Feb 01, 2025 12:00:00

It turns out that the rule of the Roman Empire about 2000 years ago has an impact on the happiness and personality of modern people

At its height,

the Roman Empire controlled a vast area spanning Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, and even today, remains from the Roman Empire can be found in a wide range of areas. A new study has found that there are differences in the happiness and personality of people in areas of Germany that were once under Roman rule and those outside the Roman Empire.

Roma Eterna? Roman Rule Explains Regional Well-Being Divides in Germany - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666622725000012

Ancient Roman rule continues to shape personality and well-being in Germany, study suggests
https://www.psypost.org/ancient-roman-rule-continues-to-shape-personality-and-well-being-in-germany-study-suggests/

In recent years, research into the impact of past historical background on the health and mental health of modern people has been attracting attention. For example, after Germany lost the Second World War, it was divided into the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), and was reunified in 1990. Even decades after reunification, economic disparities and differences in work practices remain between the former East and West German regions.

This time, a research team led by Martin Obshonka , a professor of economics and business administration at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, investigated the influence of the Roman Empire, about 2,000 years ago, on modern Germans. 'The intersection of history and psychology is receiving increasing attention in psychology research. However, more research is needed in this field that takes ancient history into account, rather than just focusing on recent historical events,' Obshonka said.

To distinguish between areas of Germany that were under the control of the Roman Empire and those that were not, the research team focused on the Limes , a long wall once built by the Roman Empire. In the diagram below, the black line connecting the Rhine River flowing on the left and the Danube River flowing on the right is the border of the Roman Empire, recreated based on the remains of the Limes built by the Roman Empire. The area south of the Limes (bottom) was under the control of the Roman Empire, and the area north of it (top) was not. The Limes was built around 150 AD and served as the border of the Roman Empire for over a century until it was abandoned due to the invasion of Germanic peoples in 275-276.

The part of the Limes that connects Germany was built primarily out of the need to connect two Roman provinces over the shortest distance, and does not reflect local economic or topographical considerations. This eliminates to some extent the possibility that economic conditions and topography before Roman domination may have influenced the formation of the Limes.

The Roman Empire was a highly advanced civilization that brought about cultural, economic and social advances, such as building road infrastructure to connect the territories it controlled with other territories and introducing viticulture to areas inhabited by Germanic peoples. The team looked at the density of roads built by the Roman Empire, mapped the locations of markets and mines, and assessed the degree of economic investment in the various territories it controlled.

The research team used these historical data and personality data collected from more than 73,000 subjects between 2003 and 2015. The subjects completed a questionnaire on the Big Five personality traits, which evaluate the five traits of 'openness,' 'conscientiousness,' 'extroversion,' 'agreeableness,' and 'neuroticism,' through the non-profit online website

Gosling -Potter Internet Project, and also reported their place of residence. In addition, data such as life and health satisfaction and life expectancy were collected through the German Socio-Economic Panel Survey (SOEP) , and happiness levels by region were investigated.

Analysis of the data revealed significant differences in personality traits and happiness between areas that were once part of the Roman Empire and those that were not. People living in former Roman territories scored higher on extroversion and agreeableness, lower on neuroticism, and reported higher overall psychological well-being than those who were not. The study also showed that people were more satisfied with their lives and health, and that life expectancy increased by about six months due to the influence of the Roman Empire.

The team also found that the effect of Roman rule on modern-day German happiness and personality was mediated by contemporary economic prosperity, suggesting that regions that benefited from Roman infrastructure development experienced sustained economic growth, which in turn fostered psychological well-being and adaptive personality traits.

'Further analysis suggests that Roman economic investments in trade infrastructure, such as roads, markets, and mines, were crucial in generating this long-term effect,' Obshonka told PsyPost. 'Ancient history may have a bigger impact on people's psychology today than we previously thought. The Roman Empire's rule ended almost 2,000 years ago, but its legacy can still be seen in today's macropsychological landscape.'