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Arch Sex Behav (2008) 37:173187 DOI 10.1007/s10508-007-9267-z
ORIGINAL PAPER: MINOT SPECIAL ISSUE
Sex Differences and Sexual Orientation Differences in Personality: Findings from the BBC Internet Survey
Richard A. Lippa
Published online: 12 December 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007
Abstract Analyzing a large international data set generated by a BBC Internet survey, I examined sex differences and sexual orientation differences in six personality traits: extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, disagreeable assertiveness, masculine versus feminine occupational preferences (MF-Occ), and self-ascribed masculinity-femininity (Self-MF). Consistent with previous research, sex differences and sexual orientation differences were largest for MF-Occ and for Self-MF. In general, heterosexual-homosexual differences mirrored sex differences in personality, with gay men shifted in female-typical and lesbians in male-typical directions. Bisexual men scored intermediate between heterosexual and gay men on MF-Occ; however, they were slightly more feminine than gay men on Self-MF. Bisexual women scored intermediate between heterosexual women and lesbians on both MF-Occ and Self-MF. Sex differences and sexual orientation differences in MF-Occ, Self-MF, and other personality traits were consistent across ve nations/world regions (the UK, USA, Canada, Australia/ New Zealand, and Western Europe), thereby suggesting a biological component to these differences.
Keywords Sexual orientation Sex differences Personality Masculinityfemininity Cross-cultural research
Introduction
On average, men and women differ on a number of personality traits (Costa, Terracciano, & McCrae, 2001; Feingold, 1994; Lippa, 2005a). Men score higher than women on some extraversion facets (e.g., assertiveness, dominance), but lower on others (sociability, warmth), whereas women score higher than men on many neuroticism facets (e.g., anxiety, depression, self-consciousness) and on many agreeableness facets (tender-mindedness, altruism, empathy). Men and women show large differences in their gender-related interests, with men more interested in thing-oriented activities and occupations (e.g., mechanics, carpentry, engineering) and women more interested in people-oriented activities and occupations (e.g., social work, elementary school teaching, nursing). When asked to rate themselves explicitly on masculinity femininity, men rate themselves to be considerably more masculine than women do, and women rate themselves to be considerably more feminine than men do.
Just as men and women differ on some personality traits, so do heterosexual and homosexual individuals. In a recent meta-analytic review, I synthesized the results of eight studies I conducted that assessed personality traits in a combined total of 2,724 heterosexual men, 799 gay...