How can we explain the considerable amount or diversity of personality traits that we can find in people? According to psychology, we can divide all personality attributes into five large blocks : openness to new experiences, responsibility, extraversion, kindness and neuroticism. Now, an international study sheds light on this aspect, stating that our personality is conditioned by the shape of our brain . That is, according to their morphology we will be more introverted / extroverted, responsible / irresponsible, calm / nervous …
Experts have examined the differences in the structure of the outer part of the brain, focusing on the thickness, size and plasticity of the brain, associating these measures with the five main personality traits. The selected brains – Human Connectome Project – belonged to healthy individuals between 22-36 years old and with good mental health (60% were women).
Once the comparison was made, they discovered that a high level of nervousness was associated with an increase in the thickness of the cortex and a reduction in the size and plasticity of certain regions, such as the prefrontal and temporal cortex.
On the other hand, less thickness in the cortex and more extension and greater plasticity in the prefrontal cortex was related to the most curious and creative personalities , that is, with the openness to new experiences.
According to experts, the observed relationship between brain structure and personality characteristics suggests that these disparities may be much more representative in those with neuropsychiatric illnesses.
This discovery will help improve our understanding not only of our thinking organ but of its involvement in behavior, mood, and mental illness.
The study has been published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
