But what factors influence our personality? Can we change our personalities, or do our overall traits remain constant throughout life? Since personality is such a fascinating topic, it has become one of the most heavily researched subjects within psychology. Thanks to all this research, psychologists have learned a great deal about the things that influence personality as well as how personality influences our behaviors. For decades, pop psychology books touted the effects of birth order on personality, but hard evidence on the phenomenon remained elusive until quite recently. A few empirical studies have found that such things as birth order and family size may indeed have an impact on personality. Another study published in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) suggested that many of the stereotypes associated with birth order, such as first-borns being bossy or last-borns being irresponsible, don’t necessarily hold water. The study looked at more than 5,000 Americans, almost 4,500 British participants, and more than 10,000 German participants. While the researchers did find that first-born children tended to score better on intelligence tests, they also looked at how birth order influences self-reported information on the five broad dimensions of personality: extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness. The study found little evidence supporting any connection between birth order and character. While this research does not mean that birth order has no impact on personality, it does suggest that further investigation is needed. Three aspects that do tend to change as we age are anxiety levels, friendliness, and eagerness for novel experiences. According to researcher Paul T. Costa Jr., personality remains relatively stable as we grow older. “What changes as you go through life are your roles and the issues that matter most to you. People may think their personality has changed as they age, but it is their habits that change, their vigor and health, their responsibilities and circumstances—not their basic personality,” he suggested in a New York Times article. For example, extraversion and neuroticism tend to decline while conscientiousness and agreeableness tend to increase. Openness tends to peak during adolescence and young adulthood and declines during later adulthood. Researchers have used a statistical technique known as meta-analysis to reevaluate previous research on the connection between personality and disease. Another study suggested that shyness might be linked to a shorter lifespan. While some critics suggest that this represents anthropomorphism, or ascribing human traits to animals, animal personality researchers have been able to identify consistent behavioral patterns that can be empirically measured and tested. Today, many personality researchers support the five-factor theory of personality, which describes five broad personality dimensions that compose human personality: For example, while you might pride yourself on carefully considering the issues before choosing a candidate to support, research suggests that personality may play a strong role in political preferences. Researchers suggest that these underlying personality needs to either preserve order or express empathy can have a strong influence on political preferences. Surprisingly, one study discovered that Facebook profiles are actually quite good at conveying your real personality. In the study, researchers looked at the online profiles of 236 U.S. college-aged individuals. The participants also filled out questionnaires designed to measure personality traits including extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness. Observers then rated the personalities of the participants based on the online profiles, and these observations were compared to the results of the personality questionnaires. “I think that being able to express personality accurately contributes to the popularity of online social networks in two ways,” explained psychologist and lead author Sam Gosling. “First, it allows profile owners to let others know who they are and, in doing so, satisfies a basic need to be known by others. Second, it means that profile viewers feel they can trust the information they glean from online social network profiles, building their confidence in the system as a whole.”
Genetics Relationships with peers High sensitivity Verbal abuse Childhood trauma
Consider the origins of these often-used terms: Freudian, Machiavellian, narcissistic, Don Juan, and Christ-like. For most people, personality is instead composed of a mixture of central and secondary traits. Central traits are those that make up the core foundation of personality, while secondary traits are those related to preferences, attitudes, and situational behaviors. In a study of 4,500 people, researchers asked participants whether they considered themselves to be more dog people or cat people. These individuals also completed a personality survey that measured a number of broad traits including conscientiousness, openness, neuroticism, and agreeableness. According to researcher Sam Gosling, a psychologist at the University of Texas-Austin, the results might have important implications in the field of pet therapy. By using personality screenings, therapists might be able to match people in need with animals that are best suited to their personality.
