Mums want their kids to be little loudmouths instead of brainy swots according to a new study by Goldsmiths University.

A survey of mothers with young babies showed they wanted their children to become extraverts.

The mothers desired this character trait over intelligence and conscientiousness.

Out of 142 mothers who took the survey, 51 per cent rated extraversion as the most desirable characteristic. Just 10 per cent rated intelligence as the top quality.

The study was conducted by psychologists at the university.

Dr Sophie von Stumm, senior lecturer in psychology at Goldsmiths and co-author, said: “Given that higher levels of intelligence and conscientiousness are both linked to positive life outcomes such as success at school, at work, and in relationships, it’s surprising that only one in 10 mothers valued them as the most important characteristics for their child.

“While extraversion can have many benefits it is also associated with negative behaviours in adulthood, such as higher alcohol consumption and illegal drug use. Understanding how mothers view personality is vital as their values influence their parenting and, through this, how their child’s personality traits develop.”

For the study mothers were asked to choose their favourite of the ‘Big Five’ personality traits; extraversion, conscientiousness, neuroticism, agreeableness, and openness to experience.

More than half, 51 per cent, ranked extraversion as ‘most important’, compared to 20 per cent for agreeableness, 10 per cent for openness, 10 per cent for intelligence, 9 per cent for Conscientiousness and zero per cent for neuroticism.

Dr Rachel Latham, postdoctoral research assistant in psychology at Goldsmiths and first author, said: “We focused on the views of mothers, as they typically spend more time with their children than fathers, but it would be useful to examine the personality values of fathers too.

"It would also be interesting to examine if mothers’ preference for extraversion changes over time as children grow older and enter formal education.

“In the long run we hope studies such as these can help us to understand how parents’ values shape a child’s personality and how this impacts on how children develop and learn and their future health, happiness, and success.”

What would you prefer a lively extravert or a little boffin? Add your comments below.