OT: People Are Like Fine Wine ** They Improve With Age ;-)

[Guest guest]

Conventional wisdom has long held that our personalities - largely

governed by five key characteristics dubbed " The Big Five " - are genetic

and pretty much set in stone by the time we turn 30. That may not be true.

 

After conducting an online study of 130,000 people aged 21 to 60,

researchers at Stanford University, led by Sanjay Srivastava, say those

key personality characteristics change throughout our lives.

 

" The Big Five " personality characteristics that are not dependent on

mood are:

 

Conscientiousness

Agreeableness

Neuroticism

Openness

Extroversion

 

So how do we change with age? " We found a mixture of different patterns

of how people change, " Srivastava told New Scientist. " On average people

were getting better at dealing with the ups and downs of life. In

particular they were more responsive and more caring [with age]. "

 

This is how our personalities tend to change with age:

 

* Conscientiousness: Our ability to handle tasks and our

organizational skills grow dramatically in our 20s and continue to

improve as we age. The initial growth in our 20s is likely due to new

work and family commitments.

 

* Agreeableness: Our warmth, generosity, and helpfulness make the

biggest improvement in our 30s and 40s; like conscientiousness, changes

in agreeableness are probably due to new work and family commitments.

 

* Neuroticism: Worry and our sense of instability actually decrease

with age for women--but not for men.

 

* Openness: Our desire to try new experiences declines slightly

with age for both genders.

 

* Extroversion: Our need to seek social support declines slightly

for women as they age, but changes little in men.

 

What's the takeaway? On average, we get better as we get older. We

care more about work, family, and our responsibilities. At the same

time, we become less open to meeting new people. Women, but not men,

worry less and as they age. " People are getting better at things as they

age, " Srivastava told Reuters. " They're not becoming grumpy old men. "

 

The study findings, which are considered quite controversial, were

published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Paul

Costa Jr., a researcher with the National Institute on Aging who has

done pioneering work with the ''big five'' model, told USA Today that he

is critical of the study. Instead of major personality changes after age

30, he thinks we only see " nuanced " changes.

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

 

Who ain't forgetting that some wines turn to vinegar in time. ;-)