she said.

What are the characteristics of highly disagreeable people?

It is the counterpole of the personality dimension agreeableness. For example, disagreeable people tend to be hostile and abusive to others (2), deceive and manipulate others for their own gain (3), and ignore others' concerns or welfare (4).

Is there a correlation between personality type and intelligence?

Genetic correlations were 0.3–0.4 between IQ and agreeableness and openness. The genetic correlation between IQ and neuroticism was around −0.18. Thus, personality and IQ did not appear to be independent dimensions, and low neuroticism, high agreeableness and high scores on openness all contributed to higher IQ scores.