From "Personality, Character, and Leadership in the White House":

• Harding had great difficulty resisting temptation and was not inhibited or restrained. Not liking to do things alone, he very much enjoyed big parties, spending time with people, and being part of a crowd. Definitely not known as cold or distant, he welcomed close relationships and was warm and self- disclosing. He was outgoing and friendly toward strangers, 'casual, easygoing, informal, natural, relaxed,' and made friends easily. Harding clearly saw himself as a lighthearted person and very plainly showed it when he was happy. His feelings showed in his facial and body language; his gestures were adroit. He often felt very energetic and vigorous.

• Harding's enthusiasm and optimism were his real assets as president, as shown by his high score on Positive Emotions ... but other, more important qualities were lacking. He scored very low relative to other presidents on Achievement Striving, Competence, and Intelligence.

• Harding ... scored high on many facets of Extraversion. [He was] warm and self-disclosing, outgoing, friendly to those they just met, and not detached, secretive, or reserved. [He] enjoyed being part of a crowd and showed his emotions in his facial and body language. [He didn't have] a reputation for being distant or cold, nor was 'bashful, shy, timid.' [He] preferred to do things with others rather than alone and made friends easily.

• [Harding] scored high on Openness to Feelings and empathized easily with others, but [didn't value] open-mindedness and tolerance over adherence to principles and ideals; ... He clearly did not believe policies should change with the times, ... Harding scored higher on Spatial and Musical Abilities.

• Virtually nobody considered him cold or calculating. Nor was he defensive or lacking in humor about his faults. He empathized easily with others, believed most people were honest and trustworthy, and assumed the best about those he met.

• [He] scored low on Conscientiousness, ... Harding was one of the lowest of all presidents (at about the U.S. average). [He had] low scores on Conscientious and Dutifulness. ... [He] undeniably had difficulty resisting temptation.