A new long-term study has found that people working in similar occupations not only start with similar personality traits but also grow more alike over time. The research, which tracked thousands of individuals in Germany over a 12-year period, highlights how workplace environments can subtly shape who we become. The findings were published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior.
Drawing on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, the study followed workers between 2005 and 2017 to explore how personality traits evolve within different occupations. It focused on the Big Five personality traits, which include openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. These traits were then linked to individuals’ job types using a fine-grained occupational coding system.
Researchers found strong evidence that people with similar personalities are attracted to similar roles. For example, extraverted individuals were more likely to choose people-focused jobs such as sales or teaching. Those high in conscientiousness tended to prefer structured and task-driven work such as engineering or finance. Dr Claudia Rossetti, a researcher at the University of Mannheim involved in the study, noted: “Our study reveals that vocational choices are determined not only by skills and interests but also by how well a person’s personality aligns with the standard profile associated with that occupation.”
Over time, individuals working in similar roles, even if not in the exact same job, began to resemble each other more closely in terms of personality.
The study also revealed that people whose traits were less aligned with others in their occupation were more likely to leave their role. This suggests that individuals who do not “fit in” personality-wise with their professional environment are more inclined to seek out different careers that better match their disposition. This pattern was consistent across age groups and career stages.
One of the most significant findings is how staying in similar roles appears to shape personality over time. The researchers showed that individuals working in occupations with shared characteristics, such as similar tasks or interpersonal demands, tended to become more alike as the years progressed. For example, people in healthcare and teaching, which both require empathy and communication, showed growing similarities in agreeableness and emotional stability.
Rather than treating occupations as isolated categories, the study took a broader view by recognising overlaps across job types. This allowed the researchers to demonstrate that personality convergence occurs not only within a single role but also across related professions. As people adapt to the daily requirements of their work, their behaviours, attitudes, and emotional responses shift accordingly.
These findings offer useful insights for career counselling, recruitment, and workplace development. Employers may benefit from understanding how certain traits are reinforced within their sectors. Workers themselves might reflect on how their current role is shaping their personality. The study also adds to growing evidence that personality is not fixed but influenced by life experiences, with work playing a major role.
The results challenge the traditional view that personality is stable and unchangeable. Instead, they suggest that our careers may gradually influence who we are. For job seekers and employers alike, this underlines the value of personality-job fit, not just for productivity but for personal development.
