AN international study led by York St John University has uncovered worrying trends about perfectionism.

Results suggest that people are feeling more pressure to be perfect and more uncertainty about their actions, than ever before.

It also highlighted that if we don’t learn to accept our imperfections, we could risk our future mental health.

The paper, which analysed a quarter of a century of research, has been published in the Personality and Social Psychology Review (PSPR).

Lead author Dr Martin M. Smith, psychologist and lecturer in research methods at York St John University, said: “This study represents the most rigorous and comprehensive test of perfectionism and key personality traits, to date.”

One of the key findings of the study is that life does not get easier for perfectionists over time, it gets harder.