Traits It Takes to Be Great President

B O S T O N, Aug. 5 -- Who’s it going to be in the November elections: the donkey, the elephant — or perhaps a mule?  

Presidents tend to be more mulish — stubborn and disagreeable — than the average American, a team of psychologists reported today at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention, being held in Washington.

On average, all of our former presidents tended to be less agreeable and less open to experience than most people, but also more extroverted, the study’s authors found.

In a five-year study, “The Personality and the President Project,” psychologists led by Steven Rubenzer of Houston assessed the personalities of the 41 past presidents and then ranked which personality traits were linked to political greatness.

Testing the President

Their findings will be the basis of a book, Testing the President . They hope to finalize a deal with a publisher and have their tome out on the shelves sometime between Election Day and the inauguration, says co-author and psychologist Thomas R. Raschingbauer of Richmond, Texas.

The truly great commanders in chief tended to be commanding: assertive, competent and striving for achievement topped the list of qualities.

But they were also apt to be a bit conniving.

“Interestingly, presidential greatness was predicted remarkably well by low scores on straightforwardness,” the authors say. “Presidents are not above tricking, cajoling, bullying or lying, if necessary.”

On the flip side, great presidents were not likely to be Seinfeld-ian: Neatniks and neurotics need not apply.

The study persuaded 115 presidential biographers to rate their illustrious subjects on a 600-item checklist, including questions about excitement-seeking to morality. The biographers were asked to base their assessments on the five-year period before the person had become president, to better distinguish between their “Prez” persona and their true colors.