Personality Was Once Thought to Be Fixed

For decades, psychologists believed that adult personality traits were largely stable.

Recent research challenges that assumption.

A 2024 meta-analysis by Almenräder and colleagues examined whether mindfulness-based interventions can change core personality traits.

Link to the paper: https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/personality-change-through-mindfulness-based-interventions-a-prer/

What the Meta-Analysis Looked At

The researchers analyzed many controlled studies that measured personality traits before and after mindfulness interventions.

They focused especially on neuroticism, a trait strongly linked to stress, anxiety, and emotional instability.

What Changed and What Did Not

The findings showed that:

• Neuroticism reliably decreases after mindfulness-based programs
• Other traits show smaller or inconsistent changes
• Reductions in neuroticism are partly mediated by increased emotional regulation

This suggests that meditation may not transform personality completely, but it can soften traits that drive suffering.

Why This Is So Important

Lower neuroticism is associated with:

• Better stress resilience
• Improved emotional balance
• Better long-term mental health outcomes

Even modest changes can have meaningful life impact.

How intuno Supports Trait-Level Change

intuno focuses on emotional regulation in real situations.

• Meditations respond to current emotional states
• Practices are embedded into moments of stress or movement
• Reflection helps users notice long-term shifts, not just momentary relief

This supports the slow, cumulative changes that personality research points to.