Body image and personality among British men: Associations between the Big Five personality domains, drive for muscularity, and body appreciation

• Men's greater drive for muscularity is predicted by higher Neuroticism.
• Men's greater body appreciation is predicted by lower Neuroticism and higher Extraversion.
• These associations were generally small-to-medium in effect size.

The present study examined associations between the Big Five personality domains and measures of men's body image. A total of 509 men from the community in London, UK, completed measures of drive for muscularity, body appreciation, the Big Five domains, and subjective social status, and provided their demographic details. The results of a hierarchical regression showed that, once the effects of participant body mass index (BMI) and subjective social status had been accounted for, men's drive for muscularity was significantly predicted by Neuroticism (β = .29). In addition, taking into account the effects of BMI and subjective social status, men's body appreciation was significantly predicted by Neuroticism (β = −.35) and Extraversion (β = .12). These findings highlight potential avenues for the development of intervention approaches based on the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and body image.