معرفی
Rene Mõttus is a Professor of Personality Psychology at the University of Tartu's Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, and a Reader at the University of Edinburgh. He holds a prominent position in personality research, serving as Editor-In-Chief of the European Journal of Personality since 2020.
Dr. Mõttus earned his PhD in Psychology from the University of Tartu in 2009, with a dissertation titled "Universal and specific aspects of personality traits in their various representations," supervised by Jüri Allik. He completed his Master's degree in Psychology at the University of Tartu in 2005, with a thesis on "The relationship of cognitive ability to the structure, variability and measurement of personality," supervised by Jüri Allik and Helle Pullmann.
Professor Mõttus specializes in personality psychology, with research interests spanning personality structure, well-being, psychometrics, and the connections between physical and mental health. His work particularly focuses on the nuances of personality traits beyond the traditional Big Five framework, examining how these finer details predict life outcomes, relate to physical characteristics like body mass, and develop across the lifespan. He has made significant contributions to understanding the reliability of personality measures, the Dark Triad traits, and the relationship between personality and social media use.
His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on advancing personality research methodology while exploring the intricate connections between personality, health, and social behavior. Mõttus has pioneered research on personality nuances—finer-grained aspects of personality that go beyond traditional domains and facets—and their implications for understanding individual differences. His work often employs large-scale, multi-sample approaches and sophisticated statistical methods to address fundamental questions in personality science.
Among his notable achievements, Mõttus received the Early-Career Award from the European Association of Personality Psychology in 2018. He has also been honored with the Erns Jaakson Scholarship (2010) and multiple publication awards from the Estonian Centre of Behavioural and Health Sciences (2006, 2008).
As Editor-In-Chief of the European Journal of Personality since 2020, Mõttus plays a key role in shaping the direction of personality research globally. He has secured significant research funding for projects examining well-being and personality, including a major €540,000 grant from the Estonian Research Council (PRG2190) as principal investigator. His collaborative work extends across international boundaries, with numerous co-authored publications featuring researchers from multiple countries.
Professor Mõttus leads research within the Estonian Center of Excellence of Well-Being Sciences and directs several projects focused on predicting, understanding, and promoting well-being through large-scale data analysis. His work bridges personality psychology with health sciences, aiming to develop practical applications for improving mental health and well-being.
