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The Pandemic May Be Changing Your Personality, Psychologists Say
The popular view is that personality is largely unchanging. To some extent that’s true. If you take a scientifically validated personality test one year and then again a couple of years later, the results are likely to be very similar.
But there are exceptions. Over the course of our lifetimes, our personalities often change dramatically, studies show. Conscious effort and big life shifts can also shape our character. And, according to preliminary but intriguing new psychological research highlighted by BBC Future, that includes the huge life event we are currently all living through — the pandemic.
The pandemic and “the Michelangelo effect”
Before I delve into the details, it’s worth addressing why you should care if you’re not a personality researcher. You might not study personality, but as a human living through these past roller coaster months chances are good you’ve noticed some changes to your mood and behavior. Maybe you’re anxious, tired, or feeling withdrawn. Maybe you’re looking at your life or career with new eyes.
Are these changes here to stay? Should you worry? Science is beginning to suggest answers to these questions, and they just might help you meet your own emotional ups and downs with a little more equanimity.
