Personen mit einem starken Wunsch nach Neuem und intellektueller Erkundung neigen dazu, im Laufe ihres Lebens weniger Kinder zu bekommen. Diese Personen verzögern oft die Elternschaft, erleben kürzere Liebesbeziehungen (aber nicht mehr Sexualpartner) und berichten von weniger positiven Beweggründen für die Gründung einer Familie.

**Individuals who possess a strong desire for novelty and intellectual exploration tend to have fewer children over their lifetimes**. A recent study published in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences provides evidence that this happens because **these individuals often delay parenthood, experience shorter romantic relationships, and report fewer positive motivations for starting a family**. These findings help clarify how specific personality differences influence reproductive choices in modern society.

The scientists found no significant link between Openness and the total number of sexual partners. They also found no relationship between the trait and negative feelings about having children. Highly open people simply felt less drawn to the positive aspects of parenthood.

“One interesting finding was that individuals higher in Openness tended to have **shorter romantic relationships, but not a greater number of sexual partners**,” Milić said. “This suggests that the association with lower fertility may not be related to increased mating behaviors, but rather to lifestyle flexibility and changing priorities over time.”

She pointed out that highly open individuals are not necessarily against the idea of families. “We also found that individuals high in Openness did not report stronger negative motives for having children, suggesting that the results may reflect reduced social pressure and alternative life goals rather than negative attitudes toward parenthood,” Milić added.

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Febs0000392