I changed my personality in six weeks

Six weeks to a new you? Internet splits over 'extravert worship' and pandemic jitters

TLDR: A writer tried a six-week personality tune-up based on research saying traits are changeable. Commenters split: some call it test gaming or plain therapy, others question society’s extrovert bias and say the pandemic made everyone more anxious—making quick fixes feel more hype than proof.

A writer tried to tweak her personality in just six weeks, leaning on research that says you can fast‑track lifelong changes with targeted habits. She clocked sky‑high neuroticism, major openness, big conscientiousness, and meh agreeableness on the Big Five test—those five well‑known traits that map your vibe. Cue the comments: the crowd isn’t buying a quick makeover. Skeptics argue you can’t reboot your soul on a deadline, and some say this is just a confidence diet dressed up as science.

The loudest chorus? Pandemic PTSD. One commenter wagers most people’s neuroticism spiked after lockdowns, making six‑week self‑fixes feel like putting a sticker on a cracked windshield. Others grumble about society’s obsession with extroversion—“Why is being chatty the gold star?”—while a stoic contingent insists, “It’s me, flaws and all.” A sharp crowd suspects test gaming, noting you might just learn to answer the quiz how you want. The punchline crew chimed in with, “tl;dr CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) + exposure” and dubbed it a personality speedrun. Whether she truly changed or just learned the Big Five scoring rules, the drama is delicious: science says we can nudge our traits, but the internet wants receipts, a year‑later check‑in, and fewer parties that demand being “fun.”

Key Points

  • The article uses the Big Five model to frame personality traits and their subcomponents.
  • Research over recent decades indicates personality is more malleable than previously believed.
  • People tend to become less neurotic and more conscientious and agreeable throughout life.
  • Targeted interventions can accelerate personality changes to levels typical of lifelong shifts within months.
  • The author’s baseline assessment showed high neuroticism, high openness, high conscientiousness, and moderate agreeableness before a six-week self-experiment.

Hottest takes

"loads of people would have shot way up on the neuroticism scale" — reprom
"Why is being extraverted so highly praised, anyways?" — lisbbb
"tl;dr cbt + exposure therapy" — cornhole
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