Living in cohousing communities: personality traits and trait emotional intelligence

Abstract

Cohousing communities are characterized by an increased amount of exchanges in social support. Since this circumstance could be attributed to certain characteristics of their inhabitants, the aim of this study was the evaluation of personality traits and trait emotional intelligence. To this purpose, a group difference study was performed in Germany between a sample of residents in cohousing communities (n = 180) and inhabitants of common neighborhoods (n = 104). Significant differences were found that support the idea that residents of cohousing communities have higher levels of well-being and minor levels of detachment and psychoticism, as well as a lower overall score for maladaptive personality traits. We have concluded that further research is needed to examine the possible causal relationships between these findings, and to verify whether living in a cohousing community can operate as a moderator of these traits or if their inhabitants had already bore them before moving into such communities.