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Out of the shell, into the world: preferences for openness as a substrate of approach motivation and positive affect

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Abstract

Whether to engage with the environment or not is critical to self-regulation and individual differences figure prominently in this decisional realm. The present studies (total N = 695) pursue the premise that important clues to these dynamics can be found by asking individuals whether they prefer the spatial concept of something (e.g., the self or the world) being “closed” or “open”, given that open objects interact with their environments more readily and lend themselves to resource acquisition. Individual differences in open-closed preferences were reliable and informative concerning individual differences in motivation and personality. In particular, greater preferences for openness were linked to higher levels of extraversion (Study 1), approach motivation (Studies 1 and 2), and positive affect (Studies 2 and 3). In addition, such preferences were linked to vigorous goal pursuit and achievement in a daily diary protocol (Study 3). Simple preferences among spatial concepts can therefore provide key insights into personality and self-regulation.

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  1. Department of Psychology (Dept. 2765), NDSU, PO Box 6050, Fargo, ND, 58108-6050, USA

    Michael D. Robinson

  2. North Dakota State University, Fargo, USA

    Roberta L. Irvin

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Robinson, M.D., Irvin, R.L. Out of the shell, into the world: preferences for openness as a substrate of approach motivation and positive affect. Motiv Emot 46, 307–318 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-022-09934-5

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