A study by the Universidade Católica shows that adults and children feel obliged to adjust their personality traits to adapt to social contexts, with significant emotional impacts.
The Behavior Insights Unit of the Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics revealed, through an exploratory study, that social pressure and the influence of digital networks are changing the way Portuguese people express their personality.
The study, promoted by the brand Limiano, analyzed differences between what consumers consider to be “personality” and “flaw,” showing that many feel the need to repress personal traits to be socially accepted.
According to the researchers, this adaptation occurs in multiple contexts, including social networks, work, school, and family.
“Today, both adults and children are exposed to a type of pressure that is very silent but highly effective: the pressure to appear correct, acceptable, and well-adjusted. Social media reinforces this pressure through implicit patterns of behavior, image, and success, which are internalized almost automatically,” states the Católica-Lisbon team.
“Over time, what we see is a clear tendency toward the erasure of spontaneity and authenticity, and that has serious emotional consequences, such as anxiety, insecurity, or identity fatigue. Returning to routine, to work, and to school is, for many people, also the moment when they put on a social persona again. One of the most significant findings of our study was realizing that many interviewees associate the beginning of the work or school year with the need to ‘hide their personality again’ to avoid conflict or to make acceptance easier. This raises important questions about how we are educating – and being educated – for conformity,” they further explain.
The study also shows that the Portuguese have a flexible perception of what is personality and what is flaw. Traits such as directness, stubbornness, or shyness can be interpreted as positive or negative, depending on the context. Maturity and self-knowledge influence this perception throughout life.
An interesting aspect identified by the researchers is what they call the “likeable bad temper”: traits such as impatience or grumpiness are often associated with close people and valued as a sign of authenticity, if there is empathy and consistency.
The research was based on 50 in-depth interviews with participants of different ages, using behavioral and psychological analysis to understand how the Portuguese adjust their identity and deal with authenticity in an increasingly normative world.