We Are Not Alone We Are Social Creatures
Changing Human Personality

Everyone has certain likes, dislikes and oddities, all of which make up a person's personality. Everyone has a unique personality that makes life more interesting or sometimes more difficult.

However, where do personalities come from, and why are they so different from each other? Over the past 25 years, psychologists have found that personality blends around five basic traits, dubbed the Big Five. Everyone can be described as having varying degrees of conformity, conscientiousness, neuroticism, extroversion, and openness.

"We know conclusively from research that people are not organized into types" Christopher Soto, a psychologist at Colby College in Maine, told Live Science. "Every personality trait is an ongoing dimension. Your personality can be very high or very low, and most people are in between."

Contrary to common perception, people are not limited to a particular personality type. Usually, no one is completely extroverted or introverted, total tidy or slovenly. While a minority may be on the extreme end of a trait most people are somewhere.

Personality is not limited to humans. The research found that animals from ants to apes all have personalities, explained also by the Big Five. The universality of personality points to the origin of evolution.

According to psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, Frank Sulloway, humans and animals all have common problems for survival. "The general problems of survival are beautifully described in the Big Five, and that's why there's so much continuity in human personality and animal personality" he said.

For example, conscience involves behaviors such as planning and deliberation, which are important among primates and other mammals for keeping offspring, choosing mates, and living in groups. Being neat and orderly, an aspect of conscience, also has an evolutionary advantage.

Some of the behaviors that may seem primitive, but they remain manifestations of personality are spiders sprucing up webs to catch more prey, according to research published in 2015 in the journal Integrative & Integrative & Comparative Biology's.

And scientists reported in 2011 in the journal Animal Behavior that more hygienic bees that eliminate more dead colony members reduce the risk of disease, gain weight and reproduce more. "Personality is an expression of all the behaviors we and other animals exhibit that allow us to function adaptively in the world" Sulloway said

Evolution may also explain why personality varies so much. Depending on the situation, each Big Five can be profitable. For example, says Sulloway, conformity is great for relationships. But if a lion attacked, it would be better off with a less pleasant and more aggressive personality.

Because the world is so unpredictable, every aspect of every personality trait can be useful at different times. "There is no single solution to what personality and behavior you should express" Sulloway said.

The roots of evolutionary personality mean that traits must be inherited. So whether a person is willing to admit it or not, most of the personality comes from his parents. In fact, for humans, about half of personality differences are genetic. The rest of personality variability comes from the environment, such as life experiences and birth order.

The environment not only shapes oneself, but one can, to some extent, adapt one's personality to the circumstances.

One can also be friendlier at parties and more comfortable at home with family. But it can also be introverted, if necessary focused on work, or aggressive when playing competitive sports. "There is no one trait or expression of a trait that will serve you well every hour" Sulloway said. Humans, however, have evolved to learn from their environment.