A study has shown how a person’s character changes over the course of their life
Contrary to popular belief, a person’s personality does not remain static after reaching adulthood. This is the conclusion reached by researchers after analysing data from nearly 167,000 people across four countries. The study showed that core personality traits change throughout life to roughly the same extent as health, income or life satisfaction.
The researchers first surveyed 887 US residents, asking them to assess the extent to which various aspects of a person’s life change with age.
Most participants were convinced that the five core personality traits — extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to new experiences — remain virtually unchanged after adulthood.
However, the researchers then compared these perceptions with actual data from 166,971 people in the US, Germany, Australia and the Netherlands, who had been monitored over many years.
The results proved unexpected.
Details
The analysis showed that personality traits change about as noticeably as income level, physical health or life satisfaction.
For example, conscientiousness — the tendency to be responsible, organised and disciplined — differs significantly between teenagers and older adults.
Some traits, such as extraversion and openness to new experiences, on average decrease noticeably with age, whilst others also change gradually under the influence of life experience.
The most surprising finding was just how wrong people are about themselves.
When assessing changes in their personality over the course of their lives, the study participants almost always underestimated these changes. For long-term changes, this error was observed in 100 per cent of cases.
At the same time, people assessed changes in their health, income and other life indicators much more accurately.
Why this is important
The authors believe that the results help to challenge the widespread notion that ‘personality cannot be changed’.
According to the researchers, personality does indeed change throughout life, but these changes occur gradually and often go unnoticed by the individual themselves.
However, the scientists note that the study reveals average trends within large groups of people. The extent to which an individual’s personality changes can vary significantly.
Source
Study: Amanda J. Wright et al.
Personality traits are less stable than people think.
Journal: Communications Psychology (2026).