Personalities are one of the quirkiest and most interesting things about human beings. And, no matter what country in the world you visit, it is likely you’re going to encounter people with different personalities. A rich and varied collection of personalities is what makes us humans so interesting. But, have you ever wondered about what sort of factors affect personality and influence the way we behave?
We all know that personality is something that takes years to build up, and we can’t just change it overnight. But, what if that weren’t true? What if there were things, factors, that could influence and impact our personalities? Well, it turns out that the weather is one of the decisive factors that can massively impact upon our personalities.
Behavioural changes
A recent paper written has suggested that the climates around us can go a long way towards shaping our personalities that might be different elsewhere. For instance, two people with the same upbringing, experiences, and opportunities might have entirely different personalities depending on the climate of the country they live in. This accounts for the differences in personality in many parts of the world and is also the reason for a lot of the stereotypical personality traits.
Can it affect attributes?
There have also been studies and works that suggest that weather can also have a profound impact on specific attributes and desirable traits. There are suggestions that places with colder environments can lead to more desirable traits and intellectual pursuits. This is thought to be to do with the lack of distractions that sunnier climates bring. Of course, this was simply a theory and, if true, could actually be little more than a coincidence. However, there is no proof as to whether or not there is actually any truth in this.
The Big 5
Further tests seeking to find correlation tested subjects on the Big Five personality traits. These included conscientiousness, extroversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, and being open to new experiences. The studies sought to prove that people who live in countries (or cities) with better weather conditions generally scored highly on all 5. This test was carried out with students from China, as well as citizens from the United States – and it proved that average temperature played an important part.
Curiosities
It is curious that the differences in weather would affect personality traits so much. You would think that if a person lived or grew up somewhere, they would be used to the weather, so, for them, it would just be normal. But, it seems that better weather does, indeed, have a significant impact on an individual personality. There were other strange discoveries as well, such as the fact that cities more prone to flu epidemics had people who scored lower on the Big 5!
Whenever we talk about the weather getting us down, or being good for us, we aren’t being hyperbolic. Well, some of us might be, but there is actually a large degree of truth involved in this statement. Weather conditions and climate can greatly influence your personality, whether you realize it or not.
