Fetal Origins of Personality: Effects of Early Life Circumstances on Adult Personality Traits

Published on 5 January 2015

In this paper we look at whether conditions in early life can have persistent influence on the development of personality traits, as has been shown to be the case for health and cognitive skills. We find strong and robust evidence of persistent impacts among siblings of early life rainfall fluctuations on measures of latent personality trait, known as core self-evaluation, in adulthood.

In this paper we look at whether conditions in early life can have persistent influence on the development of personality traits, as has been shown to be the case for health and cognitive skills. We find strong and robust evidence of persistent impacts among siblings of early life rainfall fluctuations on measures of latent personality trait, known as core self-evaluation, in adulthood.

Authors

Person graphic

Helene Lilleør

CAM, University of Copenhagen

Sonya Krutikova

Sonya Krutikova

Deputy Research Director

Sonya Krutikova is an Associate Professor of Economics at Manchester University and IFS Deputy Research Director.