Can your personality type change as you grow older?

As an ENFJ (also commonly known as the ‘protagonist’ personality type), I was excited to engage in community life in college and immediately signed up for clubs to form quick connections with people around me. My ISTP roommate, on the other hand, valued her independence and took a more hands-off approach to social life by keeping to herself. It didn’t mean we were incompatible, as we soon realised that our different personalities did not necessarily make us clash. Her resourcefulness as an ISTP made the process of moving in much easier for me, while my unwavering loyalty as a friend was a comfort to her in a new environment. And when we recently retook the MBTI after knowing each other for a while, we even ended up with similar results.

“Personality continues to evolve throughout our lifetime, but the rate of change slows down as we grow older,” explains psychologist and mental health educator Avalanne D’Souza. “And although it stabilises in your mid-30s, you will see these traits change after major life events.”

When Ria Chawda was in high school, she embodied the typical extrovert: outgoing, effortlessly conversational and constantly surrounded by big friend groups. Now, when she encounters those same classmates years after graduating, it’s difficult for her to converse with that same openness. “After moving from school to college and living through the pandemic, I realised I like being on my own,” Chawda admits. “I now have a social battery that runs out in two hours. The more people I am around, the more tiring it gets.”

D’Souza explains that impulsivity is more prominent in younger individuals because, at that age, the frontal lobe—which is the seat of decision-making and emotional regulation—is not yet fully developed. The psychologist also clarifies that major life experiences such as parenthood, moving countries, loss, switching careers, trauma and significant relationships (whether they’re romantic or platonic) play an important role in influencing our personalities. “There’s this sense of self-assurance that has certainly manifested for me with age,” Jogya Chakravorty, 28, says. “I think that comes, in large part, from being in a space where I know what I want to do, having a partner whom I value and having a family that is largely okay.”

Despite its widespread use, many psychologists and researchers consider the MBTI to be pseudoscience because it forces people into one of two black and white categories without leaving room for the grey. My roommate, for example, was introverted but I know she enjoyed socialising in smaller groups after a long week of gruelling coursework. “It’s wonderful that these tests are so accessible but it’s important to research the tools that are put online and understand whether they are really effective,” D’Souza agrees. “Many of these tests rely on honest self-reflection, so there could be biases in our self-reporting. The danger arises when we use this little knowledge to fixate on or justify certain behaviours.”