Personality Expression in Body Motion Dynamics: Enactive, Embodied and Complex Systems Perspectives

We explored personality expression through body motion using enactive/complex systems perspectives. We invited 105 adults (aged 18-33, 70% women) to talk for 15-minutes about three self-referencing topics (introduction, bodily perception/sensory life, socio-emotional life). A video frame-by-frame differentiation method provided time-series to perform Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA), extracting four measures (Determinism/Entropy/Laminarity/MeanLine). Multilevel models linked Big-Five traits (IPIP-NEO-120) to embodied dynamics. Neuroticism predicted lower determinism and fluctuating dynamics when talking about bodily perception/sensory life and socioemotional life; less complexity and stability when talking about socioemotional life, and post-task negative affect. Extraversion predicted regular/deterministic dynamics when talking about bodily perception/sensory life. Conscientiousness predicted less deterministic and more variability. Agreeableness predicted low post-task negative affect. The results are discussed integrating enactive/complexity, and personality perspectives.