Recent Psychological Research: Can You Change Your Personality and Enhance Your Life?

Can deep personality traits be changed in just a few weeks?

This question is no longer merely theoretical, as recent psychological research, along with a personal account by journalist Laurie Clark published on BBC, confirms that personality is not a fixed destiny as once believed.

* A Personal Experience with Anxiety and Neuroticism

Clark recounts that several months ago, she experienced a recurring itching sensation in her hand, recalling an article she had previously read about individuals with mysterious itching leading to compulsive scratching, which can have serious health consequences, even death.

She expressed intense fear: "What if I was one of them?"

This anxiety was not new to her; she admitted to suffering from neurotic episodes almost regularly.

It was therefore not surprising that, according to an online personality test she took, she scored higher than 85% of participants on the neuroticism trait, which is associated with excessive anxiety, mental rumination, and emotional instability.

Clark noted that neuroticism had been a part of her life since adolescence but had gradually decreased with age, thanks to repeated efforts to reduce self-criticism and stop overanalyzing social interactions or blaming herself for imagined mistakes.

* The Five Factor Model: A Scientific Framework for Personality

Psychologists agree that the "Five Factor Model" is the most scientifically reliable framework for explaining personality, dividing it into five main dimensions:

• Openness

• Conscientiousness

• Extraversion

• Agreeableness

• Neuroticism

Each dimension includes several underlying traits; for instance, neuroticism encompasses anxiety and emotional instability, while extraversion includes sociability and assertiveness.

* Personality is Not Fixed: Science Revisits Its Assumptions

Historically, it was generally accepted that personality stabilized by age thirty, but this notion has changed dramatically. Brent Roberts, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois and a leading researcher in personality, explains:

"Some of our colleagues in the 1980s believed that personality was definitively determined at a certain age, but research over the past three decades has overturned that perception."

Studies indicate that, over time, individuals tend to become less neurotic and more conscientious and agreeable.

Researcher Miriam Stieger from the University of Lucerne in Switzerland explains that these changes are due to biological maturation and the accumulation of life experiences that encourage individuals to take on adult responsibilities.

* Accelerating Change Through Conscious Choices

What is particularly exciting, according to recent research, is the potential to expedite this natural change. Studies have shown that targeted psychological interventions can lead to changes in personality traits in just a few weeks, sometimes in less than six weeks.

Clark states that neuroticism was her worst trait, but it was not the only one she wanted to change. She explained that most people seek to be:

• More open

• More conscientious

• Less neurotic

For her part, she aimed to become less stressed, less perfectionistic, and more friendly, believing that a lack of trust in others fuels her neuroticism.

* Why Do We Want to Change Our Personalities?

Roberts notes that some individuals even wish to reduce their agreeableness, thinking it is associated with weakness. However, research confirms that socially desirable changes in personality are linked to significant improvements in quality of life.

Decreasing neuroticism and increasing extraversion, in particular, are associated with enhanced life satisfaction and feelings of happiness.

* Studies Confirm the Possibility of Change

In a significant study conducted in 2019 by psychologist Nathan Hudson at Southern Methodist University in Texas, college students were asked to select traits they wished to change, then undertake weekly challenges aimed at modifying their thoughts and behaviors according to these traits.

After 15 weeks, results indicated minor yet statistically significant changes in:

• Extraversion

• Conscientiousness

• Neuroticism

However, the change did not extend to traits of openness and acceptance, and the more engaged the students were in the challenges, the better the results.

In 2021, researcher Miriam Stieger conducted a similar study supported by a mobile app, which resulted in positive changes in extraversion, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and agreeableness, with effects lasting even after three months of follow-up.

* Practical Steps for Changing Personality

Studies have identified a set of simple activities that help modify personality traits, including:

_ Reducing neuroticism

_ Daily meditation

_ Keeping a gratitude journal

_ Confronting negative thoughts or writing them down and analyzing the associated emotions

_ Enhancing social openness

_ Attending events to meet new people

_ Greeting others

_ Talking openly with a trusted friend

_ Increasing agreeableness

_ Doing small acts of kindness for others

_ Replacing criticism with positive statements

_ Interpreting others' behaviors based on external factors rather than judging their personalities

_ Enhancing conscientiousness and self-awareness

_ Paying bills promptly

_ Organizing and cleaning one's workspace

_ Writing down short-term and long-term goals

_ Increasing cultural openness

_ Reading news about other countries

_ Visiting museums or art exhibitions

_ Attending cultural or poetry events

* Conclusion

Personality is no longer a closed cage but a flexible and malleable entity.

While change requires awareness and commitment, research confirms that small, continuous steps can lead to real transformations in just a few weeks; transformations that can directly reflect on quality of life and psychological satisfaction.