Last week, this graph made the rounds on X/Twitter (credit to John Burn-Murdoch / @jburnmurdoc).
I immediately thought it captured the zeitgeist we are observing perfectly. People are far more introverted than they were before the pandemic, and they are less agreeable and less conscientious.
Notably, the younger demographic that most brands are chasing—a mistake, but that’s for another article—is showing the largest declines in all three traits.
The Data That You Need To Know
Personality data isn’t something you usually see in a food industry report. But it really should be.
Here’s what’s moving:
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Introversion is up — More people are choosing solo time or tight-knit gatherings over big social scenes.
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Agreeableness is down — People are less likely to smooth over differences, more likely to push back.
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Conscientiousness is down — Less focus on order and rules, more on flexibility and “going with the flow.”
At first glance, this might feel like trivia for a psych textbook. But if you make or sell food and drink, it’s a roadmap to where demand could shift next.
The Bigger Picture
Why now? What's happening? A few forces are pushing these traits in this direction:
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Social reset — Pandemic isolation rewired habits, and many discovered they prefer smaller, more intentional interactions. I honstly think we haven't even begun to see the long term effects of this.
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Trust fragmentation — Consumers are quicker to challenge authority, including brands.
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Lifestyle fluidity — Work, leisure, and eating patterns are less predictable than they were a decade ago and significantly so.
The common thread: people are redefining what “good” looks like in their own terms — and they’re less interested in products that assume they want what everyone else wants.
What It Means for Food & Drink
For decades, brand storytelling in agriculture, food and drink has leaned heavily on togetherness: family tables, shared plates, café culture. That still matters but far less — growth could increasingly come from serving selective connection and personal joy.
Think:
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Eating alone without guilt.
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Brands with a clear point of view.
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Products built for adaptability, not rules.
Three Opportunities to Act On Now
1. Premium Solo Indulgence Design products for one — not as a compromise, but as a luxury. Single-serve tiramisu in glass jars. A pour-over coffee ritual for the perfect cup. A frozen entrée that feels like restaurant plating. Why: Rising introversion makes “for me” a selling point, not a drawback.
2. Opinionated Brands Win With agreeableness down, safe middle-ground messaging risks invisibility. Instead, stand for something: “Real butter, no apologies.” “No fake meat, ever.” The right people will love you more for it. Why: Polarization can be a growth strategy when it’s authentic.
3. Hackable Formats Declining conscientiousness means fewer people want prescriptive meal plans. Give them building blocks instead: sauces that double as marinades, bases that shift from breakfast to dessert, drink concentrates that go hot or cold. Why: Flexibility sells when structure feels like a chore.
If you’re seeing these shifts in your category, this is exactly where our Reveal → Reimagine → Realize approach shines. We decode the behavior, design the strategy, and take it to market.