Have you ever heard that mindfulness can change your personality? That’s because scientific studies have shown that meditation produces positive changes in brain function.
In this article, why does mindfulness change your personality? I will explain the mechanism!
Contents
Can mindfulness change your personality?
Let’s start by looking at the research to see if mindfulness really does change personality!
Increased independence, cooperation, and self-transcendence
A study by Campanella et al. (2014) [1] examined the effects of mindfulness meditation on the following personality traits in 41 participants
- Self-orientation (independence)
- Agreeableness (ability to cooperate with others)
- Self-transcendence (sense of being beyond oneself)
Self-transcendence may be difficult to understand, but people high in the trait feel connected to others and the world, and recognize that there are things in life that are more important than themselves.
Participants were followed over a long period of time (one year) and received three mindfulness meditation training courses over a 24-month period. Fifteen participants were selected as a control group (no meditation training).
The results showed that compared to the control group, the meditation-trained group showed a significant increase in three personality traits.
Increased sincerity and decreased nervousness
Tamara L. Giluk’s (2009) [2] study of the relationship between mindfulness and Big5 personality traits scrutinized results from 32 samples from 29 studies.
The Big5 is considered the most credible personality analysis that classifies human personality into five categories. Specifically, the five characteristics are as follows.
1. openness
- Curious about new experiences and ideas, and eager to embrace them
- 2. imaginative and highly creative
- Interested in arts and culture
- Good at understanding complex concepts
- Prefer unconventional ways of thinking
2. integrity
- 3. responsible and systematic
- 3. diligent and hardworking
- 3. orderly and methodical
- 3. obeys rules and regulations
- Willing to work hard to achieve goals
3. extroversion
- 4. sociable and active
- 4. enjoys talking to people
- Energetic and dynamic
- Prefer a stimulating environment
- Demonstrates leadership
4. cooperative
- Is kind and considerate
- Values cooperation with others 4.
- Trustworthy
- Good at forgiveness
- Avoids conflict
5. neurotic tendencies
- Easily anxious and worried
- Emotionally prone.
- Stress sensitive
- Prone to negative thoughts
- Easily lonely
The results show that all of the characteristics have a considerable relationship with mindfulness, with
- neurotic tendencies
- integrity
showed the strongest relationship.
In other words, mindfulness makes people more resilient to anxiety and stress and more likely to be responsible, systematic, and persistent.
Other Studies
In a study by Crescentini et al. (2018) [3], 17 of the subjects received an 8-week meditation training course, while the remaining 16 were in a control group and received no meditation training.
The results showed that the group that received meditation training
- Autonomy
- Cooperation
- Integrity
were found to increase. These are the same trends as the results of the two studies we have just presented. The areas of independence, cooperation, and integrity are thought to change personality.
Why does mindfulness change personality?
The mechanism by which mindfulness changes personality is not yet fully understood. However, the results of several studies suggest the following possibilities
(1) Activation of the brain
It is known that practicing mindfulness activates brain regions such as the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. These regions are involved in functions such as thinking, emotions, and decision-making.
In particular, the prefrontal cortex is believed to be responsible for rational activity, which may enhance emotional control, reduce anxiety, and improve integrity.
(2) Improved Self-Awareness
By practicing mindfulness, one becomes able to objectively observe one’s own thoughts and feelings. This leads to improved self-awareness and a deeper understanding of one’s own personality and behavior patterns.
As a result, the ability to control emotions will increase, as will brain activity, leading to a reduction in anxiety and an improvement in integrity.
(iii) Deepening of self-acceptance
By practicing mindfulness, you will be able to accept yourself as you are. This leads to the promotion of self-acceptance and a more positive view of oneself.
Because you will be able to accept your imperfections, you will be able to ask others for help and be more cooperative.
How Mindfulness Can Change Your Personality
This section describes how to practice mindfulness to change one’s personality.
Just keep at it!
It may sound obvious, but your personality will not change overnight. It is important to get into the habit of practicing mindfulness, even if it is just a little bit every day.
Meditate for 5 minutes every morning.
Take a deep breath once an hour
Focus your awareness during daily activities, such as eating or going for a walk
Use books and apps on mindfulness
It may seem difficult at first, but as you continue daily, mindfulness will gradually become a part of your daily routine.
Related Article.
Mindfulness Meditation Doesn’t Last…5 Tips to Continue and Make it a Habit
Combine with exercise
A large study by Stephan et al. (2018) [4] analyzed data from approximately 6,000 people to investigate the relationship between physical activity and personality.
About 6,000 men and women who were in their 40s and 50s in the 1990s were given a personality test and their daily physical activity was recorded. Approximately 20 years later, the same personality test was administered again.
The results showed that those who exercised less on a daily basis were more likely to have a Big Five
- Integrity
- extroversion
- Cooperativeness
- openness
scores were low.
The study states that it does not matter how hard you exercise, but only that lower physical activity is associated with worse personality. So you don’t have to exercise with gusto.
Especially if you engage in ” mindful movement” or ” mindful walking,” the synergistic effect will be more useful for improving your personality.
Accept your personality.
It may seem paradoxical, but it is not mindful to think, “My current personality is no good!” It is not mindful to think, “My current personality is no good! Mindfulness is,
- letting go of evaluative judgments of good and bad and observing the experience of the present moment
and observe the experience as it is in the present moment.
In other words, thinking, “My personality is not good enough right now! is itself an evaluative judgment, which in turn diminishes the effectiveness of mindfulness.
When practicing mindfulness, let go of the desire to change your personality and focus on observing the experience as it is in the here and now! and concentrate on observing the experience as it is in the here and now. Think of it as a possible result of a gradual change in your bad personality!
Conclusion
Mindfulness practice has been shown to improve character traits such as independence, cooperation, and integrity, and to lead to reduced anxiety and self-acceptance.
Especially in combination with exercise, it seems to be effective in improving personality. I want to change my personality by all means! Please put aside your desire to change your personality and continue to meditate without hesitation.
Related article
Does Mindfulness Change the Brain? An Explanation Based on Scientific Evidence
