According to a recent study, the COVID epidemic has caused far more changes in personality than we would have anticipated to have occurred spontaneously over this time span. The study was published in PLOS ONE. Researchers discovered that people were less open, amiable, extroverted, and conscientious in 2021 and 2022 than they were prior to the pandemic.
More than 7,000 Americans between the ages of 18 and 109 who participated in this study were evaluated prior to the pandemic (starting in 2014), early in the epidemic in 2020, and then later in the pandemic in 2021 or 2022.
Participants filled out the “Big Five Inventory” at each interval. The personality variables measured by this assessment test are extroversion vs. introversion, agreeableness vs. antagonistic behavior, conscientiousness vs. aimlessness, neuroticism vs. emotional stability, and openness vs. closedness to experience.
Between pre-pandemic and 2020 personality attributes, there were not many changes. Extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, however, showed considerable drops in 2021–2022, compared to before the pandemic. These alterations were comparable to a decade’s worth of typical variance, indicating that the shock of the COVID epidemic had sped up the process of personality change.
Intriguingly, the study found that younger persons’ personalities altered the most. In comparison to pre-pandemic, they displayed notable drops in agreeableness and conscientiousness as well as a large rise in neuroticism in 2021–2022. This could be partly attributed to social anxiety after reentering society after missing two years of routine.
Personalities and well-being
During the epidemic, many of us developed healthier habits, such as better eating habits and increased activity. Many of us tried to concentrate our attention on psychological, emotional, and intellectual growth by engaging in new activities or seeking out whatever virtual social connections we could discover.
Nevertheless, there was a sharp decline in mental health and well-being. Given the significant changes we underwent, this makes sense.
Notably, personality has a big impact on our health. For instance, those who rate highly conscientiousness, agreeability, or extroversion are more likely to feel the happiest.
Consequently, the personality changes found in this study may contribute to the decline in well-being we’ve observed during the epidemic.
If we take a closer look, the pandemic seems to have had a negative impact on the following traits: — our capacity to show empathy and kindness toward others (agreeableness); — our openness to new ideas and willingness to experience novel situations; — our propensity to seek out and enjoy other people’s company (extraversion); — our desire to work hard to achieve our goals, perform tasks well, or take responsibility towards others (conscientiousness).
All of these characteristics have an impact on how we interact with the world around us and may have contributed to the deterioration of our well-being. For instance, working from home might have made us feel uninspired and like our careers had no future (lower conscientiousness). This may have negatively impacted our well-being by making us feel angrier, sadder, or more nervous.
What comes next?
Our personalities typically evolve throughout time in a way that enables us to adjust to aging and deal with life’s events more skillfully. In other words, we develop our personalities as a result of the lessons we gain from our experiences in life. In general, self-assurance, self-control, and emotional stability rise with age.
Participants in this study, however, noted changes that ran counter to the typical course of personality change. Given that we endured a protracted time of challenges—including limitations on our freedom, decreased income, and illness—this is natural. It is clear that these experiences have altered both our personalities and ours.
This study gives us some incredibly insightful information about the pandemic’s psychological effects. Many facets of our lives, including wellness, may subsequently be affected by these effects.
We can make decisions thanks to knowledge. To further understand how these personality changes may have impacted you, consider taking some time to think back on your experiences from the past few years.
You might have been protected if there had been any adjustments during the pandemic’s peak. However, now that the pandemic’s acute phase is over, it’s important to consider how effective these adjustments still are. Do they still help you, or should you consider changing your viewpoint?
News Mania Desk
