Openness: Definition, Examples, & Traits

By Justine Saavedra, MS
​Reviewed by Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.
Learn about openness to experience, change, and communication. Discover your level of openness as a personality trait.
*This page may include affiliate links; that means we earn from qualifying purchases of products.
Are you the type of person who likes new experiences like trying new foods, traveling, or adventuring? Or do you prefer to stick with the things you are comfortable and familiar with? If you identify with the first statement rather than the second, you are likely an open person. Openness means you approach life with your arms wide open, ready to take on whatever it may throw at you. Openness means taking a new dream job, ordering something you’ve never had at a restaurant, or attempting the latest social media dance craze, even if you feel silly doing it. ​
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What Is Openness? (A Definition)

In terms of human personality, openness is a trait that helps describe a person’s behavior and tendencies. Openness exists on a spectrum; some people are high in openness, meaning they fully embrace all of the experiences life has to offer, both good and bad. On the other end of the spectrum are people low in openness. People who are low in openness tend to be closed off from the world and avoid new or different experiences as much as possible. 

Every human is unique and there is no “right” or “wrong” way to be. Some people are just naturally more closed off, reserved, and careful. Being closed off can sometimes be a protective mechanism if you have been hurt or betrayed in the past. Learning to be more open and embrace all of the possibilities life has to offer can have a number of benefits for your mental and physical well-being.

​Opposite of Openness (Openness vs Closedness)

The opposite of being open is being closed off. When you are closed off, you might miss out on many of the wonderful things life has to offer. Approaching the world with an attitude of openness can create many opportunities you may not have been aware of—you may not even see these opportunities if you are closed off from the experiences around you. For example, imagine you are standing at the end of a long hallway with many doors. If you walk down the hallway with your head up, open to the experience, you might notice one door has a beautiful, intricate design that makes you want to explore it further. If you had approached this experience with your head down and closed off, you might have missed this opportunity completely. 

​Benefits of Openness

Besides opening new doors, openness has been associated with a number of other benefits. One study found that people with more openness to experience achieved more knowledge attainment and better learning results than people who were closed off (von Stumm, 2017). Openness to experience was an even better predictor of knowledge attainment than intellectual curiosity. This suggests that openness is a more important personality trait in terms of academic achievement than intellectual curiosity.

In addition to academic achievement, openness can influence your cultural intelligence which is the ability to work with and understand people from various backgrounds and cultures. Research has found that individuals with a higher degree of openness display a higher level of cultural intelligence (Li et al., 2016). With the increasingly global nature of the world, this can be an incredibly useful skill to have.
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Do you struggle with social anxiety? Another benefit of openness is that it can help mitigate feelings of social anxiety. One study found that individuals who displayed a higher level of openness reported fewer feelings of social anxiety (Kaplan et al., 2015). This was especially true for individuals who reported low feelings of trust.

Benefits of Openness:
  • Greater knowledge attainment
  • ​Higher level of cultural intelligence
  • Fewer feelings of social anxiety

Check out the video below to discover more benefits of openness.

​Video: The Power of Openness | Sarah Sham

Examples of Openness

The examples below illustrate how openness can lead to new, unexpected opportunities. 
  • Kiara is a college student studying business. She received an e-mail from her advisor about an internship exchange program that would allow her to spend a semester working and studying in another state. She decides to apply and is accepted to the program. The exchange program is a wonderful experience for Kiara, and she goes to work for the company she interned with after graduation. Her openness to experience set her on a trajectory to achieve her big dreams.
  • Trevor works in the IT department at his current job when a position opens up in the marketing department. Trevor is a creative person and thinks he would be a good fit even though he doesn’t have marketing experience. He approaches his boss who allows him to try the new position on a probationary basis for two weeks. Since Trevor is so open to change, he thrives in his new environment and is much happier. As a result, he is offered the new marketing job. ​​

Openness Personality Traits vs Other Traits

A popular theory in psychology divides human personality into five basic domains. This theory is called The Big Five. These five domains include Neuroticism, Extroversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience (McCrae & John, 1992). Generally, these traits have been observed in many settings and cultures though they are not necessarily comprehensive of the entirety of human personality.
 
  • Neuroticism: the tendency to experience negative emotions such as anger and anxiety. 
  • Extraversion: gaining energy from interaction with the outside world.
  • Agreeableness: the desire to get along with other people.
  • Conscientiousness: the desire to do a task carefully to achieve the best results.
  • Openness to Experience: recognition and appreciation of a variety of experiences.

​Exercise: How Open Are You?
Do you feel you possess Openness to Experience as a personality trait? Answer “yes” or “no” to each of the questions below to gain some insight into your level of openness. 

Questions About Openness:
  • Do you believe in the importance of art?
  • Do you have a vivid imagination?
  • Do you tend to vote for liberal political candidates?
  • Do you carry the conversation to a higher level?
  • Do you enjoy hearing new ideas?
  • Do you try to identify the reasons for your actions?
  • Do you make decisions only after having all of the facts?
  • Are you valued by others for your objectivity?
  • Are you a firm believer in thinking things through?
  • Do you weigh the pros and the cons?
  • Do you try to have good reasons for important decisions?
  • Are you valued by friends for your good judgment? (Costa & McCrae, 1992)

Did you answer mostly “yes” or “no” to the above questions? More yes answers can indicate that you have a higher degree of openness while more no answers indicate less openness. Click on the video below to learn about more traits related to openness and find out if you have these traits within yourself. ​​

​Video: 4 Signs You Are High In Openness

​Openness to Experience

Would you ever jump out of an airplane to experience skydiving? What about trying new food from an exotic country? These experiences may cause extreme anxiety for some people and extreme excitement for others. If these situations sound like something you want to participate in, then you are likely highly open to experience. 
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New experiences can be scary because you don’t have any idea what to expect. This uncertainty is uncomfortable and sometimes even unbearable for people who are closed off to experience. It can be safer and more comfortable to stick with experiences where you already know what the outcome will be. However, it can be difficult to grow and develop as a person if you don’t challenge yourself sometimes. If you find that trying new things is difficult for you, try starting small. Rather than jumping straight to skydiving, maybe try another adventurous outdoor activity such as hiking a new trail or taking a guided kayak tour.​​

Video: What is Openness to Experience?

Video: The Six Facets of Openness to Experience (Five Factor Model)

Openness to Change

Change can be a scary part of life because it takes you from the familiar–where you know what to expect–into the unfamiliar, where anything can happen. However, whether we like it or not, change is an inevitable part of life. Nothing can stay exactly the same forever. The environment around us and even ourselves are constantly moving and shifting. When you are resistant to change, it can make the whole process much more difficult. Learning to receive change with open arms can make the transition easier. 
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Being open to change can be especially difficult if it is something that you have little control over, like a new policy at work. In this case, try to see the benefits of the proposed change. When you see how the change helps, it can make it easier to accept and integrate into your life.

Openness in Communication

When communicating with other people, it is important to be open and honest. When you are open in your communication, you don’t try to hide your real feelings behind defense mechanisms such as sarcasm or silence. Open communication requires you to be completely honest with yourself about how you feel and how you want to communicate that. When we don’t reveal how we really feel, we leave it up to others to guess, which can often lead to miscommunications and misunderstandings. Openness in communication requires thoughtfulness; feel free to take a beat in a conversation to think about how you really feel and gather what you want to say if you need to. 

Openness in Leadership

Being in a position of leadership comes with an immense amount of responsibility. People are looking toward you to guide them and/or make important decisions. Being open about your decisions, goals, and policies can help the people you lead understand where you are coming from. Even though full transparency might not be possible in every situation, encouraging an atmosphere of openness can make your team feel seen and heard.

​Quotes on Openness

It can be tempting to close yourself off from the world if you feel stressed or overwhelmed. However, approaching life with an attitude of openness can expose you to things you might not have experienced otherwise. If you find yourself feeling closed off, try reading these quotes about openness to remind yourself of why it can be beneficial. 
  • “Openness without strength is useless; strength without openness is oppression.” — Daniele Bolelli
  • “Compassionate action emerges from the sense of openness, connectedness, and discernment you have created.” — Joan Halifax
  • “Open yourself and flow, my friend. Flow in the total openness of the living moment.” — Bruce Lee
  • “What the world needs most is openness: Open hearts, open doors, open eyes, open minds, open ears, open souls.” — Robert Muller
  • “Openness doesn’t come from resisting our fears, but rather from getting to know them well.” — Pema Chodron
  • “Psychological flexibility is the ability to adapt to a situation with awareness, openness, and focus, and to take effective action, guided by your values.” — Russ Horns

Articles Related to Openness​

​Want to learn more? Check out these articles:

Books Related to Openness​

If you’d like to keep learning more, here are a few books that you might be interested in.

Final Thoughts on Openness

Openness is a personality trait that can be used to help describe people’s behaviors and tendencies. Some people are high in openness, meaning they are good at accepting and adapting to new things. You can display openness in a number of ways including being open to new experiences, practicing openness in communication, and being open to change. Learning to be more open can have a number of benefits.

People who have a higher degree of openness have better learning results than people who are more closed off (von Stumm, 2017).  Being more open can also help mitigate feelings of social anxiety (Kaplan et al., 2015). Some people are naturally more open while others can be more closed off. If you would like to display more openness, try starting with small changes like trying a new food from your favorite restaurant or taking a different route to work. You might be pleasantly surprised at the new experiences the universe has to offer you. 

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