Are you there, personality? It’s me, Iowa. You know — the state with lots of farmland, political epicenters and small town charm. Ring a bell?

Apparently not. An ongoing study of the effect of geographic location on personality by Jason Rentfrow, professor of social and developmental psychology at the University of Cambridge and Texas native, revealed that contrary to popular belief, Iowa fares very… well… average when it comes to friendliness and personality.

In his observational study titled “A Theory of the Emergence, Persistence, and Expression of Geographic Variation in Psychological Characteristics,” Rentfrow compared various personality traits as they appeared in test subjects across the United States via online surveying. These included “The Big Five” personality traits used in social psychology: extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness.

Out of the listed categories, Iowa ranked as the 15th most extroverted and agreeable state — which placed the Iowa population in the top 40th percentile nationwide for the above categories — as well as the 33rd most conscientious, 22nd most neurotic and 43rd most open state. Iowa, usually known for its Midwestern hospitality, did not place in the Top 10 ranks for any of the studied personality traits.

Nevertheless, Ames Mayor Ann Campbell found Iowan amiability reason enough to make Iowa her home for more than 40 years.

“I grew up in a small town in Iowa, which I think gives a good experience,” Campbell said. “Everyone has to pitch in and cooperate and help each other out… the fact that I’ve lived here for as long as I have lived here is obviously [akin] to the fact that small town Iowa has, for me, been a valuable experience.”

Transitioning to life in Iowa and Iowa State for new students can mean a lot of changes, especially for those coming from the coasts or even abroad.

Angeline Raisa Tjandra, junior in pre-architecture and transfer student, was “shocked” by how quiet and individualistic people are. Tjandra is originally from Indonesia but stayed in Seattle for the last year-and-a-half.

“Because the international [student] population was a lot more in Seattle, people there were more understanding of [my accent],” Tjandra said. “But overall, it’s almost the same thing. So far, I feel comfortable here.”

Iowa must still have a ‘home-grown’ feel — just look at the Iowa Division of Tourism, which still touts the state as “life changing… a land overflowing with genuine hospitality” as its official slogan.

Some say the friendliness factor of Iowa is largely because of the relatively low crime rates, low ethnic diversity rates and fairly stable to slowing population growth. However, residents of Iowa battle other issues such as brain drain, aging, migration, shrinking towns and a declining workforce, according to “Iowa’s Numbers: 150 Years of Decennial Census Data with a Glance to the Future” by Willis Goudy, university professor emeritus of sociology-Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“As far as the Midwest, in general people who live there score high on ‘extraversional’ and ‘sociable,’ and enjoy being around other people, and are friendly and warm and get along,” Rentfrow said.

Although Rentfrow has never visited Iowa, he said his findings “in no way [are] trying to legitimize stereotypes. It’s not as though everyone who lives in Iowa tends to have these characteristics.”

The whole report

Jason Rentfrow, professor of social and developmental psychology at the University of Cambridge, has dispelled misconceptions about state personalities in his study, “A Theory of the Emergence, Persistence, and Expression of Geographic Variation in Psychological Characteristics.”

Visit http://web.mac.com/jrentfrow, to find out more about Rentfrow’s study about states’ personalities. Discover each state’s rankings in personalities such as neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness and agreeableness. Information is also available on other research Rentfrow has conducted.