Relaxing environments make people with high neuroticism more concentrated: An EEG study of auditory steady-state response

Abstract

Considering that new ways of working are increasing in modern society, where people can choose their own workspace, workers must understand the most suitable environment for concentration. Personality is crucial for determining a suitable and focused environment for each individual. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between personality and the environment, in which it is easy to concentrate using objective methods. We explored whether differences exist in the environment in which people can concentrate easily, depending on their personalities. We measured concentration using the auditory steady-state response, a brain response to sound. For each of the Big Five personality factors, we compared concentration after presenting videos simulating both relaxed and tense environments and investigated the relationship with personality scores. The results indicated a negative correlation between neuroticism scores and concentration in a tense environment. People with lower neuroticism concentrated more in a tense environment, while those with higher neuroticism concentrated more in a relaxed environment. These findings not only assist employees in choosing their workspace but also may support educational settings such as schools and universities.