Can we really change our personalities? In this episode, Forrest is joined by someone who’s actually tried most of the things we talk about on the podcast: journalist and author Olga Khazan. Olga shares the personal experiments that led to her becoming more extroverted and agreeable, and less neurotic. They discuss the Big Five personality traits, how behavior shapes identity, the role of self-concept, authenticity, and some of the common challenges people face when trying to change a core aspect of who they are.
**About Our Guest: **Olga Khazan is a writer at The Atlantic, where she covers health, culture, and the complexities of human behavior. She's the author of Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World and her new book Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change.
You can__ watch this episode on YouTube__).
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
1:15: Olga’s personal background with personality change
5:20: Age, extroversion, self-concept, and Olga’s improv classes
10:10: Unconditional positive regard, meditation, and mindfulness
20:55: Trying on different traits, and acceptance vs. change
24:25: Conscientiousness, openness, agreeableness, and individualism
36:20: Changing at the ‘trait level’, and the changes Olga has embraced most
43:50: Psychedelics, non-self, and identifying what’s really true
53:50: Nature vs. nurture and the aspects we can’t change
56:30: Parenting and personality change
1:02:05: Recap
**Support the Podcast: **We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.)
Sponsors
Head to fastgrowingtrees.com/BEINGWELL) to get 15% off the best deals for your yard. Use BEINGWELL at checkout, and take advantage of their Alive and Thrive Guarantee!
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell).
Go to ZOE.com) and find out what ZOE Membership could do for you. Use code **WELL10 **to get 10% off membership.
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/
Connect with the show:
-
Subscribe on iTunes)
-
Follow Forrest on YouTube)
-
Follow us on Instagram)
-
Follow Forrest on Instagram)
-
Follow Rick on Facebook)
-
Follow Forrest on Facebook)
-
Visit Forrest's website)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices)
