Agreeableness

What it measures

Agreeableness describes how you approach other people: with warmth, trust and cooperation, or with skepticism, candor and competitiveness. High scorers are empathetic, polite and quick to forgive; they work hard to keep relationships smooth. Low scorers are more direct, challenge ideas freely and are less swayed by social pressure.

High Agreeableness makes great teammates, friends and caregivers, though it can make saying no difficult. Low Agreeableness is not cruelty; it often shows up as honest feedback, tough negotiating and the courage to disagree in a meeting where everyone else nods along. Like Conscientiousness, Agreeableness tends to rise slowly as people get older.

High scorers tend to

• Notice and respond to others’ feelings
• Avoid conflict and seek compromise
• Trust people by default
• Find it hard to say no

Low scorers tend to

• Say what they really think
• Enjoy debate and competition
• Are skeptical of others’ motives
• Hold firm under social pressure

Sounds like you?

Your Agreeableness is high: warm, cooperative and quick to trust. You notice when someone is hurting and instinctively make room for others. The roast: you have apologized to a chair you bumped into, and "no" is a word you mostly say inside your head.

Your Agreeableness is moderate: kind by default, but no pushover. You help gladly and push back when something is unfair. The roast: you are lovely right up until someone takes the last slice without asking.

Your Agreeableness is on the lower side: candid, competitive and unbothered by disagreement. You say what others are only thinking, and you are very hard to manipulate. The roast: your "just being honest" has left a trail of stunned faces, and you enjoy a debate a little too much.

How this test measures it

The other four traits

Related ideas

• empathy
• trust
• cooperation
• kindness
• candor
• compassion