Neuroticism is one of the Big Five personality traits (OCEAN - Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism), characterized by a tendency to experience negative emotions like anxiety, anger, depression, and emotional instability, contrasting with emotional resilience. People high in neuroticism are more reactive to stress, worry more, and struggle with stress, while those low in it are calm, stable, and handle stress well. It's a core dimension in personality psychology, linked to various mental health aspects.
Neuroticism, one of the Big 5 personality traits, is typically defined as a tendency toward anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and other negative feelings. All personality traits, including neuroticism, exist on a spectrum—some people are just much more neurotic than others.
According to terror management theory (TMT) neuroticism is primarily caused by insufficient anxiety buffers against unconscious death anxiety.
The notion that Intuitive Introverts—INFJ, INFP, INTJ and INTP types—tend to be more Neurotic squares with common perceptions of these types, as well as the highly sensitive person (HSP) construct, which shares a number of overlaps with Neuroticism.
Somebody high in neuroticism is good at selecting ethical and practical value systems. They'll have strong tendencies to stick to rule based systems they make for themselves, and to stay away from dangerous, contaminating, and subversive influences.
But many managers and salespeople, alongside real estate agents, can also be disagreeable, as these jobs involve complicated and sometimes even confrontational interactions with others. The professions with the most neurotic people include actors, journalists and various other creative professions.
Here are 12 tips on how to be less neurotic:
Common Traits of Neuroticism
Typical Career Choices
People who are highly neurotic usually prefer jobs in Material Science, Web development, Archiving etc. People who are less neurotic often prefer jobs such as Telephone Operator, Critical Care Nurse or CEOs.
Neurotic individuals are more prone to negative emotions (such as anxiety, depression, anger, and guilt). Empirical studies suggest that extremely high levels of neuroticism are associated with prolonged and pervasive misery in both the neurotic individuals and those close to them.
He argues it comes from how certain people daydream. Neuroticism and creative thinking have long been correlated: some of history's more exciting minds, from Isaac Asimov to Winston Churchill to Woody Allen, have been famously anxious with a tendency to brood.
Personality disorders involve pervasive patterns of distorted thinking, feeling, and behaving, leading to significant distress and functional problems, often seen as intense mood swings, unstable relationships, difficulty with self-image, impulsive/risky actions, extreme suspicion, emotional detachment or drama, difficulty controlling anger, sensitivity to criticism, trouble with boundaries, and issues with empathy or morality. These signs manifest differently across the various types, such as Borderline, Narcissistic, or Avoidant Personality Disorders, but generally impact how a person sees themselves, interacts with others, and manages emotions.
The broad personality trait of neuroticism is strongly associated with Axis I psychopathology, in particular the common mental disorders (CMDs), including anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders (e.g. Clark, Watson, & Mineka, 1994; Kotov, Gamez, Schmidt, & Watson, 2010; Lahey, 2009; Malouff, Thorsteinsson, & Schutte ...
Neuroticism has a meaningful negative correlation with intelligence. The main large meta-analyses have obtained correlations around r = −. 09.
Therefore, their mental health or physical health can be a primary driver for neurotic tendencies. A person who tends towards being neurotic might also be influenced by stress or be overworked. These both increase a person's anxiety and can lead to neurosis.
Coping strategies for neurotic behavior encompass therapies like CBT, medication, exposure therapy, and mindfulness. Seeking professional help is crucial for managing neurotic behavior, offering personalized strategies for emotional well-being.
HSPs often excel in roles that value emotional intelligence, creativity, empathy, and focus—such as writing, counseling, therapy, research, education, and the arts. Careers that allow for independence, creativity, and deep focus are ideal—such as writing, design, therapy, research, or remote work roles.
Patience is very important in living successfully with a neurotic person. Be the bigger person, steer clear from fights and misunderstandings, and tolerate her as much as you can, simply because you know better. There is so much going on inside the mind of a neurotic individual.
The neurotic leader often is cautious and does precise work fueled by the fear of disappointing the group. They are more willing to go to greater lengths to succeed as a leader. Berndersky explains “neurotics are motivated by their anxiety and feelings of inadequacy to work hard on behalf of the group” (Adams, 2013).
Many neurotic people find it hard to switch off and often overthink situations. Overthinking health concerns is one of the more common examples of neurotic behaviour. A neurotic person may talk frequently about something that they feel is medically wrong with them, despite having no diagnosis.
Neuroticism is a trait, which is relatively stable across the life span3, and a heritable personality trait4, which is an important risk factor for psychiatric disorders5,6.
Emotional Stability, the opposite of the 'Neuroticism' trait in the Big Five personality test, gauges a person's ability to remain calm, composed, and emotionally consistent.
Across the two-week study period, controlling for day of the week, age, income, and gender, neuroticism was associated with poorer sleep quality (β = −0.21, SE = 0.09, p < . 01) and greater difficulty falling asleep (β = 0.25, SE = 0.09, p < . 01; not shown in tables).
Neuroticism is the trait disposition to experience negative affects, including anger, anxiety, self‐consciousness, irritability, emotional instability, and depression1.
While neurotic behavior can cause significant distress, it is also treatable with the right combination of therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes.