Personality Quiz

[soliandxpyne]

Soli & I are totally into the Meyers Brigg personality test, and this is a pretty good quick version of it! i want to see all my flist's results! I'm betting a lot of you are NFs.  Here are mine (Xpyne's):

You Are An ENTP

Comments

[smillaraaq]

Hee, we're very close on the S/N axis and the same score on J/P!

The big thing with the introversion/extroversion axis is that I think people too often focus on the the most obvious surface-level outgoing-versus-shy aspect, and that doesn't always fit because jobs, hobbies, etc. may all drag a person towards looking like they're more in one direction than they are underneath their surface habits. When you do get dragged out, do you have a good time and feel energized by talking with everyone and being the center of attention? Or do you feel really worn-out mentally by it, even if you had a good time, and really crave getting away to be by yourself again when it's over? That's the real root of the introvert/extrovert difference -- it's not so much how solitary or outgoing your daily habits are, it's how you react to dealing with other people. Introverts find it really draining to have to be "on" for others, and need solitary time to recharge and recover from that; extroverts get charged by being around other people. I'm very intensely introverted, and even being around well-loved friends that I'm very comfortable with, I can still only take so much company; there comes a point where I just want to go home (or kick everyone out) and be alone for a while.

The one thing that's a little odd for me on those results are the bodily/kinesthetic and musical intelligences scores, although at the same time I can kind of see how those wound up in mid-range levels. I'm a very klutzy sort who can trip over her own feet, I suck at sports, I can't play an instrument or carry a tune to save my life -- but I am very physically grounded and focused on my senses, I do enjoy physical activity that's not so structured or competitive -- dance, swimming, walking; and I'm obsessed with music of all sorts.

And no, I never saw the invite! Contact info in the LJ profile is all good, or you can use the same ID @gmail.com...I'd have joined straight from the group link if they'd let me, but it looks like they only work through invites.

[soliandxpyne]

::high fives:: alright! so that means even though our motivations and primary values differ significantly, we generally "see" the world in the same way as each other. sounds true to me. :D

yes, exactly! and i act like a total extrovert, but social situations to eventually drain me. i read a cool study in a class about it that theorized introversion and extroversion are expressions of brain stimulation thresholds. Like, your senses--scent receptor molecules, touch(heat/pressure) neurons, light receptor cones and rods etc-- can take in a million times more sensory info than your brain can actually handle. your brain has thing thing called the reticular activating system (RAS) that controls arousal and motivation, acting like a gateway between your brain and all the raw sensory information your cells receive.

extreme extroverts receive less than the average amount of information per external stimuli from their RAS, so the theory goes this makes them desire more stimulation, more activity, makes them take more risks because any resulting failure or pain literally affects them less (from a sensory information standpoint) than an average person. thus prolonged exposure to stimuli, be it action sports or social events, excites an extrovert's brain and energizes them because their brain is receiving more activity during such events than it can by itself, alone and bored.

extreme introverts receive more than the average amount of information per external stimuli from their RAS, so the theory goes this makes them desire less stimulation, more time to contemplate and integrate the intense stimuli they receive from everyday interactions, and less willing to take risks because any resulting failure or pain literally affects them more than an average person. thus prolonged exposure to stimuli, whether it's from movies to quiet conversation, can overstimulate an introvert's brain and make them want a reprieve in the form of peace and quiet to recover.

many people fall somewhere in the middle, but it makes for some good food for thought. :) What I find most fascinating about this theory is its explanation for cliche things like why extroverts have a tendency to love sports (full sensory experience, so they get the most brain activity per action) and introverts like books (very limited sensory info, and the brain is left to happily supply the rest of the sensory experience through imagination).

Personally, I think my RAS must be wired like an introvert. I don't even like to watch movies all that much because all the sights, sounds, plot analysis, special effects, music, characters, dialog, etc going on at once can kinda overwhelm me and make me tired. but unlike a typical(?) introvert, i *like* overloading my brain until i'm fried, and then i hide in my room for 2 weeks or so to recover. so maybe i'm just a little manic. >.>;;;; lol. and of course this is why i like lj so much. it's mostly reading and pictures, so it doesn't wear me out, and i can take a hiatus when i am busy or dont feel sociable and posts/replies/etc will be waiting for me when im ready for 'em. okay, i've rambled on entirely too long sorry!!

ps, if you're in tune with your senses and bod, maybe you just haven't found the right sport? i'm pretty klutzy and dont have that good of hand-eye coordination, lol, but i'm a very good runner. you dont need to be able to catch or aim for running, hehe. and soli hates sports and used to get mad at me whenever i tried to encourage her to join one until she joined a karate club in college. she really liked it and she even ended up winning some medals in the beginners' tournament! oh man, and i know i'm not musical at all. (i got 20%.) LOLZ but oddly enough, i played the flute for 5 years when i was younger and i was very good at it. 1st chair and everything. Oo;; i will try again with the email.

[smillaraaq]

and i act like a total extrovert, but social situations to eventually drain me

That sounds about right, with that 68/32 split -- maybe you adjust a little more easily when you do get dragged out, and take a little longer to reach the "OK, had enough" point than someone who's more strongly introverted.

and of course this is why i like lj so much. it's mostly reading and pictures, so it doesn't wear me out, and i can take a hiatus when i am busy or dont feel sociable and posts/replies/etc will be waiting for me when im ready for 'em.

Heh, yeah, that's a pretty classic introvert's sort of reasoning behind liking online socializing. You're in control of it and can leave it for when you feel like you've got enough energy to deal with people, even at the distance of text.

ps, if you're in tune with your senses and bod, maybe you just haven't found the right sport?

I think part of it is the extreme-introversion thing I have going on -- I don't want to do any sort of formal, structured sport because it involves Other People, and that sort of negates the fun of the activity itself. I love swimming but have zero interest in competitive swim meets and such, I just want to fuss around on my own in the water. And I love to dance, but again the idea of structured classes or dance competition or whatever is a little offputting -- there need to be enough other people out on the floor that I can just go do my thing and feel anonymous, lost in the crowd.

[soliandxpyne]

lol! i'm the opposite; i like team sports because it's great motivation and company, and i dislike exercising by myself because i get bored unless i have music. XD o geez, professional dancing would be nerve-wracking, i think. i agree with liking to get lost in a crowd of dirty dancers! ;D i have done some casual swing lessons at a 40s club, though, and that was a lot of fun.