Are you the same person you were a decade ago? Do we get better as we age? And is your sixth-grade class clown still funny?

• SOURCES:
  • Aaron (Tim) Beck, professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard University.
  • Olga Khazan, staff writer at The Atlantic.
  • Brian Little, professor of psychology at the University of Cambridge.
  • Jordi Quoidbach, professor of people management and organisation at ESADE, University Ramon Llull.
  • Carl Rogers, 20th-century psychologist.
  • Martin Short, actor and comedian.
  • Richard Wiseman, professor of the public understanding of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire.
  • Timothy Wilson, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia.

• RESOURCES:
  • "I Gave Myself Three Months to Change My Personality," by Olga Khazan (The Atlantic, 2022).
  • "You Can Be a Different Person After the Pandemic," by Olga Khazan (The New York Times, 2021).
  • "The Theory of Modes: Applications to Schizophrenia and Other Psychological Conditions," by Aaron T. Beck, Molly R. Finkel, and Judith S. Beck (Cognitive Therapy and Research, 2020).
  • “Brian Little: Are Human Personalities Hardwired?" by Guy Raz (TED Radio Hour, 2017).
  • I Must Say: My Life As a Humble Comedy Legend, by Martin Short (2014).
  • "The End of History Illusion," by Jordi Quoidbach, Daniel T. Gilbert, and Timothy D. Wilson (Science, 2013).
  • "Age Differences in Personality Traits From 10 to 65: Big Five Domains and Facets in a Large Cross-Sectional Sample," by Christopher J. Soto, Oliver P. John, Samuel D. Gosling, and Jeff Potter (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2011).
  • "The Rank-Order Consistency of Personality Traits From Childhood to Old Age: A Guantitative Review of Longitudinal Studies," by Brent W. Roberts and Wendy F. DelVecchio (Psychological Bulletin, 2000).

• EXTRAS:
  • Big Five Personality Inventory, by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, TV series (2012-present).