01 Feb What’s Your Personality Type?
Personality types play an instrumental role in our day-to-day lives. Most commonly, personality types are taken into consideration for careers and employment, relationships, and education. However, knowing your personality type can be a game-changer when it comes to your health. In fact, your personality type can even determine your risk of disease. Hence, as the Sensitive Doctor, I greatly value the role of personality in overall health. Do you know your personality type?
Myer-Briggs Personality Types Explained
Today, there are many personality tests available and each provides unique insight into who you are. Personality tests help explain who you are hardwired to be, including why you act and think like you do. In my experience with various personality tests, the Myer-Briggs test seems to be the most widely used. Plus, it often provides very straightforward, expensive, accurate, and helpful results. For this reason, the Myer-Briggs test is a great place to start when starting to explore personality types.
The Myer-Briggs personality types are detailed and specific. Based on the unique testing questions, each individual is identified as one of 16 different personality types. Through a series of questions, the test determines which personality types you most align with for the following categories:
- Extraversion (E) vs. Introversion (I)– Are you energized being around others and in social situations? Or do you need to be alone to recharge?
- Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N)– How do you process information: Do you focus on facts and logic? Or do you think more about abstract ideas and fantasies?
- Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)- Do you more often follow your head or heart when making decisions?
- Perceiving (P) vs. Judging (J)– Do you appreciate order, structure, and a known outcome? Or do you prefer to go with the flow?
Each of these four categories describes an integral part of your personality. Together, your personality type (ie. ESTP or EJFP) provides a big picture of who you are and why you are.
How Your Personality Type Affects Your Health
Your personality type affects everything about your life: relationships, friendships, work, health, decisions, and much more. Knowing your personality type provides unique insight into how you perceive and process the world. It helps you accept and understand your “true self,” instead of focusing on what you think you should be. Or trying to be someone you are not.
When it comes to your health, understanding your personality type makes way for the lifestyle that suits you best. It allows you to choose the healing practices and lifestyle habits that best match your personality. As a result, you can naturally pursue abundant health without feeling burdened by a lot of work and effort. Over all, knowing your personality type can set you up for success in health. For example..
Introvert vs. Extrovert
For the Introvert, a group exercise class might sound like a “healthy practice.” But in reality, it can end up feeling overwhelming and too stimulating. While an Extrovert would respond better to a group workout, an Introvert might be better suited to a solo workout at home.
Sensor vs. Intuitive
Sensors appreciate concrete data, while Intuitives prefer to know why something came to be. Case in point, Intuitives often crave a deeper understanding of the root cause, instead of simply accepting what is.
Thinker vs. Feeler
Thinkers respond well to hard facts and numbers. In a healing journey, subjective tools, like functional labs, are often well received and understood by Thinkers. On the other hand, Feelers are better suited to work with practitioners who are empathetic and supportive, making them feel known and seen.
Perceivers vs. Judgers
While Perceivers are open to trying new things without necessarily knowing the outcome, Judgers prefer set plans and protocols.
In my experience with sensitivity and chronic illness, most who identify as an “Intuitive” are considered to be sensitive people. Knowing your predisposition to sensitivity plays a large role in health and healing. Learn more about how the 6 types of sensitivity can impact your health, here.
What’s Your Personality Type?
Personality types help to recognize and acknowledge that every individual is unique. If you have yet to complete the Myer-Briggs personality test, you can do so here. Again, this test is great foundation to start with and an amazing asset for your health.
As the Sensitive Doctor, I believe that knowing and understanding your personality goes a long way. In fact, it’s one of the best ways to set you up for success in your health!
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