If you could change anything about your personality, anything at all, what would it be? And why would you want to change it?
Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO
Writer Olga Khazan spent a year trying to answer those questions, and documented the experience in her new book Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change.
In this episode, which originally aired in March of 2025, Sean speaks with Olga about the science of personality change, the work it takes to change yourself, and what makes up a personality, anyway.
00:00 Intro
02:16 What is ‘personality?’
08:07 Neuroticism and you
15:31 The ‘best’ personality
19:52 The science of personality change
29:57 Is being ‘well-adjusted’ always good?
31:38 Practical ways to make changes
Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling)
Guest: Olga Khazan, author of Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change.
We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show.
And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday.
Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what’s really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H
