To understand this section, you need to read the “How Personality Develops” section.

Summary

A personality is made up of traits and abilities. Each one is shaped by a person’s baseline emotions. 

Baseline emotions have a wide and deep effect on each trait and ability. For example, emotions like anger, fear, joy, and pride all influence how a person thinks and how they interact with others. Since each baseline emotion can have many effects, and each effect can vary in intensity, the range of outcomes is extremely large. A person’s full personality is the result of all these traits and abilities combined.

The paragraphs below  focus on two important traits: intelligence and social skill. Each one is shaped by which components of the baseline emotions are present and how strong each component is.

Intelligence

Baseline emotions like anger, fear, joy, and pride shape how a person thinks, processes information, and makes decisions. The lists below show how each emotion can affect different aspects of intelligence.

Anger:

•  Impaired judgment and decision-making

• Impulsive or rushed thinking

• Narrowed focus on perceived threats

• Reduced ability to process information

• Increased cognitive rigidity

• Difficulty with memory and recall

• Ruminative or repetitive thinking

Fear:

• Indecision, avoidance, or mental paralysis

• Overestimation of risk or danger

• Hyper-focused attention on threat

• Difficulty learning or remembering

• Black-and-white thinking

• Reduced cognitive flexibility

• Low mental stamina or poor sustained focus

Joy/Happiness:

• Greater cognitive flexibility and creativity

• Improved memory and learning

• Broader attention and stronger concentration

• Optimistic thinking and open-mindedness

• Better problem-solving

• More accurate perspective-taking

• Increased willingness to try new things

Pride:

• Overconfidence

• Biased or self-serving decisions

• Impaired judgment

• Difficulty recognizing or admitting mistakes

Social Skill

The same baseline emotions also shape how a person communicates, relates to others, and functions in groups. The lists below show how each emotion can affect different aspects of social skills.

Anger:

• Higher conflict and aggression

• Breakdown in communication

• Loss of trust

• Social withdrawal or isolation

• Group tension or hostility

• Reduced empathy or perspective-taking

• Verbal aggression or bullying

• Increased prejudice or blame

Fear:

• Avoidance of social contact

• Difficulty forming or maintaining relationships

• Distrust of others

• Over-reliance on authority

• Poor cooperation and teamwork

• Rigid adherence to social norms

Joy/Happiness:

• Stronger relationships and bonds

• Greater cooperation and inclusiveness

• Higher sociability

• More effective teamwork

• Positive influence on others

• Improved group problem-solving

Pride:

• Overconfidence in social situations

• Difficulty admitting social mistakes

• Insensitivity to others’ feedback