ABS 096: Differential Utility of Physical Formidability Indices for Predicting Facet-Level Personality Traits

Akshat Mehta ¹ , Patrick Durkee ²

¹ Brown University, RI, USA
² California State University, Fresno, CA, USA

Van Wickle (2025) Volume 1, ABS 096

Abstract: Studies have found correlations between physical formidability and personality traits. One proposed explanation for this correlation is facultative calibration, in which people adjust personality traits during development to align with other traits. To better understand the reliability and specificity of these relationships, we examine them at the facet level of personality and across different operationalizations of formidability: objective strength, self-perceived physical formidability, and other-perceived physical formidability.

Study participants included college-aged males (n = 108, M = 19.13 years) and college-aged females (n = 183, M = 19.42 years). Physical strength was quantified with hand grip strength and bicep circumference measurements. Self-perceived strength and personality traits were measured with self-report questionnaires (e.g., the HEXACO personality inventory). To measure other-perceived formidability, a new group of participants (N=200) were shown standardized pictures of the aforementioned subjects and asked to rate their strength.

Analyses generally replicated the expected correlations between formidability and personality (i.e., extraversion, fearfulness). The magnitude of the correlations differing according to formidability operationalization (i.e., self- and other-perceived, objective), highlighting the need for more research to examine the pathways by which calibration of personality traits occur.