A preregistered study co-authored by Elizabeth Milad, Ph.D., Daisy Zavala, Ph.D., Martina Luchetti, Ph.D., Amanda Miller, Ph.D., and Angelina Sutin, Ph.D., examined how personality traits, experiences of discrimination and culturally relevant coping strategies relate to life satisfaction among more than 570 African American adults.

The researchers identified personality as a key driver of well-being. Higher levels of extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with greater life satisfaction, while higher neuroticism was linked to lower satisfaction.

Contrary to expectations, culturally informed coping strategies such as spirituality, interconnectedness and problem-oriented coping were not directly associated with life satisfaction. The findings suggest that stable personality characteristics may play a more consistent role in shaping life satisfaction among African American adults and highlight the importance of culturally grounded research that considers both individual and environmental influences on well-being.