Associations Among Personality, Enjoyment and Physical Activity Level: An Exploration of Sub-Facet

Personality and enjoyment have been found to be important determinants of physical activity level. The personality traits of Neuroticism and Extraversion have been found to be the most associated with various degrees of physical activity level according to current literature. Similarly, individuals perceived level of enjoyment of physical activity has also been found to positively predict physical activity level. Results from studies which have explored the connection among personality, enjoyment and physical activity suggest a relationship among these constructs. The purpose of this study was to examine how specific sub-facet traits of personality traits associate with enjoyment and physical activity level. Additionally, this study explored the interaction among personality sub-facets, enjoyment and physical activity level. The study utilized a descriptive correlational research design in which 142 (19 males, 119 females) participants voluntarily completed an online questionnaire. The Five Factor Model Rating Form (FFMRF) was used to assess the five larger domains of personality and the 30 respective lower level sub-facets, The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) assessed the participant's frequency and degree of physical activity level and the modified Sports Enjoyment subscale from the Sports Commitment Questionnaire measured enjoyment. Descriptive statistics and step-wise linear regressions were used with an alpha level of .05 for data analyses. Results revealed that Neuroticism was found to be negatively correlated with sports enjoyment (beta = -.212, t = -2.136, p = .035) for both males and females. Additionally, the sub-facet of activity level under Extraversion was significantly associated with enjoyment for both genders (beta = .094, p = .001). Regarding physical activity level, results varied significantly between gender, with females higher in Neuroticism demonstrating lower overall levels of physical activity (beta = -.255, p = .031). Neuroticism was not found to be significantly related to total physical activity level in males, but the sub-facet of self-consciousness was (beta = -.834, p = .014). Similarly, results regarding degree of physical activity differed according to gender with Extraversion and the sub-facet of activity level associating with higher levels of vigorous physical activity in females (beta = .203, p = .05). Higher levels of Neuroticism was associated with lower levels of walking for both males and females (beta = -.314, p = .008). No significant interaction was found among personality, enjoyment and physical activity for either gender. Implications of the present study added to the growing body of literature identifying the relationship among the key variables associated with physical activity and highlighted the need for further investigation specifically with regards to gender differences among personality, enjoyment and physical activity.