From the magazine
Human Nature
William James wrote in 1890 that in most of us the character has set like plaster by thirty. A 2003 study of 132,515 adults found conscientiousness and agreeableness still rising.
William James thought character sets like plaster by thirty, and that this was good for the world. A 2003 study of 132,515 adults tested the line and found conscientiousness and agreeableness still climbing. I'm in my mid-forties now, settled and happy, which is where the feeling of being finished turned up.
