The Personality Parsimony Myth

I woke one recent morning to this text from my girlfriend: “Today’s episode of Invisibilia is called ‘The Personality Myth’!” She is, like many extraverts, easily enthused,[1] so there was no way to tell if the exclamation point indicated glee or dismay. Both emotions would’ve been reasonable. Our field — personality psychology — doesn’t get much coverage from science journalists. Nor should it, I suppose. We don’t search for new planets or cure epidemics or mash together previously unobserved physical matter. Still, use of the word “myth” was unsettling… “a widely held but false belief or idea.” Continue reading →