Why is it that we give to others around the holiday season? Do we instinctively feel an innate desire (at the same time every year) to do something nice for them? Are we succumbing to marketing forces and great sales during the season of giving? Do we fear what would happen if we did not give gifts each December? (Tongue-in-cheek, this may be the case for some individuals.) Like a good scientist (Santa, I hope you are listening), I need to see what stories the data tell.

Analyzing a large community dataset, I found that the personality characteristic with the greatest relationship to those self-described as “giving” is the Hogan personality scale Interpersonal Sensitivity. This scale measures the degree to which a person is socially sensitive, perceptive, tactful, and skilled at maintaining relationships. This doesn’t necessarily answer whether we are sensitive and perceptive and thus react by giving gifts, or whether we give gifts to proactively build and maintain relationships. Nonetheless, this does suggest that, overall, those who are more socially sensitive and skilled at building and maintaining relationships are also self-described as giving.

Giving was also positively associated with good health practices and, when asked “How would you rate your health now?” giving individuals rated their health status more favorably than non-giving individuals. Finally, this study found that self-described “giving” individuals more positively endorsed the item “I am happy with my life.” Could it be that people in better mental and physical health are more likely to give? Perhaps. Conversely, giving to others may actually be what helps us to feel good. Either way, these results suggest that giving is associated with good health, and similar research corroborates a positive relationship between social relationships and health (e.g., House, Landis, & Umberson, 1988).

There are a couple key take-aways from these findings. Some people may be more pre-disposed to give during the holiday season based on their personality. However, if you don’t score high on the Interpersonal Sensitivity scale, don’t worry. Although not all individuals have innate tendencies driving them to give to others, overall those who are self-described as giving individuals are more likely to rate their current health status favorably and to be happy with their life.

So do we really give entirely for the benefit of others? Or do we attain some benefits ourselves through giving, such as positive emotions that motivate us to continue giving? Whatever the cause, the outcome of giving is likely to be positive for both the giver and recipient. So go ahead, and give a little.

 

Working together; it’s such a simple concept, and vital for work teams. However, good teamwork is often lacking in groups. Take a moment to fathom how much could be accomplished in the world if individuals were just better at working together.

But what is it that makes one a good team player? Creativity? Intelligence? Enthusiasm? Many are quick to offer advice regarding what contributes to effective team performance.

Academic research has honed in on a few personality characteristics that have been consistently associated with team performance. Higher levels of conscientiousness (attention to detail and adherence to rules and processes), higher levels of agreeableness (behavior that is friendly, tolerant, and accommodating in social situations), and higher levels of emotional stability (characterized by behavior that is even tempered, resilient, and optimistic) have all been associated with enhanced team performance.

But with approximately 6.94 billion individuals, we typically don’t have the luxury of choosing with whom we interact. When this is the case, we can still benefit greatly by understanding the pros and cons of on different personality dimensions and how those different characteristics work against or complement one another in a team setting.

Someone with high attention to detail may at times get lost in the weeds and adhere rigidly to processes and procedures; however, someone with this tendency might be great to have on the team when you need to make sure that little things get done correctly. As another example, you may have a team member who isn’t very competitive, but this person may work very well as a follower and contributor on a team. Finally, someone on the team may not be highly inquisitive and good at brainstorming ideas, but he or she may be good at focusing on practical solutions and accomplishing the task at hand.

Understanding the strengths and potential risks associated with an individual’s personality can significantly help the rest of the team work better with the individual and work more effectively as a team.

Like puzzle pieces put together to form a beautiful nature scene, organizations rely on everyone coming together to overcome challenges, grow the business, and make healthy profits so the organization will prosper. While we may not be able to assess everyone’s personality and interact only with good team players, much can be gained when we are simply aware of others’ personality and tendencies and learn to leverage this knowledge to enhance team and organizational performance.