What is the HEXACO Model

The HEXACO model represents one of the most scientifically robust frameworks for understanding human personality. Developed through decades of cross-cultural research by psychologists Kibeom Lee and Michael Ashton, HEXACO identifies six fundamental dimensions that describe how people think, feel, and behave.

Unlike older personality models, HEXACO emerged from lexical studies across multiple languages and cultures. Researchers analyzed personality-describing words in languages ranging from Dutch to Korean, finding that six factors consistently appeared. This cross-cultural validation makes HEXACO particularly reliable for diverse populations.

The name HEXACO is an acronym representing the six domains:

H: Honesty-Humility
E: Emotionality
X: Extraversion
A: Agreeableness
C: Conscientiousness
O: Openness to Experience

What sets HEXACO apart from the traditional Big Five model is the addition of Honesty-Humility as a distinct dimension. This factor captures important personality variations that older models overlooked, including tendencies toward sincerity, fairness, and modesty versus manipulation, entitlement, and greed.

The Six Personality Domains

Honesty-Humility

This domain measures your tendency toward sincerity, fairness, and modesty versus manipulation and self-importance.

High scorers tend to be straightforward in their dealings with others. They avoid manipulating people for personal gain, feel little temptation to break rules, and show modest interest in wealth and luxury. They treat others as equals regardless of status.

Low scorers may be more willing to bend rules when convenient, feel comfortable using flattery or deception to get what they want, and place higher value on status symbols and material success. They might feel entitled to special treatment.

Emotionality

Emotionality captures how you experience and express emotions, particularly those related to attachment, vulnerability, and anxiety.

High scorers experience strong emotional reactions to life events. They form deep attachments to close others, seek emotional support when troubled, and may feel anxious about physical dangers or life uncertainties. They often empathize strongly with others’ suffering.

Low scorers remain emotionally steady across situations. They feel less need for emotional support from others, can handle stressful situations without becoming overwhelmed, and may appear tough or detached. Independence comes naturally to them.

Extraversion

This domain reflects your comfort and energy in social situations, as well as your general level of enthusiasm and positive emotions.

High scorers feel energized by social interaction. They enjoy being the center of attention, approach others easily, feel confident in leadership roles, and generally experience positive moods. Large social gatherings feel stimulating rather than draining.

Low scorers prefer solitary or small-group activities. They may feel awkward in spotlight situations, take time to warm up to new people, and experience less intense positive emotions. This does not mean unhappiness, simply a quieter emotional baseline.

Agreeableness

Agreeableness measures your approach to interpersonal conflict and your general tolerance of others’ shortcomings.

High scorers prefer harmony over confrontation. They forgive easily, give others the benefit of the doubt, and feel uncomfortable with anger. They adjust their behavior to accommodate others’ preferences and avoid harsh judgments.

Low scorers hold others accountable and express criticism directly. They may hold grudges, feel justified in retaliating when wronged, and refuse to compromise their positions. They are comfortable with conflict when necessary.

Conscientiousness

This domain captures your approach to work, organization, and long-term goal pursuit.

High scorers organize their time and environment carefully. They work diligently toward goals, consider decisions thoroughly, and strive for perfection. Discipline comes naturally, and they feel uncomfortable leaving tasks incomplete.

Low scorers take a more relaxed approach to obligations. They may work in bursts rather than steady efforts, tolerate disorder in their environment, and make decisions quickly without extensive deliberation. Flexibility matters more than rigid structure.

Openness to Experience

Openness reflects your intellectual curiosity and appreciation for creativity, ideas, and unconventional perspectives.

High scorers actively seek novel experiences and ideas. They enjoy art, philosophy, and abstract thinking. Imagination plays a significant role in their mental life, and they feel drawn to the unusual and unconventional.

Low scorers prefer the familiar and practical. They focus on concrete rather than abstract matters, feel less need for artistic or intellectual stimulation, and favor traditional approaches. Stability holds more appeal than novelty.

Understanding Your Scores

Saiki presents your HEXACO scores as percentiles, showing how you compare to a reference population. Here is how to interpret these numbers:

Score Ranges

1-25th percentile: Below average. This trait is less pronounced in your personality.
26-45th percentile: Somewhat below average. A slight tendency away from this trait.
46-55th percentile: Average. Similar to most people on this dimension.
56-75th percentile: Somewhat above average. A moderate tendency toward this trait.
76-100th percentile: Above average. This trait features prominently in your personality.

What Scores Do Not Mean

Your scores describe patterns, not fixed categories. A 30th percentile Extraversion score does not make you “an introvert” as a permanent identity. It means your typical behavior patterns lean toward less social engagement compared to most people.

Scores also do not indicate good or bad. Every position on each dimension carries advantages and disadvantages depending on context. High Conscientiousness helps with academic achievement but may cause excessive perfectionism. Low Agreeableness makes someone a poor diplomat but an effective negotiator.

Considering Context

Your personality expresses differently across situations. Someone scoring low on Extraversion might still enjoy parties with close friends while finding networking events exhausting. The score reflects your general tendency, not a rigid rule.

Life circumstances and intentional effort can shift how personality manifests. Someone aware of their low Conscientiousness might develop systems and habits that compensate. The underlying tendency remains, but its expression changes.

Gaming Behavior and Personality

This is where Saiki provides unique value. Traditional personality assessments rely on self-report questionnaires, which suffer from several limitations. People may lack self-awareness, remember their behavior inaccurately, or present themselves favorably. Gaming behavior offers a window into authentic personality expression.

How Gaming Reveals Personality

When you play League of Legends, you make hundreds of decisions under time pressure. You choose how to respond to setbacks, whether to cooperate with teammates, how much risk to accept. These choices happen too quickly for conscious impression management, revealing genuine tendencies.

Consider some examples:

Honesty-Humility appears in how you handle advantageous situations. Do you exploit opponent mistakes aggressively or play fairly? Do you give credit to teammates or claim success as your own? Chat behavior during wins and losses reveals this dimension clearly.

Emotionality shows in tilt patterns. High scorers may become visibly frustrated after losses, seeking reassurance from teammates. Low scorers shake off defeats quickly and rarely express distress, even during losing streaks.

Extraversion manifests in communication frequency and leadership behavior. High scorers ping frequently, type strategic suggestions, and take charge of team coordination. Low scorers communicate minimally, even when coordination would help.

Agreeableness emerges in conflict situations. When teammates make mistakes, agreeable players stay silent or offer encouragement. Less agreeable players criticize directly, sometimes triggering arguments that affect team performance.

Conscientiousness appears in preparation and consistency. Conscientious players research builds, practice mechanics, and show steady performance across games. Less conscientious players may have higher highs and lower lows, approaching games more casually.

Openness influences champion pools and strategic flexibility. Open players experiment with unusual picks and creative strategies. Less open players master a small champion pool and rely on proven approaches.

The Advantage of Behavioral Data

Because Saiki analyzes actual behavior rather than self-reports, results may sometimes surprise you. You might consider yourself agreeable, but your chat logs reveal more criticism than you realized. This is not a flaw in the assessment but valuable feedback about how you actually behave under pressure.

Each HEXACO domain contains four facets, specific aspects that together compose the broader trait. Understanding facets provides nuance that domain-level scores cannot capture.

For example, Extraversion breaks down into:

Social Self-Esteem: Confidence in social situations
Social Boldness: Comfort approaching strangers and speaking up
Sociability: Enjoyment of social interaction itself
Liveliness: Tendency toward enthusiasm and optimism

Someone might score average on overall Extraversion while being high on Liveliness but low on Social Boldness. They feel positive and enthusiastic but hesitate to initiate social contact. Domain scores alone would miss this pattern.

Facet-level analysis reveals internal contradictions that feel confusing without this framework. You might wonder why you enjoy parties but dread making phone calls. Facets explain it: high Sociability, low Social Boldness.

For gaming specifically, facet differences predict different behaviors. Two players with identical Conscientiousness scores might differ dramatically if one is high on Organization (keeps clear schedules, maintains gear) while the other is high on Perfectionism (practices mechanics obsessively). Both express conscientiousness, but in distinct ways.

Saiki provides facet-level breakdowns where gaming data permits inference. Not all facets are equally observable in gameplay, but many reveal themselves clearly through behavioral patterns.

Common Misconceptions

Personality Determines Everything

Your HEXACO profile describes tendencies, not destiny. Someone low in Conscientiousness can still meet deadlines through external systems. Someone low in Extraversion can still deliver effective presentations with preparation. Personality shapes what comes naturally, not what is possible.

Scores Should Be Maximized

There is no optimal personality profile. Extreme scores in any direction carry costs alongside benefits. Extremely high Conscientiousness may become rigid perfectionism. Extremely high Agreeableness may lead to being exploited. Balance often serves better than extremes.

Personality Cannot Change

While fundamental personality traits show stability over time, meaningful change does occur. People tend to become somewhat more agreeable and conscientious as they age. Intentional effort can shift behavioral patterns, even if underlying tendencies persist.

Gaming Data Is Less Valid

Some people assume that traditional questionnaires are more scientific than behavioral analysis. Research increasingly shows the opposite. Behavioral data often predicts outcomes better than self-reports because it captures what people actually do rather than what they believe or claim about themselves.

High Scores Are Always Better

Western culture often celebrates high Extraversion, high Conscientiousness, and high Agreeableness. But low scores on these dimensions serve important functions. Introverts bring depth of focus. Less conscientious people adapt more flexibly. Less agreeable people speak uncomfortable truths.

Your profile is not a report card. It is a map of your psychological landscape, useful for self-understanding and growth regardless of where scores fall.

Making the Most of Your Results

Your HEXACO profile from Saiki offers a starting point for self-reflection, not a final verdict on who you are. Consider these suggestions:

Notice surprises: Where do your scores differ from your self-image? These gaps often point to blind spots worth exploring.

Consider context: How does your personality serve you in different life areas? The traits that help in competitive gaming might challenge you elsewhere, and vice versa.

Share thoughtfully: Discussing personality with teammates can improve coordination. Someone understanding that you process emotions strongly might respond differently when you express frustration.

Track changes: Periodic reassessment shows how your behavioral patterns evolve. This feedback supports intentional development.

Your personality is not a limitation to overcome but a foundation to build upon. Understanding your HEXACO profile helps you work with your natural tendencies rather than against them.

Ready to explore your results? Log into app.saiki.lol to view your complete HEXACO breakdown with facet-level detail and gaming-specific insights.

How to Interpret Your HEXACO Personality Results

In This Guide