I can say that HN has had an incredible impact on my life. From being a place to debate/discuss technology and technology-related concepts to a source of news that has given me a edge (IMHO). Even at work I feel starved for that (not enough time and/or people interested in it) but here you can always find a topic to talk about and geek-out on.
I am certain there are core personality traits that I picked up or honed due to comments made on this site, I just can't point to a specific one.