India, March 13 -- Major life changes can affect personality, and the COVID-19 pandemic was the rare big life event that all humans shared together.

"This was a really unique opportunity to see how a life event that's happening at the global stage to the entire population at the same time is changing personality," said Emily Willroth, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

Over the course of 21 months of the pandemic, Willroth and colleagues surveyed 500 people with diverse backgrounds, ages and from varied regions across the U.S. using the "Big 5" personality traits test that measures conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism and openness. ...