Data evaluation
These four experiences in life can change the personality forever
Special moments in life can change the personality.
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Our personality is shaped early on – and is it then irrevocably part of the human being? International researchers who have evaluated data from Australia contradict this. The result: four events in life can change our personality.
Communicative and extroverted, quiet and introverted, grumbling grumpy bear or eternally happy sunshine? Our personality is shaped early on, at least that was the assumption so far. But an international team of researchers believes they have discovered a new approach. For this they evaluated the results of the Australian HILDA survey the end.
Behind HILDA (Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia) hides a socio-economic survey of around 7700 householdsto study the emergence of poverty, the transition to retirement, changes in physical and mental health, and the distribution of wealth. The researchers used this large pool of data to answer the question: What influence do major events in life have on personality? Is this irrevocable? Or do external experiences influence the personality?
To answer the question, the researchers used the “Big five“, five universal standard models of personality. These include: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion (how far the person is turned outwards. Hence the word extroverted), compatibility and neuroticism (hence the ascription neurotic, i.e. rather fearful, moody Every person moves within the spectrum of these five basic personality traits, but the research team now believes that we can change in the course of life.
To do this, they have identified four decisive moments in life that could be considered.
1. Financial hardship
The science team found that those who had financial worries became more extroverted. But that’s not all: conscientiousness was also lost. In addition, financial difficulties made men more emotionally unstable. Women remained emotionally stable.
2. Marriage
According to the experts, a wedding has a major impact on women in particular. The bond of marriage made women more emotionally unstable and less considerate in their dealings with people. And what about the men? The researchers could not find any particular changes in them.
3. Illness
A serious illness leaves its mark, also on the personality. Such a drastic experience has an enormous influence on women in particular: They became three times more extroverted on average than men in a similar situation. The illness in the family environment also had an impact on women, and this event also made them more extroverted. Men, on the other hand, do not change this, according to the team of experts.
4. Pension
The transition from professional life to retirement is particularly decisive for men, report the experts. Because the pension would make men less considerate and less empathetic. So they turn into grumpy old men. Women, on the other hand, seem to have less of an impact on pensions. Here the researchers could not find any change in personality.
