Life Events and Personality Change: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

While there is some evidence for changes in personality traits, life satisfaction, and self-esteem as a function of life events, effects have been small and inconsistent across studies. In this preregistered meta-analysis, we summarize the available evidence on personality change in response to life events using data from 44 studies, including 89 samples with a total of 121,187 participants. Results supported reliable and specific albeit relatively small effects of life events on personality change. Effects were larger and more consistent in the work than in the love domain, with graduation, the first job, a new relationship, marriage, and divorce showing the strongest effects on change in personality variables. Estimates were largely comparable across samples with and without comparison groups. Finally, moderator analyses indicated significant effects of time lag on the links between life events in the love domain and personality change but no effects of other examined variables. We discuss these results in the context of a field-wide turn towards designs that go beyond the study of single life events to examine the mechanisms of personality change using more sophisticated and sensitive designs.

Explicating narrow and broad conceptualizations of environmental influences on personality

“…differing opinions about which factors matter most. In addition, some of the ratings also contradict recent findings in the literature (for major life events, see meta-analysis of Bühler, Orth, et al, 2023), which highlights how fastmoving and fluid the discussion surrounding environmental factors for personality is. Against this somewhat inconsistent backdrop, we are proud to present 16 articles that help move us toward building an evidence base on important environmental factors that affect personality expression and development.…”

“…Based on the neo-socioanalytic theory of personality, the field has most recently been grappling with whether life events shape personality (Bleidorn et al, 2018). Given that social-role investments are closely linked to life events, which most often occur during young adulthood when personality, on average, changes most markedly as well, many researchers have assumed that life events will be linked to personality development (see for a recent meta-analysis of Bühler, Orth, et al, 2023).…”

Studying personality and social structure

“…Given this concordance between the skills of conscientious people and the economic and cultural structures of the U.S., it may be unsurprising to learn that employers perceive conscientious employees as more desirable ( evocation ; Sy, 2010) or that conscientious people seek out jobs in accounting, banking, and financial management that provide higher wages and make use of the skills conscientious people possess ( selection ; Larson et al., 2002; Mount et al., 2005; Prediger & Vansickle, 1992; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022) or that the social system itself presses people to become more conscientious as they begin full‐time employment and learn the strategies that help them succeed at work ( socialization ; Bühler et al., 2023; Golle et al., 2019; Lüdtke et al., 2011). Together, these factors make conscientious Americans culturally celebrated and materially rewarded and push people to adopt the conscientious traits that the system approves of.…”

Personality explains the relationship between psychedelic use and depression; a comparison study with non psychedelic users

“…The most widely used measurement of personality is the Big Five model: neuroticism (vs. stability), extraversion (vs. introversion), openness (vs. conventionality), agreeableness (vs. antagonism), and conscientiousness (vs. disinhibition) (e.g., Widiger and Crego 2019). Even though these personality traits are mostly stable throughout life, certain intense life events can still give rise to small effects of change in personality (Bühler et al, 2023)…”