Personality traits and polymorphisms of genes coding neurotransmitter receptors or transporters: review of single gene and genome-wide association studies.

BACKGROUND: The most popular tool used for measuring personality traits is the Five-Factor Model (FFM). It includes neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness. Many studies indicated the association of genes encoding neurotransmitter receptors/transporters with personality traits. The relationship connecting polymorphic DNA sequences and FFM features has been described in the case of genes encoding receptors of cannabinoid and dopaminergic systems. Moreover, dopaminergic system receives inputs from other neurotransmitters, like GABAergic or serotoninergic systems. METHODS: We searched PubMed Central (PMC), Science Direct, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and EBSCO databases from their inception to November 19, 2020, to identify original studies, as well as peer-reviewed studies examining the FFM and its association with gene polymorphisms affecting the neurotransmitter functions in central nervous system. RESULTS: Serotonin neurons modulate dopamine function. In gene encoding serotonin transporter protein, SLC6A4, was found polymorphism, which was correlated with openness to experience (in Sweden population), and high scores of neuroticism and low levels of agreeableness (in Caucasian population). The genome-wide association studies (GWASs) found an association of 5q34-q35, 3p24, 3q13 regions with higher scores of neuroticism, extraversion and agreeableness. However, the results for chromosome 3 regions are inconsistent, which was shown in our review paper. CONCLUSIONS: GWASs on polymorphisms are being continued in order to determine and further understand the relationship between the changes in DNA and personality traits.

Fear, Loneliness, Happiness and Mental Health in the Post-COVID-19 Period: A Cross-Cultural Study in a Sample of Japanese and Polish University Students.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, interpersonal relations were highly constrained due to the social distancing rules and sanitary restrictions imposed to prevent the transmission of the virus. These social changes gave rise to ever-deepening experiences of loneliness, deterioration of mental well-being, and fear of COVID-19, which affected the citizens of all the countries struggling with the pandemic. Methods: The present paper reports the results of a study on mental health, interdependent happiness, loneliness and fear of COVID-19 in Polish and Japanese university students. A total of 180 people (83 Poles and 97 Japanese) aged 19-41 participated in the study. The participants were surveyed using the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form to assess three dimensions of mental health; the UCLA Three-Item Loneliness Scale to measure loneliness; the Interdependent Happiness Scale based on the concept of a relational sense of community with others as associated with well-being, and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). The respondents were also asked one question about their subjectively perceived economic status. Results: The largest cross-cultural difference in the investigated variables concerned fear of COVID-19. The Japanese university students showed higher levels of this fear. The level of fear of COVID-19 in the group of women, regardless of the culture they came from, was not associated with any other variables we analyzed. In the Japanese sample, it was negatively correlated with interdependent happiness, and in the Polish sample, fear od COVID-19 was only correlated with the Social dimension of Mental Health. Other variables that differentiated the two nationalities, though to a lesser extent, were the Social dimension of Mental Health, which was higher in the Japanese sample, and the Psychological dimension of Social Health, with higher scores in the Polish sample. Conclusion: The power of mental resources, although it may vary among individuals, is independent of culture. Regardless of the level of fear of COVID-19 in the two cultures, the examined mental resources are positively associated with well-being and the return to normal functioning after the pandemic.

Interpersonal competences of students, their interpersonal relations, and emotional intelligence.

BACKGROUND: Some of the most important interpersonal competences are: effectiveness in dealing with specific interpersonal challenges and the ability to undertake appropriate actions in a given situation; the range of interpersonal challenges with which one can effectively deal; and satisfaction derived from one's interpersonal contacts and relations, and from one's social standing. One's time at university is one of the most influential educational stages in one's life and is a time of accumulation of changes related to a variety of dimensions of life. At university, young people, often away from their parents, learn how to be independent, make new friends, and make decisions related to their personal and professional lives. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: The participants in the study were 173 (92 women and 81 men) psychology students of three universities in Poland who volunteered to complete three questionnaires: the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire, the Interpersonal Adjective Scales, and the Popular Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire. RESULTS: The results showed a positive correlation between the students' interpersonal competence and emotional intelligence. The research has confirmed the value of the applied methods and the significance of social competences in the development of positive interpersonal relations and the ability to adapt to a new environment. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirmed that the interpersonal relations of initiating relationships, negative assertion, self-disclosure, providing emotional support, and conflict resolution positively correlate with the interpersonal relations directed towards cooperation, support, taking initiative, and mutual understanding and that they are also positively interdependent with emotional intelligence of the studied group. One can hope that the confirmed correlations of the students' interpersonal competences and the kinds of interpersonal connections they establish and emotional intelligence will encourage their social development and future professional activity.

Examination of the relations of the Myers-Briggs type indicator and the NEO-4 Personality Inventory in a Polish sample.

The present study was designed to replicate McCrae and Costa's research findings on the relation of NEO-4 domains with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator scales in a Polish sample of 300 psychology student volunteers (175 women, 125 men). Their mean age was 22.3 yr. (SD = 4.5). Correlations for scores on the MBTI scales with NEO-4 domains ranged from .72 to .02 for Extraversion, from -.60 to -.16 for Openness to experience, from -.56 to -.04 for Agreeableness, and from .55 to -.07 for Conscientiousness. Two domains assessed with the NEO-4 correspond to preferences measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.