Research shows which behavioral profile adheres more to isolation

In the first months of isolation being locked inside the bathroom was what calmed down Jackeline Oliveira, 35 years old. Accustomed to a hectic routine, the news of the pandemic was a forced invitation to step out of her comfort zone. “I don’t allow myself to get to know the new, but when life imposes something on me, which I don’t have to do, I adapt and conform quickly”, says the lighting designer, who did not make the quarantine more flexible.

Jackeline’s behavior goes against the results of a worldwide study carried out by researchers from Columbia and Harvard universities, in the USA, and Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. In total, 100,005 people from 55 countries, including Brazil, gave their answers.

Released by the American Psychological Association, research shows that people who are flexible to new experiences tend to stay at home more easily. The study methodology was based on the personality inventory called Tipi, in which 10 questions are asked to describe the personality according to the following five requirements: openness, experimentation, conscientiousness (performing tasks with care and commitment), extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism (tendency to experience negative sensations and reactions, such as stress).

The researchers were surprised by the relationship that individuals with low scores on neuroticism and open to new experiences are more faithful to isolation. To the Sheetthe spokesman for the research, Friedrich Götz, a doctoral candidate at the University of Cambridge, recalled that “openness is also related to accurate risk perceptions, universalism and identification of humanity”.

The fact that she is not in the risk group is not seen as something reassuring for Jackeline. “I am not comfortable knowing that I can contaminate a person. I believe that my small posture, as well as that of other people, helps the collective”, says she, who started working from home office since March and should stay until next year.

Persistence is a natural part of her behavior, but it also creates dilemmas for the salesperson. “If I go do something outside the house, I know I’m going to feel bad, as happened in exceptional situations”. Her companions in isolation, her son and her husband, also show her another side. “I see my son at 15 with other needs, needing to go out. My husband also asks me to go out with him for a while, but I don’t accept it”, reveals the quarantined woman, who can’t wait to have the vaccine to go back to socializing.

The study’s methodology is seen with reservations by Lucas Francisco de Carvalho, professor of the graduate program in psychology at Universidade São Francisco (USF). According to him, the model used, the “Big Five”, is restrictive and does not consider personality pathologies. Specialist in behavioral studies on the coronavirus pandemic, professor reveals that, in general, individuals with antisocial tendencies are less isolated. Those with more empathetic traits adapt better to the new condition.

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