According to studies commissioned by the Harvard Business Review (HBR), international experiences can enhance creativity, reduce racial bias, and promote career success.
HBR set out to examine how international experiences can transform a person’s sense of self, specifically self-concept clarity, or the extent to which someone’s understanding of themself is clearly defined, and consistent.
Self-concept clarity has been linked to multiple benefits, such as psychological well-being, the ability to cope with stress, and job performance.
The studies found that people who had lived abroad reported a clearer sense of self than people who had not. That is because when people live in their home country, they are often surrounded by others who mostly behave in similar ways, so they are less likely to question whether their own behaviors reflect their core values or cultural norms. In contrast, when living abroad, HBR’s data found that people’s exposure to new cultural values and norms encourages them to engage with their own values and beliefs.
Having a clear sense of self clarifies which types of career options best match one’s strengths and fulfill one’s values, and enables people to be clearer and more confident about their career decisions.
HBR tested their hypothesis that living abroad will increase self-concept clarity across six studies involving 1,874 participants.
The original article requires subscription: How Living Abroad Helps You Develop a Clearer Sense of Self