EEG and personality dimensions: A consideration based on the brain oscillatory systems

Relationships between EEG and personality dimensions were investigated in the Korean population. Subjects were 68 healthy undergraduate students (32 males, 36 females). The Korean version of the Eysenck Personality Scales (EPS-Adult), Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Approach System (BIS/BAS) scale, and Positive Affect and Negative Affect scale (PANAS) were used. EEG recordings of two different conditions (eyes open and eyes closed) were performed twice with the interval of 6 weeks. Analytical methods used in the present study rendered two coincident tendencies: Theta band was negatively related to neuroticism in the eyes open condition, alpha and delta band were positively and negatively related to psychoticism in the eyes closed condition respectively. Despite that these results showed complex interactions, they are considered to be consistent with the theory of Robinson (2001) that delta, theta, and alpha waves are associated with activity of the brainstem, limbic system, and the thalamo-cortical arousal system respectively.