1. A recent study suggests that people’s personalities may have changed during the coronavirus pandemic, and that younger people experienced the greatest changes. The authors of the study, published in the journal Plos One, wanted to study how a stressful global event can affect personality. They looked at data from more than 7,000 people whose personalities were examined in the Understanding America Study.
2. Using an online survey, five traits of personality were measured once before the pandemic, and then again during the pandemic. The latter surveys were either completed in 2020, in the earlier days of the pandemic, or later in the pandemic between 2021 and 2022.
3. The five personality traits were:
- Neuroticism — how much a person experiences negative feelings and stress.
- Extroversion — how outgoing and sociable a person is.
- Openness — how interested in new ideas and experiences a person is.
- Agreeableness — how friendly and trusting a person is.
- Conscientiousness — how organized and responsible a person is.
・Have you ever taken a personality test?
https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
・Do you think the pandemic had any impact on your personality?
4. The researchers found there were differences in personality changes earlier and later in the pandemic. Among those surveyed in 2020, researchers found that levels of neuroticism actually decreased, but other traits did not change.
5. However, for those surveyed in 2021-2022, there was no significant change in neuroticism compared to before the pandemic — but the other four traits decreased. And while small, the researchers said that such levels of change would normally take a decade to occur.
・In your opinion, what are the most desirable personality traits?
・Do you have any friends whose personalities are very different from yours?
6. The researchers also found significant differences when they compared the data for different age groups. Among those measured in 2021-2022, neuroticism levels actually increased for younger adults under 30. And agreeableness and conscientiousness decreased much more in younger adults than in older adults.
7. Psychologists believe that people’s personalities are normally stable after the age of 30, which might explain why young people were more affected by the pandemic than older people. However, the study’s authors also suggest that the differences between the ages may be because younger people were affected by different challenges during the pandemic, such as school closures and problems finding jobs.
・Do you find it surprising that young people experienced the biggest personality changes as a result of the pandemic?
・What do you make of the idea that people’s personalities remain stable after the age of 30?
・Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. — Aristotle. What do you make of this statement?
Phonetic Chart
