What do you think?
Rate this book
The H Factor of Personality: Why Some People Are Manipulative, Self-Entitled, Materialistic, and Exploitative and Why It Matters for Everyone
The “H” in the H factor stands for “Honesty-Humility,” and it’s one of only six basic dimensions of personality. People who have high levels of H are sincere and modest; people who have low levels are deceitful and pretentious. It isn’t intuitively obvious that traits of honesty and humility go hand in hand, and until very recently the H factor hadn’t been recognized as a personality dimension. But scientific evidence shows that honesty and humility belong to a unified group of personality characteristcs, separate from five other groups identified several decades ago.
This book, written by the discoverers of the H factor, explores the importance of this personality dimension in various aspects of people’s lives: their approaches to money, power, and sex; their inclination to commit crimes or obey the law; their attitudes about society, politics, and religion; and their choice of friends and spouse. Finally, the book provides ways of identifying people who are low in the H factor, as well as advice on how to raise one’s own level of H.
This book, written by the discoverers of the H factor, explores the importance of this personality dimension in various aspects of people’s lives: their approaches to money, power, and sex; their inclination to commit crimes or obey the law; their attitudes about society, politics, and religion; and their choice of friends and spouse. Finally, the book provides ways of identifying people who are low in the H factor, as well as advice on how to raise one’s own level of H.
212 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2012
147 people are currently reading
3245 people want to read
About the author
Kibeom Lee
2 books6 followersKibeom Lee is a professor of psychology at the University of Calgary. Originally from Seoul, South Korea, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Western Ontario and was formerly a lecturer at the University of Western Australia. He is the author of many scientific articles in personality and industrial/organizational psychology.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
July 13, 2015
The first 6 chapters are a revelation. Fantastically helpful.
The most useful points for me:
- Honesty and humility (the "H" factor) track together in numerous languages and cultures: the figure of "Honest Abe" is a reality everywhere. By the same token, dishonesty and arrogance also track together, which means that when you're dealing with arrogant people you're on reasonably safe ground assuming they are dishonest, too.
- It's quite difficult to gauge another person's level of honesty and humility, even after you've known him or her for some time, and this is especially true in the work place. This finding, in particular, explains some of the hiring fiascos I've witnessed over the past several years.
- High-H people – those high in honesty and humility – prefer each other's company, and the same goes for Low-H people. Dishonest, arrogant people like to befriend, marry, and work with other dishonest, arrogant people. (This also explain the hiring fiascos I've witnessed over the past several years.)
- People high (or low) in "Openness to Experience" prefer each other's company.
- The other 4 personality factors seem to mix together randomly and happily, as do the high's and low's of each. (e.g.: high Emotionality can marry low Emotionality, but High-H can't marry Low-H, nor can High-O be happy with Low-O.)
The chapter that explains what 'low-H' looks like in combination with the other five personality factors is especially illuminating. As it turns out, a person can be dishonest, arrogant, *and* "Agreeable." Warm personality and warm words do not imply honesty and modesty.
That’s one mistake I won't be making again.
If you spend much time dealing with people beyond your family and friends, Chapter 4 alone is worth the price of the book.
One caveat, and the reason for 4 stars instead of 5: the two chapters on politics and religion are extremely weak, and conservatives in particular should steer clear of the former. (The authors report that in the U.S., liberals and conservatives have the same level of honesty and humility, but then devote many pages to "Right Wing Authoritarianism" and "Social Dominance Orientation.")
Meanwhile the main factoid of interest re: religion is that religious people are somewhat nicer than everyone else, a difference the authors think can be chalked up to nice people hoping everyone gets to see each other again in an afterlife. Yes, that would certainly account for millennia of religious belief.
The problem here is that Lee and Ashton are experts in personality, with little exposure to political philosophy, theology, history, or even social psychology (so it appears). Their musings on politics and religion read like filler.
The rest of the book is terrific, and well worth your time.
The most useful points for me:
- Honesty and humility (the "H" factor) track together in numerous languages and cultures: the figure of "Honest Abe" is a reality everywhere. By the same token, dishonesty and arrogance also track together, which means that when you're dealing with arrogant people you're on reasonably safe ground assuming they are dishonest, too.
- It's quite difficult to gauge another person's level of honesty and humility, even after you've known him or her for some time, and this is especially true in the work place. This finding, in particular, explains some of the hiring fiascos I've witnessed over the past several years.
- High-H people – those high in honesty and humility – prefer each other's company, and the same goes for Low-H people. Dishonest, arrogant people like to befriend, marry, and work with other dishonest, arrogant people. (This also explain the hiring fiascos I've witnessed over the past several years.)
- People high (or low) in "Openness to Experience" prefer each other's company.
- The other 4 personality factors seem to mix together randomly and happily, as do the high's and low's of each. (e.g.: high Emotionality can marry low Emotionality, but High-H can't marry Low-H, nor can High-O be happy with Low-O.)
The chapter that explains what 'low-H' looks like in combination with the other five personality factors is especially illuminating. As it turns out, a person can be dishonest, arrogant, *and* "Agreeable." Warm personality and warm words do not imply honesty and modesty.
That’s one mistake I won't be making again.
If you spend much time dealing with people beyond your family and friends, Chapter 4 alone is worth the price of the book.
One caveat, and the reason for 4 stars instead of 5: the two chapters on politics and religion are extremely weak, and conservatives in particular should steer clear of the former. (The authors report that in the U.S., liberals and conservatives have the same level of honesty and humility, but then devote many pages to "Right Wing Authoritarianism" and "Social Dominance Orientation.")
Meanwhile the main factoid of interest re: religion is that religious people are somewhat nicer than everyone else, a difference the authors think can be chalked up to nice people hoping everyone gets to see each other again in an afterlife. Yes, that would certainly account for millennia of religious belief.
The problem here is that Lee and Ashton are experts in personality, with little exposure to political philosophy, theology, history, or even social psychology (so it appears). Their musings on politics and religion read like filler.
The rest of the book is terrific, and well worth your time.
April 25, 2018
Yo Dr. Lee, I'll bump your rating up to five stars if you bump my grade up to a B 😉
January 22, 2021
Update 2021-01-22:
Very important book. Personally and professionally knowing how to read people is a critical skill. The best medicine to handle psychos and the like is to get out fast and minimize contact.
Hexaco:
• H: honesty-humility
• E: Emotionality
• X: extraversion
• A: agreeableness
• C: conscientiousness
• O: openness to experience
Interesting combinations of the above:
• Narcissism: low H, high X
• Nasty: low H, low A
• Employers worst nightmare: low H, low C. (Psychopathy, gambling and substance abuse possible.)
• Low H typical for criminal and exploitative behavior
Important :
• High H: honesty-humility: avoid manipulating others or being false Scrupulously fair, law abiding. Wealth and luxury not so important. Don't consider them superior.
• High C: orderly with things and time. Work hard to achieve goals. Pursue accuracy and perfection. Prudent, careful decision making.
• Self-reports are surprisingly accurate when there is no incentive to provide false information, why not take a test?
• H is hard to tell in the workplace
• X is easiest to observe in strangers compared to the other six factors. Somewhat accurate can be observations of narcissism.
• H takes time to estimate; take time try the HEXACO personality inventory
• Low H generally to be avoided
• Low H and low A and low E very dangerous. Also calculating high C and impulsive low C in these combinations.
• H and O underlie our choices regarding which goals are worth pursuing = values
• Employers dream: high H, high C. The most desirable traits are therefore; dependability, reliability and responsibility.
• Likeness in couples very important: significant difference in attractiveness means higher probability for breakup
• Also religious and political beliefs important for long term relationships
• High O typical when very diverse interest in philosophy and literature. Study where students rooms were observed to find correlation with personality
• The o-factor can tell you something of what kind of supernatural beliefs people are likely to hold. Low O; more traditional religion and high O; mystical spiritual beliefs.
• "People who start a new religion or who become its enthusiastic early converts are likely to be high in O. People who maintain an established religion or become its most devout defenders are likely to be low in O." p.124
• Money, power and sex/relationships: avoid Low H people.
• General advice: avoid low H people - not likely to change.
Summary: in studies for a long time 5 factors of personality were observed across cultures - it was there in the data. These are the "big five": openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, emotionality and agreeableness. Then a sixth very important one emerged: H, humility-honesty. This was found across cultures and in lexical studies by looking at descriptive words for certain traits in different countries. However H is a bit difficult to observe so better not jump to conclusions. It is important to understand that we are all different and there is rarely anything intrinsically good or bad in different personalities although sometimes there is dangerous combinations and some are more or less nasty or easy to live with. Conscientiousness is very important for getting and holding on to a job and it is probably a good idea to strive for more H. High C I think of Rockefeller, and high H + C maybe Buffett. High H clearly Gandhi and mother Teresa. Artists like Picasso probably high O, openness. Cult leaders also high O. In fact H and O tells something about our values. Extraversion, X, is a very outgoing person in its high form and easy to observe, other factors may be difficult to directly observe, there is a test in the book. Also in some other systems blue = conscientious. Finally just a look at somebody's home might give you a clue about these 6 factors of personality and beware of low H.
Very important book. Personally and professionally knowing how to read people is a critical skill. The best medicine to handle psychos and the like is to get out fast and minimize contact.
Hexaco:
• H: honesty-humility
• E: Emotionality
• X: extraversion
• A: agreeableness
• C: conscientiousness
• O: openness to experience
Interesting combinations of the above:
• Narcissism: low H, high X
• Nasty: low H, low A
• Employers worst nightmare: low H, low C. (Psychopathy, gambling and substance abuse possible.)
• Low H typical for criminal and exploitative behavior
Important :
• High H: honesty-humility: avoid manipulating others or being false Scrupulously fair, law abiding. Wealth and luxury not so important. Don't consider them superior.
• High C: orderly with things and time. Work hard to achieve goals. Pursue accuracy and perfection. Prudent, careful decision making.
• Self-reports are surprisingly accurate when there is no incentive to provide false information, why not take a test?
• H is hard to tell in the workplace
• X is easiest to observe in strangers compared to the other six factors. Somewhat accurate can be observations of narcissism.
• H takes time to estimate; take time try the HEXACO personality inventory
• Low H generally to be avoided
• Low H and low A and low E very dangerous. Also calculating high C and impulsive low C in these combinations.
• H and O underlie our choices regarding which goals are worth pursuing = values
• Employers dream: high H, high C. The most desirable traits are therefore; dependability, reliability and responsibility.
• Likeness in couples very important: significant difference in attractiveness means higher probability for breakup
• Also religious and political beliefs important for long term relationships
• High O typical when very diverse interest in philosophy and literature. Study where students rooms were observed to find correlation with personality
• The o-factor can tell you something of what kind of supernatural beliefs people are likely to hold. Low O; more traditional religion and high O; mystical spiritual beliefs.
• "People who start a new religion or who become its enthusiastic early converts are likely to be high in O. People who maintain an established religion or become its most devout defenders are likely to be low in O." p.124
• Money, power and sex/relationships: avoid Low H people.
• General advice: avoid low H people - not likely to change.
Summary: in studies for a long time 5 factors of personality were observed across cultures - it was there in the data. These are the "big five": openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, emotionality and agreeableness. Then a sixth very important one emerged: H, humility-honesty. This was found across cultures and in lexical studies by looking at descriptive words for certain traits in different countries. However H is a bit difficult to observe so better not jump to conclusions. It is important to understand that we are all different and there is rarely anything intrinsically good or bad in different personalities although sometimes there is dangerous combinations and some are more or less nasty or easy to live with. Conscientiousness is very important for getting and holding on to a job and it is probably a good idea to strive for more H. High C I think of Rockefeller, and high H + C maybe Buffett. High H clearly Gandhi and mother Teresa. Artists like Picasso probably high O, openness. Cult leaders also high O. In fact H and O tells something about our values. Extraversion, X, is a very outgoing person in its high form and easy to observe, other factors may be difficult to directly observe, there is a test in the book. Also in some other systems blue = conscientious. Finally just a look at somebody's home might give you a clue about these 6 factors of personality and beware of low H.
July 1, 2022
3.5 STARS
some parts are repetitive and basic but this book was fine and insightful.
some parts are repetitive and basic but this book was fine and insightful.
January 4, 2025
By Dr Lee (most famous uofc psych prof jeje). He created the HEXACO model. Loved how the discovery of the H factor is expressed like a story. Quite entertaining for a required uni reading. Honestly would recommend for people interested in learning about personality psych.
February 15, 2016
I found this book to be a somewhat interesting explication of what the authors define as the H factor in personality (honesty/humility). It certainly is a valuable addition/correction to the HEXACO personality assessment, which I believe the authors also invented. The book is written at about the level of a freshman college text. Many of its statistics are derived from testing populations of Americans, Canadians, and South Koreans.
As an assessment tool, it is not nearly as fully realized as, say, the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator, since the latter places people into 16 slots and the former into only six.
My blood curdled, however, at the blithe mention of "impression management" as something that people ordinarily do in life. To me, this smacks of marketing and brand development, not typical behavior of people. This may be because I've never indulged in "impression management" in my interactions with others, and I find it a phony and public-relations-oriented approach to living.
In a recent job I had, I got onto the elevator to discover the ceo of my company already boarded. He was a person whose values I had an intuitive antipathy toward, and had I worried about impression management, I would probably not have yawned elaborately because I couldn't think of anything to say to him. Anyway, he said, "Wake up, boy!" If I had been managing my impression of myself, I probably would have made some neutral comment to him or said nothing at all. But since I've never been one for managing my impression on others, that's what I did, and that was the response I got. Fortunately, I worked for a huge company and doubted he would remember unless I yawned every time I subsequently saw him and perhaps not even then. But that is how I don't manage my impressions around people.
Still, it was a fun book.
As an assessment tool, it is not nearly as fully realized as, say, the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator, since the latter places people into 16 slots and the former into only six.
My blood curdled, however, at the blithe mention of "impression management" as something that people ordinarily do in life. To me, this smacks of marketing and brand development, not typical behavior of people. This may be because I've never indulged in "impression management" in my interactions with others, and I find it a phony and public-relations-oriented approach to living.
In a recent job I had, I got onto the elevator to discover the ceo of my company already boarded. He was a person whose values I had an intuitive antipathy toward, and had I worried about impression management, I would probably not have yawned elaborately because I couldn't think of anything to say to him. Anyway, he said, "Wake up, boy!" If I had been managing my impression of myself, I probably would have made some neutral comment to him or said nothing at all. But since I've never been one for managing my impression on others, that's what I did, and that was the response I got. Fortunately, I worked for a huge company and doubted he would remember unless I yawned every time I subsequently saw him and perhaps not even then. But that is how I don't manage my impressions around people.
Still, it was a fun book.
September 10, 2017
Very interesting, especially in light of recent political events.
February 2, 2019
Decent book. Everyone familiar with personality research will know the Big 5. However, research has actually indicated 6 factors, discovered by Ashton and Lee, the extra one being the H-factor, standing for Honesty-Humility. Things we associated with sincerity, fairness, modesty, and so forth.
I had the impression the HEXACO model only applied to Asian cultures, but that's incorrect. It was originally discovered in lexical studies in Asian cultures, but it applies to western populations as well.
The Big 5 was originally discovered because the factor analysis back then was done with a filtered list of terms, I believe by grouping several terms together that were intuitively similar. However, computing power is now no longer a concern, and using the complete set of words, the 6th factor emerged. The Big 5 still contained some of the characteristics of the H factor, but they were incorporated into agreeableness. The distinctiveness of H required a new model entirely.
There are also some minor differences in the models beyond the H factor. Things like quick temper are associated with neuroticism (called emotional stability in HEXACO) in the Big 5, but in the new model, it's more towards low agreeableness.
Given that the Big 5 model was so influential, it's still the main one used today. Plus, it has a bigger amount of research, making it more robust. HEXACO isn't free of flaws, but these flaws are mostly associated with personality research in general. Only 3 factors seem to bypass every replication: extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness. The more traits, the less reliable it becomes. Another factor in HEXACO not being more widely used is that it doesn't seem to matter very much when it's compared with the Big 5 unless the variable of study includes the H factor.
The book itself was interesting to read, although sometimes tedious, especially if one is fairly familiar with personality to begin with. It started with the history of personality research and how HEXACO was discovered, and then the combination of the H factor with every single other personality trait, which I found unnecessary. Finally, it explored some research on how the new H factor can be used as a predictive factor for other variables, like antisocial behaviour, political attitudes, sexual behaviour, etc.
Overall, gave a pretty good overview of the history and research of HEXACO, and it's a big plus that it's written by the original researchers who discovered it. If you're interested in personality, it's worth your time.
I had the impression the HEXACO model only applied to Asian cultures, but that's incorrect. It was originally discovered in lexical studies in Asian cultures, but it applies to western populations as well.
The Big 5 was originally discovered because the factor analysis back then was done with a filtered list of terms, I believe by grouping several terms together that were intuitively similar. However, computing power is now no longer a concern, and using the complete set of words, the 6th factor emerged. The Big 5 still contained some of the characteristics of the H factor, but they were incorporated into agreeableness. The distinctiveness of H required a new model entirely.
There are also some minor differences in the models beyond the H factor. Things like quick temper are associated with neuroticism (called emotional stability in HEXACO) in the Big 5, but in the new model, it's more towards low agreeableness.
Given that the Big 5 model was so influential, it's still the main one used today. Plus, it has a bigger amount of research, making it more robust. HEXACO isn't free of flaws, but these flaws are mostly associated with personality research in general. Only 3 factors seem to bypass every replication: extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness. The more traits, the less reliable it becomes. Another factor in HEXACO not being more widely used is that it doesn't seem to matter very much when it's compared with the Big 5 unless the variable of study includes the H factor.
The book itself was interesting to read, although sometimes tedious, especially if one is fairly familiar with personality to begin with. It started with the history of personality research and how HEXACO was discovered, and then the combination of the H factor with every single other personality trait, which I found unnecessary. Finally, it explored some research on how the new H factor can be used as a predictive factor for other variables, like antisocial behaviour, political attitudes, sexual behaviour, etc.
Overall, gave a pretty good overview of the history and research of HEXACO, and it's a big plus that it's written by the original researchers who discovered it. If you're interested in personality, it's worth your time.
August 4, 2021
absolutely worth reading. The title says it all.
April 28, 2025
Indispensable
Un antes y un después en la vida, literalmente. Lo más fuerte, es saber que existen investigaciones de este calibre que permiten una cantidad de posibilidades increíbles que la gente desconoce y que además, bajo la necesidad, utilizan versiones pseudocientificas de lo mismo. Triste y fuerte. Excelente libro e investigadores.
Un antes y un después en la vida, literalmente. Lo más fuerte, es saber que existen investigaciones de este calibre que permiten una cantidad de posibilidades increíbles que la gente desconoce y que además, bajo la necesidad, utilizan versiones pseudocientificas de lo mismo. Triste y fuerte. Excelente libro e investigadores.
April 10, 2024
This book was an enjoyable read, and I think most who like reading about personality will appreciate it. The science was generally sound, though I didn’t always agree fully with the conclusions, which I felt were at times a bit of a stretch. I’m also not sure about the conclusion that felt a bit forced (that with enough willpower one might “become high H”), like how one might be asked by one’s manager to provide “actionable insights” on what was originally an exploratory journey.
September 27, 2025
What truly defines whether a person can be trusted—or admired—for who they are? Is it their intelligence, charm, or drive? Or is it something deeper?
How would people operate differently if there was more honesty and humility?
In The H Factor, Kibeom Lee and Michael C. Ashton reveal why honesty-humility deserves a seat alongside the Big Five OCEAN traits (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism), creating a six-factor HEXACO model. it explains why two people with similar personalities on paper may act completely differently when integrity is tested. Someone high in the H factor demonstrates fairness, sincerity, and modesty, while those low in H gravitate toward manipulation, greed, and exploitation.
The authors show how this factor intermingles with the other five traits to paint a more complete portrait of human personality. For example, an agreeable person without honesty-humility may people-please for selfish gain. A conscientious person low in H might appear diligent but use their discipline for corrupt ends.
With the H factor in play, the model captures the difference between true moral character and surface-level behavior.
Including the H factor is essential because it touches the core of trust in all relationships—personal, professional, and societal. Striving to have high H means cultivating the kind of integrity that strengthens bonds, sustains reputations, and fuels cooperative communities. In an age where manipulation and image often overshadow substance, this book is a reminder that character counts, and that humility and honesty are not soft skills—they’re survival skills.
This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in psychology, leadership, ethics, or self-development. It will resonate with readers who want to understand what really drives human behavior and, more importantly, how to strengthen the trait that holds everything together: The H factor. Honest and Humility
How would people operate differently if there was more honesty and humility?
In The H Factor, Kibeom Lee and Michael C. Ashton reveal why honesty-humility deserves a seat alongside the Big Five OCEAN traits (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism), creating a six-factor HEXACO model. it explains why two people with similar personalities on paper may act completely differently when integrity is tested. Someone high in the H factor demonstrates fairness, sincerity, and modesty, while those low in H gravitate toward manipulation, greed, and exploitation.
The authors show how this factor intermingles with the other five traits to paint a more complete portrait of human personality. For example, an agreeable person without honesty-humility may people-please for selfish gain. A conscientious person low in H might appear diligent but use their discipline for corrupt ends.
With the H factor in play, the model captures the difference between true moral character and surface-level behavior.
Including the H factor is essential because it touches the core of trust in all relationships—personal, professional, and societal. Striving to have high H means cultivating the kind of integrity that strengthens bonds, sustains reputations, and fuels cooperative communities. In an age where manipulation and image often overshadow substance, this book is a reminder that character counts, and that humility and honesty are not soft skills—they’re survival skills.
This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in psychology, leadership, ethics, or self-development. It will resonate with readers who want to understand what really drives human behavior and, more importantly, how to strengthen the trait that holds everything together: The H factor. Honest and Humility
April 22, 2020
The H Factor: Honesty-Humility
In the H Factor of Personality the writers go into great depth to explain what the H factor entails.
First off they put their work into context. The H factor does not exist in a vacuum and manifests itself in many ways depending on other external and internal factors. I found the book rather easy to digest with psychological terms being simplified by mundane and relatable examples. As such, it should serve as a nice introductory work for those interested in psychology.
The writers of the book had been involved in the findings of this new factor; now an integral part of the HEXACO model of personality inventory. The book gives you a great insight into the way that this personality factor influences your life; be it people that you should avoid or people you should look to live and work with. But perhaps most importantly, it gives you the ability to look at yourself and determine how it affects your own personality. If you find yourself somewhat lacking in Honesty-Humility you may now get into fixing that (to a certain degree).
As mentioned before the texts are easy to digest with everyday examples given to elaborate psychological terms. The book was lighthearted and there have been a few occassions where I
actually chuckled. I think it is quite important for laymen, such as myself, to be able to learn more about psychology. The subject concerns every person after all, whether they realise it or not.
In the end of the book the writers have included a HEXACO test, atlhough not all-encompassing, it serves as an excellent tool learn your strengths and weaknesses.
In the H Factor of Personality the writers go into great depth to explain what the H factor entails.
First off they put their work into context. The H factor does not exist in a vacuum and manifests itself in many ways depending on other external and internal factors. I found the book rather easy to digest with psychological terms being simplified by mundane and relatable examples. As such, it should serve as a nice introductory work for those interested in psychology.
The writers of the book had been involved in the findings of this new factor; now an integral part of the HEXACO model of personality inventory. The book gives you a great insight into the way that this personality factor influences your life; be it people that you should avoid or people you should look to live and work with. But perhaps most importantly, it gives you the ability to look at yourself and determine how it affects your own personality. If you find yourself somewhat lacking in Honesty-Humility you may now get into fixing that (to a certain degree).
As mentioned before the texts are easy to digest with everyday examples given to elaborate psychological terms. The book was lighthearted and there have been a few occassions where I
actually chuckled. I think it is quite important for laymen, such as myself, to be able to learn more about psychology. The subject concerns every person after all, whether they realise it or not.
In the end of the book the writers have included a HEXACO test, atlhough not all-encompassing, it serves as an excellent tool learn your strengths and weaknesses.
May 9, 2022
I only got 30 pages in before I got annoyed with it. it described personality as very black and white as there is two ends to the spectrum. I believe all the statistics were from the 90s and the early 2000s and it didn't really seem like it took into account the various different factors of life a person can live.
maybe if there was an updated study with some more recent data that took into account people from every aspect of life it would be a better book.
maybe if there was an updated study with some more recent data that took into account people from every aspect of life it would be a better book.
December 4, 2012
The state of the art of personality psychology -- aimed at a general educated readership rather than academics. How and why people are the way they are and what can be done to manage some of the harder to get along with types.
July 20, 2024
There's some merit to the book (especially when discussing how to find low H people), but there are a lot of baseless conjectures and hypotheticals in the book that I don't find convincing.
Read
December 24, 2021curry favour
the H factor. The “H” stands for HonestyHumility, and it’s one of only six basic dimensions of personality. In this book, we’ll tell you about all six of those dimensions—the HEXACO personality factors—but the H factor will be our main focus.
the Big Five
Openness to Experience (e.g., creative versus conventional)
Conscientiousness (e.g., disciplined versus disorganized)
Extraversion (e.g., outgoing versus shy) Agreeableness (e.g., gentle versus harsh) Neuroticism (e.g., anxious versus calm)
The first step in discovering the basic factors of personality is to generate a complete list of common personality traits. To do this, researchers search the dictionary and select all of the personality-descriptive adjectives they can find, eliminating only very rare or obscure terms. The next task is to measure many people on these personality traits. This is typically done simply by asking many persons each to rate his or her own level of each trait, on a scale from (say) 1 to 5 or 1 to 9.
High-C people organize their time and their physical surroundings. They work hard and long. They pay thorough attention to details. They think through their options systematically and carefully. Because they are able to inhibit their impulses, high-C people are less likely to smoke, use drugs, or drink excessively. They are also less likely to be involved in serious accidents, and much less likely to lose their money by gambling or spending recklessly. Consequently, high-C people tend to be better off financially and tend to live longer and healthier lives than low-C people do.
The cooperation of others can make a more satisfying life in modern society, but in many pre-modern settings this “bank account” of cooperation could be crucial for improving the odds of surviving and reproducing. The low-H person, by contrast, undermines the goodwill of others, thereby losing their cooperation and even provoking their active retaliation.
Next, the Agreeableness factor: the common element of high-A traits is a tendency to get along with others even when they may be hard to get along with. They’re slow to get angry even when provoked. This tendency to be tolerant and patient has some interesting consequences. High-A people generally report being happier with their marriages—and so do the spouses of high-A people. They also have a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease as well as a better chance of recovery from it.
for a woman, the heavy biological cost of pregnancy and lactation means that having another child is a much more difficult proposition than it is for a man. (Moreover, a woman rarely has any doubts about which children are her own and which children aren’t, whereas a man has less certainty on both counts
suppose we do the same with many pairs of biological siblings who were raised apart (perhaps due to adoption or divorce). If the siblings raised together tend to be more similar to each other in personality, this suggests that the rearing environment (nurture) has an influence on personality.
strong sense of superiority or entitlement
the H factor. The “H” stands for HonestyHumility, and it’s one of only six basic dimensions of personality. In this book, we’ll tell you about all six of those dimensions—the HEXACO personality factors—but the H factor will be our main focus.
the Big Five
Openness to Experience (e.g., creative versus conventional)
Conscientiousness (e.g., disciplined versus disorganized)
Extraversion (e.g., outgoing versus shy) Agreeableness (e.g., gentle versus harsh) Neuroticism (e.g., anxious versus calm)
The first step in discovering the basic factors of personality is to generate a complete list of common personality traits. To do this, researchers search the dictionary and select all of the personality-descriptive adjectives they can find, eliminating only very rare or obscure terms. The next task is to measure many people on these personality traits. This is typically done simply by asking many persons each to rate his or her own level of each trait, on a scale from (say) 1 to 5 or 1 to 9.
High-C people organize their time and their physical surroundings. They work hard and long. They pay thorough attention to details. They think through their options systematically and carefully. Because they are able to inhibit their impulses, high-C people are less likely to smoke, use drugs, or drink excessively. They are also less likely to be involved in serious accidents, and much less likely to lose their money by gambling or spending recklessly. Consequently, high-C people tend to be better off financially and tend to live longer and healthier lives than low-C people do.
The cooperation of others can make a more satisfying life in modern society, but in many pre-modern settings this “bank account” of cooperation could be crucial for improving the odds of surviving and reproducing. The low-H person, by contrast, undermines the goodwill of others, thereby losing their cooperation and even provoking their active retaliation.
Next, the Agreeableness factor: the common element of high-A traits is a tendency to get along with others even when they may be hard to get along with. They’re slow to get angry even when provoked. This tendency to be tolerant and patient has some interesting consequences. High-A people generally report being happier with their marriages—and so do the spouses of high-A people. They also have a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease as well as a better chance of recovery from it.
for a woman, the heavy biological cost of pregnancy and lactation means that having another child is a much more difficult proposition than it is for a man. (Moreover, a woman rarely has any doubts about which children are her own and which children aren’t, whereas a man has less certainty on both counts
suppose we do the same with many pairs of biological siblings who were raised apart (perhaps due to adoption or divorce). If the siblings raised together tend to be more similar to each other in personality, this suggests that the rearing environment (nurture) has an influence on personality.
strong sense of superiority or entitlement
March 30, 2019
I like this book better than "Personality" because this book review all the personality trait in evolutionary terms. Aggression, holding grudge (so never forget who is bad person), suspicious (nervousness) are very useful for survival!
(H)onesty-Humility, (E)motionality, e(X)traversion, (A)greeableness, (C)onscientiousness, and (O)penness to Experience.
For O, C, and X, persons with a higher level of the dimension tend to be more actively engaged in a certain area of endeavour than are persons with lower levels.
H, A, and E each involve a contrast between an “altruistic” tendency (at the high pole) and an “antagonistic” tendency (at the low pole).
one of the most striking discoveries of personality psychology: genes are heavily involved in personality differences, rearing environments hardly at all.
The best recent estimates are that personality differences are about two-thirds due to genetic differences and almost not at all due to differences in early household environment.
Remark on Stanford Prison Experiment: The results indicated that participants who responded to the “prison” advertisement showed much higher scores on personality scales related to low H and low A than did participants who responded to the generic ad. These results suggest that the participants of the Stanford prison experiment might have been below average in their levels of H and A and that the shocking results of that experiment might have been less extreme
Good people flock together: people perceived their friends as being quite similar to them in the H and O factors, with correlations around .40 (a bit higher for H and a bit lower for O).
How to spot Low H people:
1. But some people who brag about how to beat the system—for example, by evading income taxes or customs duties, or by stealing from businesses—may come across as roguishly charming and harmless.
2. people who are selectively nice, reserving their affection and compliments for those who are or will be useful to them, are not likely to be loyal friends.
3. Gambling: People who often bet a lot of money—at casinos, on sports events, in card games, or whatever—usually have a low level of H, often combined with a low level of E. (People who become addicted to gambling are probably also low in C.)
4. Sex: people who cheat on their romantic partners tend to be low in H, and the same is true of people who try to poach the partners of others.
5. conspicuous consumption really signals is a low level of the H factor.
6. Low-H people sometimes defend greed on the grounds that it motivates hard work and innovation, thereby driving economic progress.
7. “Above the Law” Mentality: Some people decide that they belong to a special class of persons to whom the normal rules should not apply.
8. Contempt of Other Groups
Well, if you really do want to be higher in H, you can use your high-H idealism to overcome your low-H inclinations.
(H)onesty-Humility, (E)motionality, e(X)traversion, (A)greeableness, (C)onscientiousness, and (O)penness to Experience.
For O, C, and X, persons with a higher level of the dimension tend to be more actively engaged in a certain area of endeavour than are persons with lower levels.
H, A, and E each involve a contrast between an “altruistic” tendency (at the high pole) and an “antagonistic” tendency (at the low pole).
one of the most striking discoveries of personality psychology: genes are heavily involved in personality differences, rearing environments hardly at all.
The best recent estimates are that personality differences are about two-thirds due to genetic differences and almost not at all due to differences in early household environment.
Remark on Stanford Prison Experiment: The results indicated that participants who responded to the “prison” advertisement showed much higher scores on personality scales related to low H and low A than did participants who responded to the generic ad. These results suggest that the participants of the Stanford prison experiment might have been below average in their levels of H and A and that the shocking results of that experiment might have been less extreme
Good people flock together: people perceived their friends as being quite similar to them in the H and O factors, with correlations around .40 (a bit higher for H and a bit lower for O).
How to spot Low H people:
1. But some people who brag about how to beat the system—for example, by evading income taxes or customs duties, or by stealing from businesses—may come across as roguishly charming and harmless.
2. people who are selectively nice, reserving their affection and compliments for those who are or will be useful to them, are not likely to be loyal friends.
3. Gambling: People who often bet a lot of money—at casinos, on sports events, in card games, or whatever—usually have a low level of H, often combined with a low level of E. (People who become addicted to gambling are probably also low in C.)
4. Sex: people who cheat on their romantic partners tend to be low in H, and the same is true of people who try to poach the partners of others.
5. conspicuous consumption really signals is a low level of the H factor.
6. Low-H people sometimes defend greed on the grounds that it motivates hard work and innovation, thereby driving economic progress.
7. “Above the Law” Mentality: Some people decide that they belong to a special class of persons to whom the normal rules should not apply.
8. Contempt of Other Groups
Well, if you really do want to be higher in H, you can use your high-H idealism to overcome your low-H inclinations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2022
Summary: If you run into problems such as who to trust and who not to trust, this book may help you in at least understanding how fairness is expressed by different people. I felt the book is incomplete in its exploration of political temperaments, but does a great job in exploring friendships, money, sex, power, and religion. A great primer to dishonesty for 'honest-humble' people.
January 26, 2022
Whenever I’ve come in contact with personality conceptualizations, they have most often been based on the classic Big Five model. The Big Five model comprises of openness, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism.
However, the authors of this book argue that the Big Five model is faulty, since it was invented during a time of limited computer power. This means that the original researchers had to settle for only 5 dimensions. With computer power no longer an issue, the book’s authors were free to experiment – and found an interesting result. By splitting the factors into 6 dimensions, the trait of Honesty-Humility appeared across generations and cultures. More than 6 splits resulted in overlap of the dimensions however.
This new way of conceptualizing personality dimensions is abbreviated as HEXACO. It stands for:
(H) Honesty-Humility
(E) Emotionality
(X) eXtraversion
(A) Agreeableness
(C) Conscientiousness
(O) Openness to Experience.
I found the content to be interesting and thought-provoking. Apparently, the strongest predictor for the people we choose to surround ourselves with is how well they match our level of the H factor. It also does seem like the dimension of humility is lacking from the Big Five, doesn’t it?
However, the authors of this book argue that the Big Five model is faulty, since it was invented during a time of limited computer power. This means that the original researchers had to settle for only 5 dimensions. With computer power no longer an issue, the book’s authors were free to experiment – and found an interesting result. By splitting the factors into 6 dimensions, the trait of Honesty-Humility appeared across generations and cultures. More than 6 splits resulted in overlap of the dimensions however.
This new way of conceptualizing personality dimensions is abbreviated as HEXACO. It stands for:
(H) Honesty-Humility
(E) Emotionality
(X) eXtraversion
(A) Agreeableness
(C) Conscientiousness
(O) Openness to Experience.
I found the content to be interesting and thought-provoking. Apparently, the strongest predictor for the people we choose to surround ourselves with is how well they match our level of the H factor. It also does seem like the dimension of humility is lacking from the Big Five, doesn’t it?
March 31, 2021
Ini adalah buku psikologi pertama saya. Semula saya kira buku ini akan menjelaskan beberapa hal mengenai mengapa manusia bisa berlaku buruk (seperti yang ditunjukkan pada covernya) karena sejujurnya, saya belum pernah mendengar tentang H factor yang dimaksud oleh buku ini. Namun, setelahnya saya baru tahu kalo H factor ini adalah salah satu bentuk sifat manusia yang sebenarnya dibagi menjadi 6, dan disingkat dengan HEXACO. Keseluruhan buku ini hanya berfokus pada faktor H itu, yakni honesty-humility. Buku yang cukup bagus menurut saya. Setelah membaca buku ini saya jadi suka mengira, kira-kira teman saya yang satu ini low/high di mana, bagaimana dengan orang tua saya, beberapa tokoh terkenal, juga saya sendiri. Hanya saja-mungkin karena kurangnya pengetahuan-ada beberapa pembahasan yang agak sulit saya pahami. Contohnya di bab yang membahas mengenai korelasi antara politik dan kepribadian. Banyak istilah istilah yang asing bagi saya, sehingga memerlukan energi lebih untuk saya bisa pahami maksudnya.
June 25, 2021
4.5/5
Very interesting book on the big 6 factors of personality, focusing more on the H factor (honesty-humility). I had never heard of this before, It's my first book related to this science but I'm very satisfied with what I learned, there were some really helpful things to learn to distinguish and avoid low H people. I would have loved to read more on low H and the correlation with psychopathy, narcissism and prob even sociopathy! Social sciences are truly the hardest ones to study and get straight answers from so when something like this comes along and we can find a correlation between this factors and people's personalities, it truly is amazing to learn about.
Very interesting book on the big 6 factors of personality, focusing more on the H factor (honesty-humility). I had never heard of this before, It's my first book related to this science but I'm very satisfied with what I learned, there were some really helpful things to learn to distinguish and avoid low H people. I would have loved to read more on low H and the correlation with psychopathy, narcissism and prob even sociopathy! Social sciences are truly the hardest ones to study and get straight answers from so when something like this comes along and we can find a correlation between this factors and people's personalities, it truly is amazing to learn about.
November 13, 2019
Good position, especially for people who are new to psychology/personality stuff. It's not a life-changing book, but still worth reading. It gives you some reasoning behind people's behavior and helps to understand why some of us behave is such, not another way. It also lets you understand why it's sometimes now worth changing people's personality, but instead choosing the right people surrounding you. One tip: at the end of the book there's a HEXACO-PI-R test you can complete - I suggest to find and do it online :)
May 8, 2021
HEXACO model of personality structure: Honesty-Humility (H), Emotionality (E), Extraversion (X), Agreeableness (A), Conscientiousness (C), and Openness to Experience (O)
The HEXACO model is unique mainly due to the addition of the Honesty-Humility dimension.
It takes one year to understand one person personality
Probably the biggest takeaway from the book is to limit your interaction with people low in humility. Don't choose them as romantic or business partners.
The HEXACO model is unique mainly due to the addition of the Honesty-Humility dimension.
It takes one year to understand one person personality
Probably the biggest takeaway from the book is to limit your interaction with people low in humility. Don't choose them as romantic or business partners.
July 2, 2021
5 stars for the whole experience. 4.5 stars for substance because I personally felt the chapters in Politics and Religion were a bit weak, but still helpful. The rhythm wasn't just the same.
Overall, this book is loaded with information, analysis, insight, and help about bad traits. As someone who always find human behavior interesting, I enjoyed this very much. 😊👍
This book is extra fun if you have a specific manipulative person in mind to verify this book. 😂
Overall, this book is loaded with information, analysis, insight, and help about bad traits. As someone who always find human behavior interesting, I enjoyed this very much. 😊👍
This book is extra fun if you have a specific manipulative person in mind to verify this book. 😂
March 22, 2023
2 out of 5 - ok.
Even with all the skills and work of the author, this books falls into category of "personality" books. If you love to know who is X or Y, or how to live with Z-people, this is for you. If you're a bit older, you already lived through the findings in there I believe.
Huge kudos for describing the study mechanism and finding out about H. Also, for retesting the Zibardo's prison experiment attendees selection and showing that low-H people were more prone to attend it.
Even with all the skills and work of the author, this books falls into category of "personality" books. If you love to know who is X or Y, or how to live with Z-people, this is for you. If you're a bit older, you already lived through the findings in there I believe.
Huge kudos for describing the study mechanism and finding out about H. Also, for retesting the Zibardo's prison experiment attendees selection and showing that low-H people were more prone to attend it.
April 7, 2024
5/10
pc: 166
This book is abt personalities and how different people form opinions/identities. It was really interesting but I’m not huge into non-fiction. There was a lot of science jargon that made reading it particularly boring at times and it did take me months to read. It has a test in the back to determine what personalities you have so that was really cool. Nice book, wouldn’t read again though.
pc: 166
This book is abt personalities and how different people form opinions/identities. It was really interesting but I’m not huge into non-fiction. There was a lot of science jargon that made reading it particularly boring at times and it did take me months to read. It has a test in the back to determine what personalities you have so that was really cool. Nice book, wouldn’t read again though.
June 18, 2018
Libro breve, sintético que describe con precisión el factor H (honestidad-humildad) de la personalidad y la investigación al respecto. Se echa de menos, quizá, que los autores no profundicen en la dark tryad de la personalidad (maquiavelismo, narcisismo y psicopatía). Hacía tiempo que no deseaba que un libro tuviera más páginas.
January 14, 2018
Just finished reading this interesting book on personality. It basically talks about why being around low level "H" people isn't such a great idea; H = honesty and humility. Here's a link to my video review: https://youtu.be/Z13CWXzKJ7w
March 11, 2018
Interesting read
Very interesting read and provided a unique perspective on other people. It at least makes each integration with another person more mindful. Psychoanalysis can be fun.
Very interesting read and provided a unique perspective on other people. It at least makes each integration with another person more mindful. Psychoanalysis can be fun.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews