New research has found that people of varying demographics in the U.S. are showing changes in personality, including decreases in openness and agreeability, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
, published by Plos One, examined how the stress of the global pandemic may have impacted personalities through the ways people now think, feel, and behave.
While there appeared to be no major change in neuroticism in the second half of the pandemic , the researchers did find small declines in extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. While Sherry told CTVNews.ca that traits such as extraversion and openness can be seen positively in social contexts, in the context of the pandemic, those attributes may actually lead to further spread of the virus.