A Slight Change of Plans Extreme Makeover: Personality Edition
Mar 31, 2025
Olga Khazan, a science writer for The Atlantic and author of 'Me But Better', shares her candid journey to reshape her neurotic personality. She discusses the surprising power of personality change and her year-long quest to shift from negativity to self-improvement. Olga reveals how introspection led her to confront challenges stemming from anxiety and introversion while embracing experiences like improv to enhance her social skills. Listeners explore the complexities of personality development and the joy of embracing change.
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Meltdown Over Mushroom Haircut
- Olga Khazan shares a meltdown story triggered by a bad haircut, a tough photoshoot, and other small frustrations piling up.
- This day illustrated how neuroticism made her perceive events negatively, fueling anxiety and sadness.
The Big Five Personality Traits
- Personality traits narrow down to five main types known as OCEAN: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.
- Each trait captures broad behavioral and emotional tendencies shaping who we are.
Neuroticism Seen as Negative Trait
- Neuroticism is generally viewed negatively, whereas the other four traits correlate positively with well-being.
- Too much of any trait, like conscientiousness, can become problematic, such as obsessive tendencies.
