Peers Affect Personality Development

Xiaoyue Shan and Zölitz, Ulf
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Ulf Zölitz

No 17241, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: Do the people around us influence our personality? To answer this question, we conduct an experiment with 543 university students who we randomly assign to study groups. Our results show that students become more similar to their peers along several dimensions. Students with more competitive peers become more competitive, students with more open-minded peers become more open-minded, and students with more conscientious peers become more conscientious. We see no significant effects of peers’ extraversion, agreeableness, or neuroticism. To explain these results, we propose a simple model of personality development under the influence of peers. Consistent with the model’s prediction, personality spillovers are concentrated in traits predictive of performance. Students adopt personality traits that are productive in the university context from their peers. Our findings highlight that socialization with peers can influence personality development.

Keywords: Personality; Malleability; Peer effects; Experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 I24 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-04
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Working Paper: Peers Affect Personality Development (2022)
Working Paper: Peers Affect Personality Development (2022)
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