Most of us think that he has an open mind, but the reality is that we are more inclined to close when we are confronted with life's troubles, sorrows and fears.

In a report published in the British newspaper "The Times" (thetimes), writer James Marriott confirms that recent scientific research has shown that human beings are more inclined to close, and that openness to experiences is one of the personality traits that begin to decline with age.

Cecilia's adventure

The writer says that the novel "Cecilia Wakes" by British writer Tessa Hadley sums up the whole problem.

The story is about a teenage girl who goes on vacation to Florence with her cultured, art-loving parents, who seem like the most extroverted people in the world.

Throughout the story, Cecilia realizes that her parents' jokes and obsession with history are not evidence of superiority over others, but rather a reflection of closed minds trying to escape life's fears, sorrows, and joys.

Cecilia's mind opens up to a world full of adventure, violence, risk and rebellion, a world that her parents ignore and feel very sensitive to, but suddenly she tends to close and refrains from a life of adventure.

The writer believes that what Hadley hints at in the story is that we really need to close our minds to be able to confront life, and adds that “Cecilia’s fear of a more liberal, adventurous and dangerous world is exciting but also frightening. Teens feel the desire to do all of this, but with age and exhaustion We lose energy and time to catch up with every idea and every new experience. "

The trait of openness diminishes with age, while other traits such as the pronoun becomes clearer (pixels).

Is closure inevitable?

According to psychology, openness to experience is one of the five major features that make up a person’s personality, along with conscience, extroversion, harmony and neuroticism.

Openness includes a range of qualities such as a sense of beauty, intellectual curiosity, imagination, and the preference for diversity over symmetry.

What Hadley wants to say with Cecilia's story is that the trait of openness diminishes with age, while other traits such as a pronoun become more pronounced.

And openness is not a matter of choice, as it was thought.

According to psychological research on this issue, our levels of openness to experience, like all personality traits, are largely subject to the genetic and environmental factors that surround us.

And a recent study found that the inhabitants of the Tyrrhenian Sea islands off the coast of Italy are less open than the inhabitants of the rest of the country, and that the people whose ancestors lived in these islands for more than 20 generations are less open than those whose ancestors arrived in late stages.

But that does not mean, according to the author, that closed-off is inevitable, as recent research has found that it is possible to become more open to experience if you have the determination and desire.

Our levels of openness to experience are subject to genetic and environmental factors surrounding us (pixels)

Openness to experience

And a study published in 2018 showed that a number of volunteers who embarked on creative writing on a daily basis or wrote their diaries, showed better ability to creative thinking, which is one of the most important measures of openness.

This leads us, according to the writer's opinion, to do everything in our power to stand firm during the arduous battle to remain open to the world, "it is a battle worth fighting for, because the world is as rich and joyful as it is scary and painful."

The writer believes that it is better to use the phrase "openness to experience" instead of the phrase "openness of mind", which may imply that you will leave the door of your mind open to allow any idea to enter.