Can personality affect fertility?

A new study published in the European Journal of Personality reveals that "neurotic" men have fewer children than previous generations.

Researchers investigated the effect of personality on a person's ability to have children, based on a wide-ranging survey and birth registration data from Norway.

The team found that "neurotic" men had fewer children than previous generations. They also found that men with extrovert and openness tend to produce more children. Meanwhile, women are considered thoughtful in personality tests, often laying fewer children, no matter which generation they belong to.

According to the research team, men "are easily neurotic" and thoughtful women are more likely to have fewer children.(Artwork: CTV)

The study can provide important functions only in terms of correct population dynamics when fertility rates in many developed countries around the world are falling below the replacement fertility level. According to Vegard Skirbekk, who led the study, personality may be a contributing factor to the decline in birth rates in Europe.

Population changes are an important factor for predicting future changes in sustainable development, climate, energy and food security.

Mr. Skirbekk paid attention to reducing childbirth in neurotic excitable men who tend to be sad and emotional. However, research by him and his colleagues found that this effect was only found in men born after 1957.

Researcher Skirbekk said the changes in the ability of these men to give birth may be due to new standards in childbirth, such as couples who wait longer to have children and have tend to "try" each other longer before making a decision to give birth to their children.

Skirbekk's work can be done thanks to Norway's extremely detailed birth record as well as a unified personality survey, allowing scientists to study the linkages between fertility. property and personality of both men and women.