Agreeableness and neuroticism predict being more concerned about COVID-19 and bothered by friends’ risky behavior
Given the importance of friendships during challenging times and the mixed associations reported between personality traits and disease-related behaviors, we investigated the influence of personality traits on friendships during the COVID-19 pandemic and how both influenced risky behaviors. In November 2020, we asked participants about their reactions to friends’ behavior as part of a larger study. We found that agreeableness and neuroticism predicted participants being more concerned about COVID-19 and bothered by friends’ risky behavior, and extraversion predicted enjoying helping friends during the pandemic. Our results suggest that personality influences how individuals cope with their friends’ risky behaviors. This work could be relevant for developing interventions to reduce risk taking during the pandemic, such as using friendships to reinforce adherence to public health guidelines.