McGill says pro-Palestinian protest outside senior administrator's home 'crosses the line'
McGill University has denounced a pro-Palestinian protest held Sunday outside the home of one of its senior administrators.
Restrictions implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19 were an adjustment for some, but may have been particularly challenging for the social butterflies of society. Now, alterations in personality are showing up as a result of the stressful world event.
New research has found that people of varying demographics in the U.S. are showing changes in personality, citing a decrease in traits such as openness, agreeability, extroversion, and conscientiousness.
The study also found that those in the under-30 age category experienced a disruption to maturity.
The longitudinal study, published by Plos One, examined how the stress of the global pandemic may have impacted personalities through the ways people now think, feel, and behave.
Using what’s called the five-factor model, a hierarchical organization of personality traits used in psychology, the study examined changes in five personality traits at various times throughout the pandemic including: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness.
The researchers examined changes in personality early on in the pandemic (2020) and in the later half (2021-2022), in comparison to pre-pandemic levels.
While there appeared to be no major change in neuroticism in the second half of the pandemic (2021-2022), the researchers did find small declines in extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness.
If these changes are long-lasting, the researchers wrote in the study, the evidence could indicate that population-wide stressful events such as the pandemic can slightly alter the trajectory of personality.
“In the pandemic, we were locked down and confined. We were prescribed isolation and avoidance as an expected part of public health guidance” said Dr. Simon Sherry, professor of the department of psychology and neuroscience at Dalhousie University, who was not involved in the study. “And so, after many months of required isolation and avoidance, it's not surprising that certain personality traits have changed slightly.”
While Sherry told CTVNews.ca that traits such as extraversion and openness can be seen positively in social contexts, in the context of the pandemic, those attributes may actually lead to further spread of the virus.
“Extraversion was targeted for a reduction during the pandemic. Extroverts became factors of disease because extroverted people prefer social contact, and social contact is associated in a pandemic with disease transmission,” he said.
The study also found that younger adults in particular displayed a personality disruption caused by increased neuroticism, the tendency to experience negative emotions and be vulnerable to stress, while showing a decrease in agreeableness and conscientiousness.
“At the young adult phase, you're not yet the person you're going to be for the rest of your life. There's still room for brain development and personality development, and personal growth” Sherry said. “But past the age of 30, personality does become more fixed, and more stable…we might argue it's set like plaster.”
As for long-term impacts, Sherry suspects that the COVID-19 mitigation strategies will in fact lead to lifelong alterations in personality, to varying degrees.
“[The long term impacts] will be determined by our ongoing response to the pandemic - what parenting advice will we encourage, what norms will we put in place? What policies will we suggest or require?”
McGill University has denounced a pro-Palestinian protest held Sunday outside the home of one of its senior administrators.
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'
U.S.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court after securing $100 million in financing commitments from its existing lenders, the company said on Sunday.
A federal judge will reopen the sentencing hearing for the man who broke into Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer after the judge failed to allow him to speak during his court appearance last week.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by a Canadian-born former Guantanamo detainee who was seeking to wipe away his war crimes convictions, including for killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
Microsoft wants laptop users to get so comfortable with its artificial intelligence chatbot that it will remember everything you're doing on your computer and help figure out what you want to do next.
A 35-year-old woman is in critical condition after the pick-up truck she was driving was struck by a Via Rail passenger train Monday morning in Quebec's Monteregie region.
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.