From cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Christian Jarrett, a fascinating book exploring the science of personality and how we can change ourselves for the better . What if you could exploit the plasticity of personality to change yourself in specific ways? Would you choose to become less neurotic? More self-disciplined? Less shy? Until now, we’ve been told that we’re stuck with the personality we were born with: The introvert will never break out of their shell, the narcissist will be forever trapped gazing into the mirror. In Be Who You Want , Dr. Christian Jarrett takes us on a thrilling journey, as he not only explores the ways that life changes us, but shows how we can deliberately shape our personalities to influence the course of our lives. Dr. Jarrett draws on the latest research to provide evidence-based ways to change each of the main five personality traits, including how to become more emotionally stable, extraverted, and open-minded. Dr. Jarrett features compelling stories of people who have achieved profound personality change such as a gang-leader turned youth role model, a drug addict turned ultra-runner, and a cripplingly shy teenager turned Hollywood mega-star. He also delves into the upsides of the so-called Dark Triad of personality traits—narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy—and how we might exploit their advantages without ourselves going over to the dark side. Filled with quizzes and interactive exercises to help us better understand the various aspects of our personalities, life stories, and passions, Be Who You Want will appeal to anyone who has ever felt constrained by how they've been characterized and wants to pursue lasting change. A cognitive neuroscientist by training, Christian Jarrett has been popularizing psychology and neuroscience for over two decades. His award-winning writing on the mind, brain, and behavior has appeared in publications across the world, including the BBC, New York magazine, VICE , Aeon , The Guardian , GQ , WIRED, and many more. Today he is Deputy Editor of Psyche , a digital magazine that illuminates the human condition. Dr. Jarrett has written several critically acclaimed books including The Rough Guide to Psychology and Great Myths of the Brain . He was also a consultant editor and lead author for the best-selling 30-Second Psychology . He lives in the countryside near Brighton, England with his wife and twins (a boy and a girl) and their miniature schnauzer. Author’s Note Author’s Note Can people ever truly change? In the more than twenty years I’ve been writing about psychology and brain science, I’ve come to realize that for many people, this is the burning question. Put differently: Can bad people turn good? Can the idle become ambitious? Can a leopard ever change its spots? It’s true that a degree of self-acceptance is psychologically healthy (so long as it doesn’t slip into resignation and hopelessness). But I wanted to write a book for those of you who are less interested in feeling good about yourself as you are now and more interested in becoming the best version of yourself that you can possibly be. Through tales of criminals who transformed their personalities, of shy celebrities who found their voice, of drug addicts who reformed and excelled in new endeavors, combined with the latest compelling research evidence from psychological science, you’ll learn that people do change, and that, yes, if you want to change yourself, you can . It won’t be quick or easy, but it’s possible. Your personality will continue to evolve through your life, partly as a natural response to your changing situations and also because of gradual changes in your physiology. Most exciting, there are ways you can take control of this malleability to mold yourself more in line with the person you aspire to be. This book is filled with tests and interactive exercises to help you better understand the various aspects of your personality, your life story, and your passions. The more you engage with the interactive elements in an honest fashion, the greater the likelihood that you will find out more about yourself and benefit from the insights in the book. Building new habits is a key part of successful personality change, and each chapter concludes with suggestions for new activities to adopt and psychological strategies to try out to help shape your different traits. There are many notes of caution ahead too. I will tell you about good people turned bad and delve into the sometimes devastating effects of injury and illness on a person’s character. In short, your personality is a work in progress. Pursuing the best version of yourself is a philosophy to live by rather than a job to complete. I hope this book will especially appeal to anyone who has ever felt imprisoned or constrained by the way they’ve been characterized—or caricatured—by others. It is a human weakness that we are prone to drawing premature conclusions ab