Did the pandemic change our personalities?
MINNEAPOLIS -- The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many changes in our lives over the past two-and-a-half years. One of them might be who we are as individuals.
Did the pandemic change our personalities? And are those changes permanent? Good Question. Jeff Wagner learned one age group is more likely not who they used to be.
When the pandemic turned our world upside down, it changed how we work, communicate, and interact with others. But it didn't stop there.
"I probably got less social, not in a bad way, just by obligations," said Carter Razink.
"I definitely went more into introvert versus extrovert," said Neve Oettinger.
"My priorities have changed more than my personality," said Emma Petersen.
As adults, experts say our personality traits usually stay the same. But in a recent study published in the journal PLOS One, researchers at Florida State University found the pandemic created a shift.
More than 7,000 people took personality surveys before and several times during the pandemic, focusing on five traits: neuroticism (stress), extroversion (connecting to others), openness (creative thinking), agreeableness (trusting others), and conscientiousness (organized, discipline).
As the pandemic dragged on, the traits involving stress increased for participants. Conversely, there was a decline in their ability to connect with others, think creatively, trust people, and be disciplined.
Study author Angelina Sutin told NPR that in the pandemic's second year, "With all of that support falling away and then the open hostility and social upheaval around restrictions … all the collective good will that we had, we lost, and that might have been very significant for personality."
Which age group's personality was impacted most by the pandemic?
"Young people for sure," said Oettinger. "I feel like we are in the time of like finding ourselves, especially in college and high school."
Her guess was supported in the study. School specifically was disrupted, as were social gatherings.
"I was glad to have been out of college and not dealing with that," said Petersen.
The virus was a higher risk for older adults, but experts said their lives are usually more stable than young adults.
Pandemic aside, other variables could have impacted personalities at the same time. Contentious elections and upheaval over policing that led to protests and riots brought out strong emotions in people.
Can our personalities go back to how they were before?
"I think it's possible, but for me personally I don't think I will," said Oettinger.
"I don't imagine most people will get there for a little bit," said Razink, while pointing out that we're still in a pandemic and dealing with other external variables that could have impacted personalities.
"I don't know if it would really be the goal to change back to who we were because I think there's so much that we can learn through the changes that we are going through right now," said Abby Wilfert.
Researchers said the personality changes people experienced in the pandemic were the equivalent of what most would experience across a decade.