By Kimberly (Yang Qiwen) from 2403

Good morning, everyone. Before we talk about personality, I want to start with a quick test. Ask yourself if you’ve ever said one of the following:

“I’ll start studying tomorrow.”

“I am NOT addicted to my phone—I just check it every 7 seconds.”

“This year, I will become a new person!”

One of my classmates gave the opposite view — and a very relatable example. She said: Imagine you’re someone who is naturally trusting and very honest. One day, you tell your best friend a secret, believing she will guard it with her life. But a few days later, you hear other people discussing your secret like it’s the newest school gossip.

After something like that, you might stop trusting people for a long time. But maybe one day, you meet someone truly kind, and you learn to trust again. According to her, this shows that personality isn’t fixed — it bends, it breaks, and sometimes, it heals.

So which one is right? Is personality like a setting that cannot change?

Or is it more like software that keeps getting updated?

Psychologists say personality is not like instant noodles — you can’t change it quickly. But personality is also not hard like rock. It is like soft clay: when you are young, it is easy to change, and it slowly becomes harder as you grow up.