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The 3 Psychological Regions Of America

A reader sends along a new academic psychology paper purporting to identify three distinct regions of the US as defined by the basic psychological orientation of most of its residents. Note well that this does not purport to account for every single person within these areas, but only general tendencies. Here’s the PDF of the […]

cdn-media.nationaljournalA reader sends along a new academic psychology paper purporting to identify three distinct regions of the US as defined by the basic psychological orientation of most of its residents. Note well that this does not purport to account for every single person within these areas, but only general tendencies. Here’s the PDF of the paper. The reader cautions that the sample size is problematic, but says the results are still interesting. If you don’t want to read the entire paper, National Journal sums it up here. Excerpt:

The “Friendly and Conventional” region. The first region features the states of Middle America, including South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa, known as the “red” states. People here ranked highly in levels of extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, moderately low in neuroticism, and very low in openness. Residents of the region tend to be “sociable, considerate, dutiful, and traditional,” the researchers write. They are predominantly white with low levels of education, wealth, and social tolerance, and tend to be more religious and politically conservative than people outside of the region. They are also less healthy compared with other Americans.

The “Relaxed and Creative” region. The second cluster consists of West Coast states, Washington, Oregon, and California. Its personality profile is marked by low extraversion and agreeableness, very low neuroticism, and very high openness. Cultural diversity and alternative lifestyles are high, and residents are politically liberal and healthy, both mentally and physically. This region is richer, has more residents with college degrees, and is more innovative than other areas. These states cast fewer votes for conservative presidential candidates and are less religious compared with others. Here, the study’s authors write, people value tolerance, individualism, and happiness.

The “Temperamental and Uninhibited” region. The third and final grouping comprises of mid-Atlantic and Northeast states like Maine, Pennsylvania, and New York—the “blue” states. The region is low in extraversion, very low in agreeableness and conscientiousness, very high in neuroticism, and moderately high in openness. People here, the researchers say, are “reserved, aloof, impulsive, irritable, and inquisitive.” Residents are politically liberal and less religious, and are disproportionately college-educated individuals, older adults, and women. A good chunk of the “passionate” and “competitive” residents are leaving the area, according to census data, and heading south or southwest.

Shorter version:

West Coasters are liberal, outdoorsy, fit, and whatever, dude. East Coasters are uptight, rude, and smart. Midwesterners and Southerners are nice, boring, friendly, and fat.

Take a look at the map above. Notice something? Texas doesn’t fit clearly into any category, but it’s closest to the Temperamental And Uninhibited region — that is, Texans are an ornery lot, just like Yankees. But as anybody who has spent any time in Texas knows, they are a different kind of “Temperamental And Uninhibited” than those from the Northeast. Interesting to think about. And notice that people on both coasts are liberal, but Northeastern liberals are temperamentally quite different from West Coast liberals. We knew this, but it’s fun to see the stereotypes accounted for in empirical social science data.

More from National Journal:

So why do researchers care about what people are like across America? Because personality traits on their own, rather than the usually cited factors like religion, racial diversity, education, or wealth, could help explain the country’s differing political views.

Eh?

UPDATE: Time magazine has a test you can take based on this study, to see which state you belong in. I took it. Know where it says I belong?

Do you really want to know?

Massachusetts.

I’m going to kill my Yankee ass now.

 

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