5 Things You Can Change About Your Personality (But: Should You?)

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There are many personality-typing systems that, with varying degrees of validity*, aim to describe a person’s personality.

*and often pseudoscience:

  • sometimes obviously so like astrology
  • sometimes dressed up in clinical words like the Meyers-Briggs
  • sometimes openly, per “this is not science but you may find it useful to frame things this way”, like the Enneagram

There is currently one kind of personality-typing system (with some minor variations) that is used in the actual field of clinical psychology, specifically under the umbrella of “trait theory”, and that is…

The “Big Five” personality traits

Also called the OCEAN or CANOE model, based on its 5 components:

  • openness to experience: inventive/curious rather than consistent/cautious
  • conscientiousness: efficient/organized rather than extravagant/careless
  • extroversion: outgoing/energetic rather than solitary/reserved
  • agreeableness: friendly/compassionate rather than critical/judgmental
  • neuroticism: sensitive/nervous rather than resilient/confident

The latter (neuroticism) is not to be confused with neurosis, which is very different and beyond the scope of today’s article.

Note that some of these seem more positive/negative than others at a glance, but really, any of these could be a virtue or a vice depending on specifics or extremity.

For scientific reference, here’s an example paper:

The Big Five Personality Factors and Personal Values

Quick self-assessment

There are of course many lengthy questionnaires for this, but in the interests of expediency:

Take a moment to rate yourself as honestly as you can, on a scale of 1–10, for each of those components, with 10 being highest for the named trait.

For example, this writer gives herself: O7, C6, E3, A8, N2 (in other words I’d say I’m fairly open, moderately conscientious, on the reserved side, quite agreeable, and quite resilient)

Now, put your rating aside (in your phone’s notes app is fine, if you hadn’t written it down already) and forget about it for the moment, because we want you to do the next exercise from scratch.

Who would you be, at your best?

Now imagine your perfect idealized self, the best you could ever be, with no constraints.

Take a moment to rate your idealized self’s personality, on a scale of 1–10, for each of those components, with 10 being highest for the named trait.

For example, this writer picks: O9, C10, E5, A8, N1.

Maybe this, or maybe your own idealized self’s personality, will surprise you. That some traits might already be perfect for you already; others might just be nudged a little here or there; maybe there’s some big change you’d like. Chances are you didn’t go for a string of 10s or 1s (though if you did, you do you; there are no wrong answers here as this one is about your preferences).

We become who we practice being

There are some aspects of personality that can naturally change with age. For example:

  • confidence/resilience will usually gradually increase with age due to life experience (politely overlook teenagers’ bravado; they are usually a bundle of nerves inside, resulting in the overcompensatory displays of confidence)
  • openness to experience may decrease with age, as we can get into a rut of thinking/acting a certain way, and/or simply consciously decide that our position on something is already complete and does not need revision.

But, we can decide for ourselves how to nudge our “Big Five” traits, for example:

  1. We can make a point of seeking out new experiences, and considering new ideas, or develop strategies for reining ourselves in
  2. We can use systems to improve our organization, or go out of our way to introduce a little well-placed chaos
  3. We can “put ourselves out there” socially, or make the decision to decline more social invitations because we simply don’t want to
  4. We can make a habit of thinking kindly of others and ourselves, or we can consciously detach ourselves and look on the cynical side more
  5. We can build on our strengths and eliminate our weaknesses, or lean into uncomfortable emotions

Some of those may provoke a “why would anyone want to…?” response, but the truth is we are all different. An artist and a police officer may have very different goals for who they want to be as a person, for example.

Interventions to change personality can and do work:

A systematic review of personality trait change through intervention

There are many ways to go about “being the change we want to see” in ourselves, and yes there can be a degree of “fake it until you make it” if that works for you, but it doesn’t have to be so. It can also simply be a matter of setting yourself reminders about the things that are most important to you.

Writer’s example: pinned above my digital workspace I have a note from my late beloved, written just under a week before death. The final line reads, “keep being the good person that you are” (on a human level, the whole note is uplifting and soothing to me and makes me smile and remember the love we shared; or to put it in clinical terms, it promotes high agreeableness, low neuroticism).

Other examples could be a daily practice of gratitude (promotes lower neuroticism), or going out of your way to speak to your neighbors (promotes higher extraversion), signing up for a new educational course (promotes higher openness) or downloading a budgeting app (promotes higher conscientiousness).

In short: be the person you want to be, and be that person deliberately, because you can.

Some resources that may help for each of the 5 traits:

  1. Curiosity Kills The Neurodegeneration
  2. How (And Why) To Train Your Pre-Frontal Cortex
  3. How To Beat Loneliness & Isolation
  4. Optimism Seriously Increases Longevity!
  5. Building Psychological Resilience (Without Undue Hardship)

Take care!

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  • Are Squats the Ultimate Game-Changer?

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    Dr. Jess Grochowsky, PT, DPT, MTC, CLT, CMPTP, says the answer is yes, and here’s why:

    The most complete exercise

    Squats are a powerful full-body exercise that targets legs, core, and (when weights are used) upper body. All in all, they enhance strength, mobility, metabolism, and joint health, making them essential for longevity and maintaining quality of movement throughout life.

    In particular, they allow a much greater range of movement through more dimensions than most exercises do, meaning that (unlike a lot of more linear exercises) they build functional strength that sees us well in everyday life—mobility, joint control, and muscle stability.

    Proper Squat Technique:

    • The squat involves lowering the center of mass (which is slightly behind your navel and slightly down; exact position depends on your body composition and proportions) toward the floor.
    • Use the “head to hips” principle to maintain a straight spine: as the head moves forward, the hips go back.
    • Different foot positions (sumo, narrow, etc) target various muscles.

    4 key variables to adjust squats:

    1. Base of support: the surface you stand on (firm vs unstable like a Bosu ball) affects stability and muscle engagement.
    2. Foot position: wide stances increase stability and target inner thighs and glutes; narrow stances focus more on quads.
    3. Weights: can use free weights, kettlebells, or bars. Adding weights increases intensity and can incorporate upper body exercises (e.g. bicep curls, overhead presses, etc).
    4. Squat depth: ranges from partial to deep squats, depending on functional goals.

    Types of squats and variations given in the video:

    • Firm surface squats: provide stability and allow even weight distribution.
    • Unstable surface squats: engage smaller stabilizing muscles.
    • Yoga ball squats: shift the center of mass backward, increasing quad and glute activation.
    • Weighted squats: add resistance to increase muscle load and core stability (e.g. one-sided weights for oblique engagement).
    • Dynamic weighted squats: incorporate quick movements, like kettlebell swings, for power and coordination.
    • Single-leg squats: enhance balance and increase workload on one side of the body.

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  • Top 5 Anti-Aging Exercises

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    There are some exercises that get called such things as “The King of Exercises!”, but how well-earned is that title and could it be that actually a mix of the top few is best?

    The Exercises

    While you don’t have to do all 5, your body will thank you if you are able to:

    • Plank: strengthens most of the body, and can reduce back pain while improving posture.
    • Squats: another core-strengthening exercise, this time with an emphasis on the lower body, which makes for strong foundations (including strong ankles, knees, and hips). Improves circulation also, and what’s good for circulation is good for the organs, including the brain!
    • Push-ups: promotes very functional strength and fitness; great for alternating with planks, as despite their similar appearance, they work the abs and back more, respectively.
    • Lunges: these are great for lower body strength and stability, and doing these greatly reduces the risk of falling.
    • Glute Bridges: this nicely rounds off one’s core strength, increasing stability and improving posture, as well as reducing lower back pain too.

    If the benefits of these seem to overlap a little, it’s because they do! But each does some things that the others don’t, so put together, they make for a very well-balanced workout.

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  • Languishing – by Prof. Corey Keyes

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    We’ve written before about depression and “flourishing” but what about when one isn’t exactly flourishing, but is not necessarily in the depths of depression either? That’s what this book is about.

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    With regard to finding one’s purpose being given the one-word summary of “help”, this is a callback to our tribal origins, and how we thrive and flourish best and feel happiest when we have a role to fulfil and provide value to those around us)

    Bottom line: if you’re not at the point of struggling to get out of bed each day, but you’re also not exactly leaping out of bed with a smile, this book can help get you from one place to the other.

    Click here to check out Languishing, and flourish instead!

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    Stiff joints and tight muscles limit movement, performance, and daily activities. They also increase the risk of injury, and increase recovery time if the injury happens. So, it’s pretty important to take care of that!

    Here’s how

    Key to joint health involves understanding mobility, flexibility, and stability:

    • Mobility: active joint movement through a range of motion.
    • Flexibility: muscle lengthening passively through a range of motion.
    • Stability: body’s ability to return to position after disturbance.

    Different body parts have different needs when it comes to prioritizing mobility, flexibility, and stability exercises. So, with that in mind, here’s what to do for your…

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    • Shoulders: mobility and stability; exercises include prone arm circles, passive hangs, active prone raises, easy bridges, and stick-supported movements.
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  • Kidney Beans vs Fava Beans – Which is Healthier?

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    Our Verdict

    When comparing kidney beans to fava beans, we picked the kidney beans.

    Why?

    It’s a simple and straightforward one today!

    The macronutrient profiles are mostly comparable, but kidney beans do have a little more protein and a little more fiber.

    In the category of vitamins, kidney beans have more of vitamins B1, B5, B6, B9, C, E, & K, while fava beans boast only more of vitamins B2 and B3. They are both equally good sources of choline, but the general weight of vitamins is very much in kidney beans’ favor, with a 7:2 lead, most of which have generous margins.

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  • Study Tips for Exam Season?

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    You’ve Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers!

    Q: Any study tips as we approach exam season? A lot of the productivity stuff is based on working life, but I can’t be the only student!

    A: We’ve got you covered:

    • Be passionate about your subject! We know of no greater study tip than that.
    • Find a willing person and lecture them on your subject. When one teaches, two learn!
    • Your mileage may vary depending on your subject, but, find a way of studying that’s fun to you!
    • If you can get past papers, get as many as you can, and use those as your “last minute” studying in the week before your exam(s). This will prime you for answering exam-style questions (and leverage state-dependent memory). As a bonus, it’ll also help ease any anxiety, because by the time of your exam it’ll be “same old, same old”!

    Don’t Forget…

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