The big idea: your personality is not set in stone

Think you're stuck being scatty, or an introvert? The latest research suggests otherwise

Have you ever wished you could be better organised or more sociable? Or more inventive and original? Perhaps you're a constant worrier, and you'd prefer to be a little more carefree?

If any of these thoughts ring true, you are far from alone. A number of surveys show that at least two-thirds of people would like to change some element of their personality. In the past, such desires appeared to be futile. Our personalities were thought to be formed in childhood and to remain fixed throughout lives. Like the proverbial leopard that could never change its spots, our virtues and flaws were believed to be woven into the fabric of our psyche.