Who You Were Ten Years Ago Isn’t You Today, And Neither Are The People You Knew

Human beings adapt at an amazing speed.

A change of environment is often all it takes to change behavior, accent, and even beliefs. People generally want to fit in. Some fake it to make it; others genuinely adapt their speech ways, work ways, and dress ways to blend in to their surroundings. Others, meanwhile, just find a behavior disagreeable and intentionally alter it, independent of outside influence.

It comes off as rude and annoying when someone you knew as a child or teenager assumes to know you before reacquainting themselves with the grown you.

When interacting with others whom we haven’t seen in a long time, we should keep in mind that they aren’t entirely the same people we once knew. They’ll have similar characteristics, they might use some of the same expressions, they still may like to eat at the same restaurants, but much will have changed.

People change as they get older — usually for the better.

A team of researchers, led by University of Houston Professor Rodica Damian, found that as people age, they increase in conscientiousness, emotional stability, and agreeableness.

I watched this phenomenon occur in real time in college. I had a freshman roommate who had the…