Personality and Emotional Reactivity

This study examined the relationship between personality and emotional reactivity. Extraversion and neuroticism were measured using the Eysenck Personality Inventory. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either caffeine or placebo. Reported emotional experience was measured after subjects viewed positive and negative affect-eliciting filmclips, and facial expressiveness was measured from videotapes recorded while the subjects viewed the filmclips. Personality was associated with emotional reactivity among individuals who received placebo, but not among individuals who received caffeine. Among individuals who received placebo, higher levels of extraversion were associated with less reactivity to the negative stimuli, and higher levels of neuroticism were associated with less reactivity to positive stimuli.