A crucial character trait for happiness

“In 2018, psychologists confirmed that high extroversion and low neuroticism seemed to be the recipe for well-being,” Arthur C. Brooks writes in his latest Atlantic column. But, Brooks explains, the study boiled down the happiness correlations even further: Extroversion was often associated with high enthusiasm, and neuroticism often overlapped with a tendency toward withdrawal. Those two ingredients—enthusiasm on the one end, withdrawal on the other—are key determinants for happiness and unhappiness, respectively.?

Today’s newsletter rounds up Atlantic stories about how our personalities affect our sense of contentment, and how to make the most of the wiring we’ve got.?

“A crucial character trait for happiness ,” by Arthur C. Brooks. Don’t curb your enthusiasm.

“Would you be happier with a different personality? ” by Scott Barry Kaufman. Psychologists suggest that there’s a sweet spot between accepting who you are and striving for who you want to be.

“Can personality be changed? ” by Scott Barry Kaufman. Psychologists have long debated how flexible someone’s “true” self is.

“I gave myself three months to change my personality ,” by Olga Khazan. The results were mixed.

“What introverts and extroverts can learn from each other ,” by Arthur C. Brooks. Going against your instincts can help make you happier.

Thanks for reading!

— Kelli María Korducki

The Last Word

“There needs to be more support for working parents, especially moms, who typically earn less (87 cents to each $1 a man makes?) and for many reasons (part-time work, freelance for flexibility to take care of kids) have smaller (or no) retirement savings.” — Ellen Y. Kuwana, responding on LinkedIn to “The catch-22 for working parents .”