What makes you, you? Your unique personality, of course! All sorts of things can influence an individual’s personality—from variations in how one is brought up to early childhood experiences with peers. It is a common belief that birth order plays a role in people’s personalities as well. But these are just some of the many factors that can affect personality. A new factor has recently been discovered: premature birth.
A study from Warwick University, led by Professor Dieter Wolke, indicates that there is a correlation between premature birth and introversion in adults. The study took place in Bavaria, Germany, and kept track of 200 adults born in 1985 and 1986 from birth to adulthood. They were either born very prematurely (32 weeks or less) or with a low birth weight (less than 1.5 kilograms, or 3.3 pounds). The study also followed 197 adults who were born in the same obstetric wards at full terms and had normal weights. This was the control group of adults. The results show that being born with a very low birth weight or very early—prematurely–means a greater chance of having a reserved personality in adulthood.
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The participants were evaluated using five different personality traits: introversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness. The group of individuals who were born with a very low birth weight or very prematurely scored higher than the control group in three of the five traits: introversion, neuroticism, and agreeableness. This group also showed lower levels of risk-taking and higher levels of autism spectrum behaviors. With all of this taken into account—displaying autism spectrum behaviors, low levels of risk taking, introversion, and neuroticism—the researchers determined that the majority of these individuals have a socially withdrawn personality. Early trauma in the womb and overprotective parents were also seen as potential factors that lead to having a reserved personality.
Of course, the results of this study doesn’t mean that every person who was born early or had a low birth weight is introverted; there are many other factors that make up your personality. In the end, everything that you experience makes up your personality, and that’s what makes you a truly unique person.
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