We’re not stuck with one personality all our lives.

For generations, personality was often viewed as something largely established early in life and relatively fixed thereafter.  Measurable trait changes continue well into later life. In practical terms, someone who has always been quieter than most of their peers may remain relatively introverted while still becoming more outgoing than they were a decade earlier.

A preregistered 2024 meta-analysis examining 44 studies, 89 independent samples and 121,187 participants found that events such as graduation, a first job, marriage, divorce and retirement were associated with personality change, but the average effects were generally small and inconsistent. Work-related transitions produced somewhat stronger and more consistent changes than relationship-related events. Research suggests that. Even intentional personality change is possible.

The best evidence suggests that experience, new roles and deliberate effort can gradually influence how you think, respond and relate to others, even though most changes are incremental rather than dramatic.

Carl Rogers in On Becoming a Person observes that “The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.”

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