How Relationships Can Change Your Personality
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A few years ago, my colleague Faith Hill reported on what psychologists call the “Michelangelo phenomenon”: the idea that over time, romantic partners mold each other.
“Some researchers have found that when that happens, the art tends to look conspicuously like the artist,” she wrote.
Researchers aren’t in agreement about why exactly people in relationships become more alike as time goes on.
Couples might also just imagine that they’re becoming alike, Faith notes; we’d prefer to think that a long-term partner is developing in the same ways that we are, even if that’s not entirely true.
Whatever the precise explanation, that fact that partners can begin to resemble each other is a reminder of the power of love to change us—not just to change our lives, but to actually alter who we are at our core.
Today’s newsletter rounds up stories about how relationships of all kinds can influence your personality.
On Personality The Mystery of Partner ‘Convergence’ By Faith Hill Couples’ personalities can become more similar over time—but the causes are still enigmatic. ( From 2024 ) Read the article.
The Personality Trait That Makes People Feel Comfortable Around You By Julie Beck People with positive “affective presence” are easy to be around and oil the gears of social interactions. ( From 2019 ) Read the article.
People Seek Out a Certain Kind of Person When They Are Happy By Olga Khazan Your mood might have a big influence on the type of companionship you want. ( From 2019 ) Read the article.
Still Curious? “I gave myself three months to change my personality” : The results were mixed, Olga Khazan wrote in 2022.
What your favorite personality test says about you : Are you a Myers-Briggs person, an Enneagram person, or something else? In 2023, The Atlantic made a quiz to help you find out.
Other Diversions Why is everyone in Silicon Valley talking like that? Photos: Releasing animals back into their habitats There’s no reason to buy a new phone anymore.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.theatlantic.com — the content belongs to The Atlantic.
