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Fetal Origins of Personality: Effects of early life circumstances on adult personality traits

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  • Sonya Krutikova
  • Helene Bie Lilleør

Abstract

Personality traits are highly predictive of life outcomes and successes. However, little is known about their formation and what can hamper their development. There is ample evidence that conditions in early-life can have persistent influence on health and cognitive skills. In this paper, we ask whether this is also the case for the formation and development of personality traits. We find strong and robust evidence of persistent impacts among siblings of early-life rainfall fluctuations on measures of a latent personality trait, known as core self-evaluation, in adulthood. The results are driven by females, irrespective of the gender composition of siblings within the household. There is heterogeneity across households likely to have different levels of credit access, suggesting a household wealth mechanism; effects are strongest for households with lowest durable asset holdings. Effects on other outcomes in adulthood suggest that early life rainfall may impact adult core self-evaluation through health, schooling and wealth, although we cannot rule out reverse causality.

Suggested Citation

  • Sonya Krutikova & Helene Bie Lilleør, 2015. "Fetal Origins of Personality: Effects of early life circumstances on adult personality traits," CSAE Working Paper Series 2015-03, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    • Handle: RePEc:csa:wpaper:2015-03
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    Cited by:

    1. Bulaon, June Patrick & Shoji, Masahiro, 2022. "Disaster Exposure in Childhood and Adult Noncognitive Skill: Evidence from the Philippines," MPRA Paper 112913, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Douglas Almond & Janet Currie & Valentina Duque, 2018. "Childhood Circumstances and Adult Outcomes: Act II," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 56(4), pages 1360-1446, December.
    3. Shoji, Masahiro, 2020. "Early-Life Circumstances and Adult Locus of Control: Evidence from 46 Developing Countries," MPRA Paper 99987, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Chang, Grace & Favara, Marta & Novella, Rafael, 2022. "The origins of cognitive skills and non-cognitive skills: The long-term effect of in-utero rainfall shocks in India," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    5. Mochamad Pasha & Marc Rockmore & Chih Ming Tan & Dhanushka Thamarapani, 2023. "Early Life Exposure to Above Average Rainfall and Adult Mental Health," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 85(4), pages 692-717, August.
    6. Abay, Kibrom A. & Blalock, Garrick & Berhane, Guush, 2017. "Locus of control and technology adoption in developing country agriculture: Evidence from Ethiopia," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 98-115.
    7. Mochamad Pasha & Marc Rockmore & Chih Ming Tan, 2019. "Positive Early Life Rainfall Shocks and Adult Mental Health," Working Paper series 19-09, Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis.
    8. Duncan Webb, 2022. "Critical Periods in Cognitive and Socioemotional Development: Evidence from Weather Shocks in Indonesia," PSE Working Papers halshs-03542607, HAL.
    9. Ray, Mukesh K. & Maredia, Mywish K., 2018. "Legume Technologies as a Sustainable Solution to Climatic Shocks: Evidence from Malawi," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 273873, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    10. Kibrom A. Abay & Guush Berhane & Garrick Blalock, 2018. "Locus of Control and Technology Adoption in Africa: Evidence from Ethiopia," Working Papers PMMA 2018-04, PEP-PMMA.
    11. Alfredo Alvarado & Belén Conde & Rafael Novella & Andrea Repetto, 2020. "NEETs in Latin America and the Caribbean: Skills, Aspirations, and Information," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(8), pages 1273-1307, November.
    12. Duncan Webb, 2022. "Critical Periods in Cognitive and Socioemotional Development: Evidence from Weather Shocks in Indonesia," Working Papers halshs-03542607, HAL.
    13. Masahiro Shoji, 2023. "Gendered effects of early childhood weather shocks on locus of control: evidence from 28 agricultural countries," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(3), pages 1363-1393, July.
    14. Angelini, Viola & Mierau, Jochen O. & Viluma, Laura, 2021. "Socioeconomic Conditions in Childhood and Mental Health Later in Life," GLO Discussion Paper Series 844, Global Labor Organization (GLO).

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