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Background To achieve recovery among people with schizophrenia, not only psychopathological symptoms but also real-world functioning have to be improved, however their rates of employment and living by themselves are still quite low. Numerous studies have shown that reduced functional capacity (lower ability to perform general living behavior such as finances and communication) contributes to insufficient real-world functioning. Functional capacity, however, does not directly translate into real-world functioning. In clinical settings, some people with schizophrenia have higher real-world functioning than that predicted by their reduced functional capacity. Recently, the personality traits are remarked as endophenotypes of human beings which affect behavior in real-world settings. In the previous studies of people with schizophrenia, personality traits have proven to influence their cognition and social functioning. We hypothesized that the people with schizophrenia who have specific personality traits show high real-world functioning in spite of their reduced functional capacity. Methods Measures used in this study were TCI-R (Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised) for personality traits, UPSA-B (UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment-Brief) for functional capacity, SFS (Social Functioning Scale) for real-world functioning, and PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) for psychopathological symptoms. A total of 89 stable outpatients with schizophrenia (40 males and 49 females, mean age 40.6) were recruited and 41 patients showed lower functional capacity than the median score. Furthermore 41 patients were divided into two groups by the median score of real-world functioning of the total. Of those 41 patients, 22 landed above and 19 landed below or equal to the median score. Then the groups' characters were compared using t-test and chi-square test. Results The group of individuals with high real-world functioning but low functional capacity showed significantly lower Harm Avoidance (HA) level and lower PANSS total score than the other group of individuals with low real-world functioning and functional capacity. Plus, the above-mentioned group has more females than the other group significantly (mean HA score: 59.7 vs 76.4, mean PANSS total score: 79.6 vs 93.0, males: female ratio: 6:16 vs 9:10). Discussion The findings for the associations between real-world functioning and psychopathological symptoms as well as between real-world functioning and gender differences were consistent with the previous studies. HA reflects the tendency to inhibit responses to aversive stimuli leading to avoidance of punishment or non-reward. Given the previous work, avoidant behavior can be associated with stress vulnerability and personal adjustment. The present result suggested that unworried and extroverted behavior based on low HA contributed to improve or maintain high real-world functioning. Furthermore, the influence of HA on real-world functioning is independent of their reduced functional capacity that is a strong predictor for insufficient real-world functioning. Although we should investigate the causality in a future longitudinal study, in the current study we can conclude that psychosocial treatments considering personality traits may be able to enhance real-world functioning, which has thus far been recognized as difficult to improve, meaningfully contributing to functional recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]