Many people decide to move abroad, to study, work or for a new adventure. But how much does personality affect how well you will adapt? Is there a specific type of 'expat personality' shared by people who succeed at living and working abroad?
It is important to first define 'adapting', said Dr Nicolas Geeraert, a psychologist at the University of Essex who has studied cultural adaptation.
Dr Nicolas GeeraertDr Nicolas Geeraert
“If you are well adapted, you feel comfortable in your skin, you know what to do, you know where to take the bus, where to get food, some very basic things. But if you don’t know all of these things, you will feel worse,” he said.
Personality can play a key part in determining how well someone will adapt to living abroad, according to Dr Geeraert’s research, which focused on some of the Big Five personality traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotionality/neuroticism).
He found, perhaps unsurprisingly, that extraverts tend to adapt more easily. They will “throw themselves out there” and “might be less scared to talk to people”, making more contacts and building important social support. Extraversion is particularly useful for people moving to urban environments, which are often “quite isolating”.
On the other hand, emotionality can be a detrimental personality trait for people moving abroad – people who are easily upset are going to struggle more.
“The flip side of this is resilience – you need to have a dose of resilience because [moving abroad] is going to be hard,” said Dr Geeraert. “There will be obstacles. It won’t be easy to make friends, it won’t be easy to conquer that language.”
Resilience is a trait that rings true with Raina Willick, a life coach originally from Texas, who moved to France with her family in 2022 for a 12-month sabbatical and decided to stay.
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“It will constantly feel like you are trying and failing at sometimes even simple tasks. It can feel uncomfortable, embarrassing or just exhausting some days. But the ability to… laugh at the situation (or yourself), then get up and do it again the next day… people who find that resilience within themselves, those are the people who adjust.”
She said a Winston Churchill quote perfectly sums up the experience of adjusting to a new country: “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”
Another key personality trait for those successful at living abroad is conscientiousness, according to Dr Geeraert’s research.
He links this to hard work. “If you are going to work hard, that will help. It is also going to help you get in contact with people, maintain relationships (and) learn languages”.
People who choose to move abroad will score higher on the “openness to experience” dimension of personality, according to Dr Charlotte Russell, a psychologist in the UK who founded The Travel Psychologist, a mental health and travel blog.
“These individuals will tend to be more open to new ways of doing things, different perspectives and creativity. In contrast, those lower on this dimension often prefer the ‘tried and tested’ and will tend to follow more traditional paths in life,” she said.
“People who choose to live abroad are often highly curious. They will be interested in new things and new ideas and will tend to enjoy learning.”
How likely you are to adapt easily can also depend in part on where you are moving.
US cultural psychologist Michele Gelfand has split countries into those with well-defined, rigid and imposed social norms and rules (“tight” countries) and those that are more relaxed and flexible (“loose” countries).
This means people moving to France could struggle more to adapt, by, for example inadvertently breaking societal rules, compared to in a more relaxed or “loose” country, such as the US.
Anyone who has felt frozen out after forgetting to bid a shopkeeper “bonjour” in France might understand how easily social norms can be broken.
But personality traits can also help people tackle “tight” cultures, in particular agreeableness.
“If you are agreeable, or amenable, the tightness and looseness will affect you less,” said Dr Geeraert.
A 2019 study co-authored by Ms Gelfand and Dr Geeraert concluded those who have high levels of agreeableness (concerned with fitting in and cooperating), conscientiousness, and honesty-humility (they do not break rules) are more able to skilfully navigate strong societal norms, such as those found in France.
How to counteract your personality traits
We have learned which traits predict you will thrive abroad, and which could cause you to flounder. But is there anything people can do if they do not have a “natural” expat personality?
“I think a readiness and a preparedness will probably go a very, very long way,” said Dr Geeraert. “If you know that you’re going to go somewhere else, you need to push yourself out there so you can counter your impulses.”
Getting out of your comfort zone is key – especially if you recognise you are a bit of an introvert who would naturally prefer to stay at home.
It is also advisable to keep expectations in check. Dr Geeraert cautions against having a “positive, rosy view” as you could be “setting yourself up for failure”. Instead, he suggests expecting things to be hard; you will ultimately be in a better position whether things turn out to be great or challenging.
While those who are less open to new experiences and less curious may find it harder to adapt, this does not mean adapting is impossible, according to psychologist Dr Russell.
“It will be necessary to be aware that you may find it difficult and to be intentional in helping yourself adjust,” she said.
Her advice? Be aware from the outset that things will be different and frustrating at times, and make a plan to manage this.
“I often encourage people to think about times when they’ve needed to adjust in the past and what has worked for them then.
This might be transitions at school, starting a new job or joining a new social group. The same strategies may be helpful for your adjustment in the new situation.”
Do you think there is a model of personality that is better suited to adapt to life in France? Share your experience at feedback@connexionfrance.com
