Melbourne, Dec 18 (IANS): Personality is more important than intelligence when it comes to academic success, new research says.

Two personality traits - conscientiousness and openness - have the biggest influence on success in education, the research said.

Conscientious are those who are disciplined and can stay focused at a task when they want to. Openness is a characteristic of people who are curious and interested and creative.

"With respect to learning, personality is more useful than intelligence for guiding both students and teachers," said study author Arthur Poropat from Griffith University in Australia.

The findings suggest that while intelligence cannot be "taught" and personalities can be changed, it is possible to improve academic success.

For the study, Poropat conducted reviews of personality and academic performance.

He based these reviews on the fundamental personality factors - conscientiousness, openness, agreeableness, emotional stability and extraversion.

"A student with the most helpful personality will score a full grade higher than an average student," Poropat added.

The study was published in the journal Learning and Individual Differences.