How Much Of Who You Are Is Actually Your Choice? | Pt 1

How Much Of Who You Are Is Actually Your Choice? | Pt 1

From Figuring It Out by Dr Alex George

July 19, 2026 · 39 min

About this episode

Dr Alex George and Dr Kathryn Bates explore the extent to which our identities are shaped by choice and experiences.

How much of who we are is actually our choice? Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates explore the science of how we come to be: are we a product of our experiences? Is our personality set in stone or does it change? No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out.  Alex and Kathryn also reveal their personality test results. You can take the same test here too: https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/IPIP-BFFM/ . We're not here to give medical advice, we’re just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor. Each episode arrives in three parts from Monday to Wednesday. Part One tackles the Big Question. Part Two answers a real dilemma sent in by a listener. Part Three puts the most common claims to the test in Myth, Fact and It’s Complicated.  Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Dr Alex George

Guest: Dr Kathryn Bates

Topics covered

  • personality
  • choice
  • science
  • experiences
  • self-discovery

Keywords

  • personality test
  • self-exploration
  • identity
  • psychology
  • life choices

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Acast, openpsychometrics.org, figuringitoutpod.com

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