• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Covid Resource Center
    • Clinical Trials Resource Center
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV

Did COVID-19 Change Your Personality?

As scientists continue to study the overall and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are discovering some interesting things. Recently, a new study found that the pandemic has significantly impacted people’s mental health more than previously thought. This particular study focused on how the pandemic had changed core personality traits that were usually considered to be permanent. 

How Core Personality Traits Are Defined

It’s generally accepted that your core personality traits develop and change as you age but become fairly cemented during young adulthood.

Experts use what is known as a five-factor model of personality to categorize these traits and how they relate to actions or feelings. They’re broken down as:

  • Extraversion — this typically relates to outgoing, energetic, and assertive behaviors
  • Neuroticism — this typically relates to persistent and excessive pessimism and anxiety
  • Conscientiousness — this typically relates to being organized, self-disciplined, responsible, and hard-working
  • Agreeableness — this typically relates to being empathetic, friendly, compliant, and trustworthy
  • Openness — this typically relates to being curious, imaginative, and open-minded

Since the model was created, it was widely shown and accepted that personality traits remain fairly stable over time regardless of personal experiences.

You May Also Like
7 Proven Ways to Cure an Upset Stomach

At most, you might have a slight increase in conscientiousness and agreeableness as well as a decrease in neuroticism, openness, and extraversion. 

RELATED: Have You Noticed Young Girls Hitting Early Puberty Since COVID-19 Started?

What Happened During The Pandemic?

When conducting their study, researchers found that people were experiencing significant shifts in their personality traits during the pandemic. This development was interesting because there is little evidence of this happening before.

In fact, a study was conducted after a major earthquake and the results showed that there were no notable shifts in their traits afterward.

While there are plans to investigate further, the researchers surmise that these personality changes may have occurred because of the length of the pandemic and other negative outcomes associated with it such as the loss of loved ones, health scares, job loss, etc.

You May Also Like
How One Woman Eliminated 50 Fibroids without Surgery!

Who Was Affected?

According to the study, older adults were hit the hardest at the start of the pandemic. That demographic included those over the age of 65. Those who were between the ages of 30 and 64 were a close second.

Approximately a year into the pandemic, however, those numbers changed. The most affected group became those between the ages of 18 and 29. 

Interestingly, researchers found that while younger adults had higher levels of neuroticism before the pandemic, they suffered from a decline in conscientiousness and agreeableness from 2021 to 2022.

Additionally, middle-aged people remained the second most affected group and felt the same effects as young adults. On the other hand, older adults showed signs of returning to their usual pre-pandemic personality traits. 

When researchers studied the ethnic breakdown of the pandemic’s effect on personality traits, they found that non-white persons might have more significant changes than white people. 

RELATED: Long COVID: How Concerned Should you be? COVID 19 long term effects

How Experts Think You Should Handle It

You might be wondering why anyone would care about personality changes in the first place. Well, studies show that your personality traits have an impact on certain aspects of your life. For example, neuroticism and conscientiousness are associated with doing well in relationships, careers, and educational ventures. Those traits can also influence your overall physical and mental health. 

The general concern is that if those who’ve been affected do nothing, they could experience a variety of problems later in life. Though the changes are significant, they don’t have to be permanent. Health experts suggest that you talk to a therapist or counselor to assess how you’ve been affected by the pandemic. Since older adults were able to rebound over time, young and middle-aged adults can return to their pre-pandemic personality traits as well. 

Given everything that has happened, it might not surprise you that the pandemic has changed anyone’s personality traits. Fortunately, it’s not difficult to learn how to handle and cope with these changes. Apart from taking care of your health, it can help to talk to a therapist so you can have the skills you need.

October 24, 2022 by Karen Heslop

The Latest In COVID-19

COVID-19 Vaccinations and Immunocompromised Individuals

About two years ago, the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines became available, which initially seemed to be some of the most effective read more about COVID-19 Vaccinations and Immunocompromised Individuals

The COVID Complication That Nobody Is Talking About

There’s still a lot to learn about the long-term effects of contracting COVID-19. While some of those issues have been read more about The COVID Complication That Nobody Is Talking About

6 Things You Need to Know About XBB COVID-19 Variant

A new coronavirus variant, which has been named XBB, has now become the dominant form of COVID-19 in the northeastern read more about 6 Things You Need to Know About XBB COVID-19 Variant

COVID-19 Increasing Risk Of Other Infections

It's probably no surprise to hear that our bodies are teeming with microorganisms. It's not the type that'll make you read more about COVID-19 Increasing Risk Of Other Infections

FDA OKs Bivalent COVID Boosters for Kids 6 Months and Older

The updated bivalent COVID-19 booster is now approved for use in children as young as 6 months of age, the read more about FDA OKs Bivalent COVID Boosters for Kids 6 Months and Older

Every Immunization Your Child Needs Based on Age

As a parent, one of the most important things is keeping your child safe and healthy. Although the pandemic has read more about Every Immunization Your Child Needs Based on Age

Primary Sidebar

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.