Which London Postcode Does Your Personality Match?

London covers a huge area, and if you are considering moving there it can be hard to decide where you are best suited to live.

Many people start off by looking at job opportunities, local schools, crime rates and property prices, but a new study has found that you may be be more suited to particular areas, based on your personality.

A study from Cambridge University academics has found that people with specific personality types actually tend to live in similar areas to each other – a phenomenon named “geographical clustering”.

Your personality is reflected in the things you enjoy doing, the way you act, the people you are friends with, the clothes you wear, and more. Dr Markus Jokela from the University of Huddersfield thinks that these rules should also be applied to the places you choose to live:

"It's very common for people to talk about where is the best place to live, but most research has tended to look at factors such as income and low crime rates, and only on a very broad geographical scale, failing to consider individual differences in personality”

Based on six different personality traits, here are the different areas that could determine the London postcode you should live in:

Openness to Experience

People who are open to new experiences are most likely to be found in Shoreditch and Hackney. These areas also tend to have a high population density, a higher crime rate, higher housing prices, and higher ethnic and religious diversity.

Being open to different experiences is usually associated with increased tolerance levels and having a wider range of interests in life. These personality traits are often linked to residents of densely populated areas.

Emotional Stability

Those with a good level of emotional stability were found to live in the Hammersmith and Fulham areas. This personality trait seemed to be quite closely linked to the extroverts, but emotionally stable residents were usually found slightly further to the west.

Agreeableness

The nicest residents were found living in Bromley and Croydon according to the map, but the most miserable people can be found in areas such as Hounslow, Dagenham and Harrow.

Those living in central areas such as Westminster, Camden and Islington were unsurprisingly found to be the most unsympathetic and were much less considerate than residents living in the outskirts of London.

Conscientiousness

Twickenham and Watford are home to the most conscientious people in London, whereas inhabitants of Richmond were the most satisfied with their lives.  People living in the up and coming hipster areas of Hackney, Camden and Islington were also found to be unusually conscientious.

Life Satisfaction

If you’re looking for people with high levels of life satisfaction, then you should head straight to Wandsworth and Richmond. People living in the more affluent areas of London seem to be the most satisfied with their lives.

The areas with the lowest levels of life satisfaction were found to be in the northwest, the northeast and the south of London.

Extraversion

If you’re outgoing and friendly, and like to be able to chat to strangers in the street, then you are best going to the west of the centre, just south of the river Thames.

Areas including Wandsworth, Richmond and Lambeth have the most extroverted people and are most likely to have a lively, buzzing community.

These personality postcodes are not set in stone of course, but choosing a location based on your character traits could lead to greater life satisfaction.