How many atoms am I made of?
Would you believe that the number of cells in the human body is estimated to be about the same as the number of atoms in a human cell? So 37.2 trillion multiplied by 37.2 trillion gives about 1.38 quadrillion atoms that make up the human body. My body is built around a skeleton featuring around 206 different bones all with different sizes, shapes, features and functions. Is it true that there is no 2 people on Earth who have every bone to be identical length, density, strength, width and biochemical profile?
Unfortunately no one knows how many muscles I may have because different people have a different number of muscles. Some medical articles state there are over 650 skeletal muscles whilst other sources claim there are as many as 840. Most of us have the same general muscles (cardiac, smooth and skeletal) that make up the basic anatomy of the human body but it’s difficult to count exactly how many muscles each individual has because 1, of our ignorance, and 2, the constant disagreement and debate between anatomists. Some muscle tissues are difficult to be separated into countable muscles and that’s just the start of it. Smooth muscle make up your inner organs, the same muscle that operates your autonomic nervous system, constrictions and segregations in your digestive system, hair raising, pupil dilations, and baby delivery etc. Paul Ingraham calculated that the approximate average number of muscles the human body is home to is about 50,100,000,701.
Hidden away inside the nucleus of every cell on my cell contains a genetic code that defines how I will live and survive life’s greatest challenges. Known as DeoxyriboseNucleic Acid or DNA, it contains about 3 billion base pairs that it coiled up in to a space 6 microns across. There are estimated about 19,000-20,000 genes that code 19,000-20,000 proteins. The sex chromosomes determines my gender which has a 50% random chance of occurring. In my case I have one X Chromosome and one Y Chromosome whilst females have 2 X chromosomes. My cells DNA shared between 2 Chinese parents so my facial background looks more or less Chinese. But is that it? On September 13, 2012, researchers at Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, Netherlands have identified 5 of the genes that help shape the human face. Usually MRI, lead researcher Manfred Kayser and his colleagues have found that PRDM16, PAX3, TP63, C5orf50 and COL17A1 are the 5 genes that play important roles in shaping the human face.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRDM16
— PRDM16 (PR Domain Containing 16) = A gene on Chromosome 1, with its protein acting as a transcription regulator that controls the development of brown Adipocytes in Brown Adipose Tissue. It also controls the cell fate between muscle and brown fat cells. Loss of PRDM16 from brown fat precursors causes a loss of brown fat characteristics and promotes muscle differentiation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAX3
— PAX3 (Paired Box) = A gene on Chromosome 2 that transcribes a transcription factor that binds to DNA sequences to control gene transcription. It plays a role in embryonic development by being active in neural crest cells. In conjunction with Msx1, Pax3 guides the expression of Snail1 and Snail2 down-regulating adhesion molecules, allowing neural crest cells to become mesenchymal cells which migrate throughout the body to form bones and muscles around the face, Parasympathetic Nervous System and other important structural components. Formerly known as splotch, Pax3 was identified with ear, eye and facial development with expression during early embryonic phases in dermatomyotome of Paraxial Mesoderm which it helps to demarcate. Thus it contributes to early striated muscle development since all myoblasts are derived from Dermatomyotome of paraxial mesoderm.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TP63
— TP63 (Tumour/Transformation-related Protein 63) = Being a member of the p53 family of transcription factors on Chromosome 3, it plays a important role in development of limbs and other tissues like teeth and mammary glands as a result of mesenchymal and epithelial interactions. TP63 encodes for 2 main isoforms by alternative promoters: TAp63 and ΔNp63. ΔNp63 is involved in multiple functions during skin development and in adult stem / progenitor cell regulation, whilst TAp63 is involved in apoptotic function and oocyte integrity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMIM23
— C5orf50, SMIM23 (Small Integral Membrane Protein 23) = A gene on chromosome 5 that likely codes for an unknown transmembrane protein that plays a role in shaping the human face and influencing the human height.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collagen,_type_XVII,_alpha_1
— COL17A1, Collagen Type XVII, α1 (BP180) = A gene on Chromosome 10 that transcribes a transmembrane protein that plays a role in maintaining the linkage between intracellular and extracellular structural elements involved in epidermal adhesion. It’s a structural component in hemidesmosomes, multi protein complexes at the dermal-epidermal basement membrane zone that mediates adhesion of keratinocytes to the underlying membrane.
So far genetics departments around the world are still performing ongoing experiments and conducting research in the hope of discovering more genes that may play a role in shaping the human face. This raises even more questions.
- Why do most animals have 2 eyes, 2 nostrils, 2 ears but 1 mouth?
- What genes in our DNA promote the formation of these important facial features?
- Why are my 2 eyes on my upper half of my face facing forward, my nose located in between and below my eyes (in the middle of my face), my mouth below my nose and above my chin and my 2 ears on either side on my face?
- How come we don’t have more or less of each facial feature to enhance our abilities? e.g. 3 eyes, 2 mouths, 2 noses, 1 ear
Scientists theorise that evolution naturally selected bipedal and quadruped animals to contain those facial features of that specific amount because it helped our ancient ancestors survive, thrive throughout their lives and allowed their genetic information to be passed on to their offspring successfully for many generations. But no one really knows how or why the eye, nose, mouth and ear developed in the first place. One theory suggests that one particular creature accidentally and randomly developed 2 eyes and had this ability to develop stereovision allowing it to view their environment on Earth in 3D. Then what phenomena sparked the invention of the eye, nose, mouth and ear which allowed us to detect chemicals from the environment and convert them into electrical signals as part of our sensory system?
According to Department of Neurogenetics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Centre, the human body houses 95 - 100 billion neurons or nerve cells with at least 85 billion of these neurons in the brain only. It’s estimated there are a minimum of 100 trillion neural connections or synapses in the brain but that’s nowhere close to the number of stars in our observable universe, which is about 70 sextillion. But exactly how many neurons are in my body and/or in my brain? If you were to map my neural network in my brain, what would it look like? You would have to break open my body and my skull to access my brain. Every neuron in my brain is different. The soma (cell body) hovers around 100 microns (0.1mm) in diameter and the axon length varies from a few mm to a few metres. Every neuron could connect to a few neurons to as many as several thousand neurons and these new connections seem to be random as there is lack of understanding as to why particular neurons are selected to die earlier or later. Also how does the body knows where new neurons need to travel to substitute these neurons in order to maintain the same neural connection without compromising an important memory?
In primary school, one of the activities we all have done is create a personal profile of ourselves that enlists our likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies and wishes. I watched many videos of youtubers, celebrities and talk show hosts play games regarding their personal profile and experiences. If you are eager to know me a lot better, below is my long personal profile:
- Favourite Food — Chocolate, Pizza, Chicken Salad, Italian Food, Chinese Food, Thai Food, Western Food, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Thousand Island sauces
- Favourite Celebrity growing up — Miley Cyrus
- Favourite Talk-Show Host — Ellen Degeneres, Oprah Winfrey
- Favourite Movies — The Dark Knight, 2012, Man of Steel, Ice Age
- Favourite Actor / Actress — Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Tom Hanks, Morgan Freeman, Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger, George Clooney, Willem Dafoe, Liam Neeson, Chris Evans, Dwayne Johnson, Tom Hiddleston
- Place(s) I wish to visit — Outer space, Finland, Switzerland, USA, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Austria, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, France, Spain, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Egypt, Macedonia,
- Worst Fear — Failure to succeed,
- Favourite TV Show — Whose Line Is It Anyway, CSI, Criminal Minds, Bones, Castle, Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, Law & Order
- Favourite Game Show — The Chase, Family Feud
- Favourite topic of conversation — Relationships/Dating, Science, Philosophy, Lifestyle
- Favourite books — Harry Potter series, Mao’s Last Dancer, Twilight Series,
- What I find most attractive — Curiosity, Understanding emotions, Acknowledges other’s opinions and ideas, - Willing to learn about everything they don’t know about, Ability to communicate with diverse cultures, personalities and races, Symmetrical face and body appearance,
- Occupation I wish to be when I was little — Train Driver, Tram Driver
- Favourite Drink — Hot Chocolate
- Favourite thing to do alone — Googling random facts and topics
- Favourite Game — Pokemon
- Favourite youtubers or videos to watch — JustKiddingFilms, WongFu Productions, DangMattSmith, VSauce1/2/3, AuraGuardian, Reaction Time, React,
- Favourite songs — What is Love, Gangnam Style, Heroes, Rolling in the Deep, Someone Like You, Billie Jean, Living on the Prayer, Iris, Mad World, Levels, Animals, Summer, Sugar, Thinkin About You
- Favourite singer — Adele, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland,
- Favourite Band — Coldplay, The Who, Rolling Stones, The Beatles, One Direction,
- Favourite rapper — Pitbull, Macklemore
- Favourite DJ — Hardwell, Avicii, Martin Garrix
- Thing(s) I’m willing to try — Starting my own Youtube channel
- Favourite colour — Blue
- Most mind-blowing fact IMO — There are just as many atoms in my body that make up the entire universe.
- Foods I dislike — Onions, Spicy food, Ginger,
- World records I wish to attempt — Most number of capital cities named in 1 min, World’s longest hug, World’s longest conversation, World’s longest kiss,
- Talents — Dancing to popular songs like Gangnam Style, Gentleman and Daddy, playing cricket as an allrounder
- Favourite sport(s) — Cricket, Rugby League
- Favourite athlete(s) — Usain Bolt, Ricky Ponting
- Favourite sports team(s) — Melbourne Storm, Essendon Bombers, New York Yankees, Melbourne Victory, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chelsea, Queensland Maroons
- Things I wish to change in society — Eliminate standardisation of education, and introduce individualisation of our primary, secondary and tertiary education.
- Things I’m most curious about — Many things e.g. Me, outer space, the universe, atomic theory, psychology, behaviour, philosophy, sociology, politics, neuroscience, quantum physics
- Things that make me laugh — Bloopers, Accidents I don’t expect to happen, Innuendos, Other people laughing (especially their infectious laughs), Innocent mistakes, Awkward moments, Weird facial expressions,
- Favourite comedian — Ed Byrne
- Least favourite topics of conversation — Recreational Drugs, Money, Economy, Business, Commerce, some politics, Dance, Multiplayer games, Violent movies,
- Deepest question in my mind — Are we puppets of the selfish gene?
- People I wish to meet — Ellen Degeneres, Michael Stevens, Adam Savage, Jamie Heinemann, Ken Jeong, JustKiddingFilms crew, Wongfu crew, Anna Kendrick, Anna Akana, Natalie Tran, Michelle Phan, Barack Obama, Ray Warren, George Clooney, Hugh Jackman
What is my identity?
- Gender: Because of my Y Chromosome, I’m a male person.
- Sexual: Because I don’t get aroused by homosexual activity, nor any infatuation to males, I can safely say that I’m a heterosexual person.
- Social: In relation to others, currently I identify myself as an Chinese-Australian university student living as a Melburnian with centralist political views. Socially I have certain attributes of a geek and a jock but overall I’m a normal, ordinary person with a curious mind thirsty for knowledge.
- Family: I’m the only son/child in my family and I wish my parents would have the courage and desire to make me siblings. I don’t know the full extend of my family tree but so far I have 1 older cousin and 1 younger cousin currently residing in Taipei, Taiwan and about 5 or 6 older cousins living in Shanghai, China. However I haven’t met all of them nor know all of their names. So far I’ve only known and met 3 of them.
- Racial / Cultural / Ethnic: My background is Chinese / Shanghainese / Australian because my parents are both Chinese / Shanghainese too who gave birth to me in Australia.
- Occupational: Currently I’m a tertiary student, nonetheless I’m uncertain what occupational identity I want to have after graduation. But this answer is subject to change.
As far as I can remember, I am quite emotionally sensitive at many things. Based on Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, I’ll try to list as many things as can that makes me feel a certain emotion below.
- Attraction / Affection / Infatuation / Fondness: People who understand me and my feelings, empathise with me and are willing to learn anything from me. Girls who are not only adorable but also aren’t afraid to show their natural beauty to me.
- Anger / Wrath: People making random, outrageous, biased rants on social media without any supporting evidence to back up their argument regarding a sensitive issue in society especially political, social and cultural.
- Angst / Fear / Anxiety:
- Anguish:
- Annoyance:
- Anticipation (Pleasure + Excitement + Anxiety):
- Anxiety:
- Apathy / Emotionless / Indifference:
- Arousal / Awake:
- Awe (Surprise + Fear):
- Boredom: I get bored quite easily. Boring things to me include eating the same food every night, going to the same restaurant, studying the same subject or doing the same assignment every night, playing the same game every day or hanging with the same people for most of the week.
- Confidence > Overconfidence / Presumptuousness > Arrogance / Hubris:
- Contempt (Disgust + Anger):
- Contentment / Satisfaction:
- Courage / Bravery / Valour / Fortitude:
- Curiosity / Care / Diligence:
- Depression / Despair / Low mood / Aversion / Hopelessness / Helplessness / Dejection / Worthlessness / Restlessness:
- Desire / Longing / Crave:
- Disappointment / Dissatisfaction:
- Disgust: Stinky objects like stools, farts and urine, seeing someone defecate,
- Distrust: Volunteers roaming around in public urging your signature to pay monthly for a sponsorship. Phone operators randomly calling you to persuade you to pay for a deal or contract you never signed up for.
- Ecstacy:
- Embarrassment / Dishonour / Indignity:
- Empathy:
- Enthusiasm (Enjoyment + Interest + Approval):
- Envy:
- Euphoria (Wellbeing + Happiness):
- Fear:
- Frustration / Uncertainty / Insecurity:
- Gratitude / Thankfulness / Thanksgiving / Gratefulness:
- Grief:
- Guilt:
- Happiness:
- Hatred: People with negativity bias and political cynicism. People who are manipulative, domineering and desensitised by any issue.
- Hope / Optimism:
- Horror / Terror:
- Hostility / Aggression:
- Humiliation / Humility / Lowliness / Submission:
- Interest / Focus / Attention:
- Jealousy (Anger + Resentment + Inadequacy + Helplessness + Disgust):
- Joy:
- Loneliness / Isolation: When no one contacts you directly to organise a catchup, nor understands your train of thought.
- Love:
- Lust / Attachment / Cling / Passion / Desire:
- Outrage (Surprise + Anger + Disgust):
- Panic / Fear:
- Passion / Enthusiasm / Interest / Admiration / Attraction:
- Pity:
- Pleasure:
- Pride:
- Rage / Fury / Frenzy:
- Regret:
- Remorse / Guilt / Resentment:
- Resentment / Ranklement / Bitterness / Injustice (Disappointment + Anger + Fear):
- Sadness:
- Saudade / Nostalgia / Melancholy / Longing:
- Schadenfreude:
- Self-confidence:
- Shame:
- Shock / Acute Stress:
- Shyness / Diffidence / Apprehension / Discomfort / Awkwardness:
- Sorrow / Resignation:
- Suffering / Pain:
- Surprise:
- Trust:
- Wonder:
- Worry:
- Turned off: Girls who smoke, swear and act rude towards others.
- Intimidation: Those who have excessive tattoos, large mobs, those who wear cloths over their face, those who have stern “bitch” faces with drawn eyebrows and lip injections.
- Confusion / Perplexed / Befuddled: People who change boyfriends / girlfriends within a week after experiencing a breakup. My parents’ constant mocking chat about me at family dinners. People with negativity bias. Parents who think spanking their children is the not the same as physical abuse or assault.
- Pretence / Acting out: Confession to a moral sin that I never believed to have committed just to end an awkward and uncomfortable conversation.
What habits and superstitions do I have?
I don’t know if I could remember every single habit and superstition I have because nearly of my habitual actions are conducted autonomously. I may have given up a few weird or bad habits I developed as a child such as biting my nails, picking my nose, eating my buggers or biting and sucking my pen. But if you personally know me, feel free to share a weird habit or superstition regarding me:
-- Every Vsauce1/2/3 video I watch or rewatch, I tend to annunciate every word they say as they share deep questions and provide complex explanations to their seemingly simple but realistically complicated questions.
-- Whenever I brush my teeth, I have to close the toilet bowl.
-- I have trouble falling asleep when i have a bad day such as a bad argument with my family or misfortune, so I will binge-watch long youtube videos until the birds start chirping as the sun begins to rise.
-- When I’m not occupied with a job or a planned event, I get quite lazy and unmotivated and usually sleep-in quite heavily until the afternoon sun shines on my body. Also I tend to not wash my face at all when I don’t plan to go outside the house.
-- When I don’t have guests coming over, I don’t clean my room especially my bed. Despite the fact that my mum cleans every room in the house including mine every day, she forgets to tell me where she places some of my personal belongings whilst I’m away.
-- When I’m bored at home, I try to be as active and motivated by playing sport indoors which has caused some damage to the walls.
-- I can’t stop shaking my legs whenever I’m sitting and I don’t know how to stop it. This is called Restless Leg Syndrome.
-- Nowadays, I have this habit of pulling out dry hairs from a particular area on my scalp because they are either bent, twisted or have inconsistent thickness in the hair stem.
-- I often eat cereal with low fat milk in the afternoons.
-- When I’m alone, I would talk to myself either repeating something as to remember it in the long term or rehearsing quotes and speeches like I would be standing on stage talking to a large audience.
-- Ever since its release in 2016, I play Pokemon Go every day to help me get off the couch and get regular exercise.
-- I don’t like talking on phones and preferred video texting and video calling over text messaging.
-- Whenever I anticipate judgement from making a mistake accidental or not, I would look away and search for someone nearby to support me and save me from a predicament I’m trying to escape from.
-- At home, I would eat very quickly but whenever I had guests in the house, I would eat quite slowly and often wait for my guests to retrieve food first before I would begin to dig into the feast.
-- I procrastinate on Pokemon Games, Youtube, Googling random questions that pop up in my mind and Quora.
-- I can’t help but eavesdrop a conversation because I rarely had friends to hang out with consistently.
-- Whenever I have to dispose a piece of rubbish but there’s no bin nearby, I would sneakily dump it into orange safety cones.
-- I only masturbate late at night or when I’m alone.
-- I use my humour to mock and ridicule people who complain a lot about their problems but never search for a solution to resolve them.
-- I often imagine being part of the conversation as I watch Youtube videos of conversations, podcasts and interviews of various youtubers like JKNews, Steebee Weebee Show and Tigerbelly. So I will say something or react emotionally in response to one of the you tuber’s questions or commentary.
-- When I befriend an open-minded person, the developing excitement and adrenaline rush would allow me to converse with them for a long time.
-- When I’m shopping for clothes and shoes, I avoid brands and clothing that a majority of the population has like Black and White Nike sneakers, North Face windbreaker coats. I tend to search for obscure but just as popular brands and more abstract and colourful clothing in order to stand out from the crowd and look unique. e.g. I don’t like having a wardrobe with mostly black clothes.
How hairy am I?
The average human head (770 cm^2) has about 100,000 hair follicles and each follicle can grow about 20 individual hairs in a person’s lifetime. The average human loses 100 hair strands daily. But is it possible to count every single hair strand on my scalp? I also have hair strands on my chest, nipples, eyelids, eyebrows, nasal cavity, groin, buttocks and legs. On my own, I would struggle to keep count but with advanced technology it is possible to count every single hair on my body right now.
What do I dream about?
This is difficult to answer because I cannot fully remember the fine details of my vivid dreams. Unlike most people my dreams are like scenes from movies and tv shows of many different genres like teen culture, romance, sex, Vlogs, horror, drama, action, comedy, documentary and news bulletins. One way I could activate memories that store fragments of my dreams is by listening to my favourite songs like Can’t Hold Us (Macklemore), Wake Me Up (Avicii ft. Aloe Blacc), Life is a Highway (Rascal Flatts), Mad World (Gary Jules, Hardwell), You and Me (Lifehouse), Careless Whisper (George Michael), Animals (Martin Garrix), Glorious (Macklemore), Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day), Iris (Goo Goo Dolls), Cool Kids (Echosmith), Jake Chudnow songs and other soundtracks used in Vsauce 1/2/3 videos.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers–Briggs_Type_Indicator
I watched a WongFu lunch break episode where the crew discussed the Myer-Briggs Personality Test. Known as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), it is an introspective self-report questionnaire containing 100 statements that you would each rate on a agree-disagree scale. Each question individually analyses 1 of 4 dichotomies of a person’s personality. They include:
(a) Attitudes: Extraversion Vs Introversion (E vs I)
Extraversion = Outward-turning, Introversion = Inward-turning
People who are more extroverted draw energy from action. They tend to act, then reflect, then act further. If they are inactive, their motivation declines. To rebuild their energy, they need breaks from time spent in reflection. Conversely, those who are more introverted expend energy through action. They prefer to reflect, then act, then reflect again. To rebuild their energy, introverts need quiet time alone, away from activity.
An extravert’s energy flow is directed outward toward people and objects, whereas an introvert’s energy is directed inward toward concepts and ideas.
— Extraverts are action-oriented; Introverts are thought-oriented
— Extraverts seek breadth of knowledge and influence; Introverts seek depth of knowledge and influence
— Extraverts prefer frequent interaction; Introverts prefer substantial interaction.
— Extraverts recharge and receive their energy from spending time with people; Introverts recharge and receive their energy from spending time alone and consume that energy through the opposite process.
(b) Functions: Intuition Vs Observation / Sensing (N vs S)
Sensing and Intuition are the information-gathering (perceiving) functions, which describes how new information is understood and interpreted. People who prefer sensing are more likely to trust information that is in the present, tangible and concrete i.e. Information understood by the 5 senses. They distrust any hunches, information that come “out of nowhere”. They prefer to search for details and facts in order to find meaning in the data. On the other hand, those who prefer intuition tend to trust information that is less dependent on their senses, associated with other information (either remembered or discovered by seeking a wider context or pattern). They may seek interest in future possibilities in evaluating the underlying theory and principles manifested in the data.
(c) Functions: Thinking Vs Feeling (T vs F)
Thinking and Feeling are the decision-making (judging) functions that help people make rational decisions, based on the data received from their information-gathering functions (sensing or intuition). Those who prefer thinking decide things from a detached standpoint, measuring decisions by levels of reasoning, logic, causality, consistency and matchmaking given sets of rules. Those who prefer feeling reach decisions by associating or empathising with the situation, viewing it ‘from the inside’ and weighing it to achieve, on balance, the greatest harmony, consensus and fit, considers the needs of those involved. Thinkers usually have difficulty interacting with inconsistent or illogical people, and provide direct feedback to others. They are often concerned with the truth and view it as more important.
If you prefer thinking, it does not necessarily mean you will “think better” than everyone else in the everyday sense than your feeling counterparts, in the common sense. Similarly if you prefer feeling, it does not necessarily mean you have “better” emotional reactions than your thinking counterparts. Nonetheless, there have been cases where people with thinking functions are either dominant or auxiliary and tend to underdevelop their feeling functions. This can be make it difficult for them to regulate and make healthy and productive decisions based on their feelings.
(d) Lifestyle Preferences: Judgment Vs Prospection / Perception (J vs P)
Myers and Briggs identified that people have a certain preference for judgment or perception when relating to the outside world around them. People who are Thinkers and Judgmental Types (TJ) appear logical whilst Feelers and Judgmental Types (FJ) appear emphatic. Judging types overall prefer to “have matters settled” by making ends meet. Sensing and Perceptive Types (SP) appear to the world as concrete whilst Intuitive and Perceptive Types (NP) appear more abstract. Perceptive types overall prefer to “keep options open”.
(e) Assertion Vs Turbulence (-A vs -T)
It indicates differing psychological preferences in how people perceive the world around them and in response make decisions according to their sensory perceptions. The MBTI was designed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers based on the conceptual theory proposed by Carl Jung, who speculated that humans experience the world around them using 4 principal psychological functions. They are sensation, intuition, feeling and thinking. The MBTI assumes that each and every one of us have specific preferences in the way we construe our experiences which underlie our interests, needs, values and motivations. It’s believed that Briggs and Myers created the MBTI during World War 2 with the belief that obtaining knowledge of personality preferences would help women enter the industrial workforce for the first time to identify the most comfortable and effective wartime jobs. It was first published in 1944 under the name “Briggs Myers Type Indicator Handbook”, but changed its name to "Myers-Briggs Type Indicator" in 1956.
Each of the 16 personality types are assigned a different character with different roles associated with each personality. For the purposes of this discussion, I will only discuss my personality type. But you can check out the rest of the details on the other 15 personality types via this link.
https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types
Fortunately, I have learned ways to relax and have the option to switch from a passionate, driven idealist in the workplace to an imaginative and enthusiastic free spirit on the dance floor, often with sudden effect that would surprise anyone even my closest friends. Being in the mix also gives me a chance to connect emotionally with others, giving me cherished insight into the things that motivates my friends and colleagues. I have this philosophy that everyone should take the time to recognise and express their feelings, empathy and sociability in order to make a naturally flowing conversation on any topic.
However, I have to be weary that too much reliance on my intuition would lead me to make excess assumptions and anticipations about my friends’ motivations. I would turn a blind eye and misread my friends’ signals and frustrate plans that a more straightforward approach would have made simple. This kind of social stress is what keeps Diplomats who are harmony-focused awake late at night. Being an emotional and sensitive person, I’m able to feel sympathetic pain. e.g. When someone hits their head on a wall, I would feel a pain on my head too.
It believes I spend a lot of their time exploring social relationships, feelings and ideas before I find something that rings a truthful tone. When the day of me finding my place in the world finally arrives, my imagination, empathy and courage would produce incredible results. Fellow celebrity Campaigners include — Robert Downey Junior
— Will Smith
— Robin Williams
— Drew Barrymore
— Russell Brand
— Quentin Tarantino
— Meg Ryan
— Kelly Clarkson
— Michael Scott (from the Office)
— Phil Dunphy (from Modern Family)
— Piper Chapman (from Orange is the New Black)
— Hoban Washburne (from Firefly)
— Peeta Mellark (from The Hunger Games)
— Jennifer Keller (from Stargate Atlantis)
— Carrie Bradshaw (from Sex and the City)
— Willy Wonka (from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).
So what strengths could I have?
-- Curiosity = When it comes to new ideas, I have little interest in brooding because I’d rather go out and experience things. I’m not hesitant to step out of my comfort zone to do such things. I may have a unique imagination and an open mind which allows me to see everything as part of a big, mysterious puzzle called ‘life’.
-- Observation = I may have this belief that no action is irrelevant. Every shift in sentiment, every move and every idea is just part of something bigger. In order to satisfy my curiosity, I will attempt to notice all of these things, and to never miss a moment live.
-- Energy and Enthusiasm = During my observations, I form new connections and ideas and I won’t hold my tongue because I’m always excited about my findings and I share them with anyone who is willing to listen and learn. This infections enthusiasm gives me a dual benefit granting me a chance to generate more social connections and giving them a new source of information and experience, as well as fitting their opinions into their existing ideas.
-- Great Communication = Without stringent people skills, I may not have expressed my ideas. I often enjoy both small talk and deep, meaningful conversations, which to me are just 2 sides of the same coin, and adept to steer conversations towards my favourite subjects in a way that flows naturally and doesn’t seem forced upon.
-- Knowledge of relaxation = Although the nature of the cosmos is an interesting topic to discuss, but sometimes it doesn’t beat having fun and experiencing life to the fullest. My intuition allows me to shake things up at the most crucial times and release busts of enthusiastic energy to surprise even my closest of friends.
-- Fame and Friendliness = My abilities to adapt and spontaneously react combines to generate an approachable, quirky and exciting person who has a cooperative and altruistic spirit and friendly, empathetic disposition. I can get along with virtually everyone and my circle of friends stretch far and wide beyond imagination.
Then what weaknesses could I have?
-- Poor Practical Skills = Although I have exceptional talent when it involves conceiving ideas and starting projects, especially involving other people, I have struggles on projects that involve upkeep, administration, and following through with them. Without more hands-on people to help push daily things along, my ideas are likely remain to be just ‘ideas’.
-- Difficulty Maintaining Focus = Due to the fact that I’m a natural explorer of interpersonal connections and philosophy, there are times I will struggle to complete a routine task sitting in front of me. It’s difficult for me to maintain interest as tasks drift towards routine, administrative matters, and away from broader concepts.
-- Tendency to Overthink Things = I usually don’t take things at face value. Instead I’d rather look for underlying motives in even the simplest things. It’s quite common for me to lose sleep asking myself why did someone do what they just did, what it could mean, and what to do about it.
-- Easily Stressed = Because I always overthink, my turbulent trait can make me sensitive and care deeply about others’ feelings. A consequence of my popularity is that others often look to me for guidance and help, which takes time, and it’s easy to see why I sometimes get overwhelmed, especially when I can’t accept every request for help.
-- Highly Emotional = I personally view emotional expression as a core part of my identity. Nevertheless, it can come out quite strongly to cause problems for me. Particularly when under pressure, criticism or conflict, I would experience emotional bursts that are counterproductive at best.
-- Independent to Faults = Honestly I loathe being micromanaged and restrained by heavy-handed rules. I’d rather to be seen as highly independent masters of my own fates, even possessors of an altruistic wisdom going beyond draconian law. The challenge for me is to live in a world of checks and balances, a pill I’m not happy nor ready to swallow.
What would I be like in romantic relationships?
It’’s quite common for me to be in long-distance relationships because I view physical distance as another idea which is a mismatch for concepts like love. Long-distance relationships give me a chance to demonstrate my commitment, both by staying loyal despite the physical separation, and with overtures of effort to surprise my partners, crossing that long distance on a whim. This demonstrates my mystery, idealism and deep emotion that efforts like this would keep the flames of a relationships burning as bright as the sun.
I may express my ideals sexually as well, exploring the physical with imagination and passion and view the times I spent together with my partner as a chance to let my feelings for one another shine, hence sharing love and affection (limerence). I’m more than happy to experiment with my partners in or out of the bedroom, even in the first few months of a relationships, but I tend to be oddly perfectionistic with the belief that certain physical acts represent my deeper love for them, hence should be executed with care. My perfectionism reflects my sensitive character, having a desire to not disappoint, and often appreciate a well-placed compliment.
In the dating zone, not every person can handle my excitement, neediness and mood swings that this philosophy entails, whether long-distance, long-term, mystical or physical. The matter of the fact is I constantly explore new ideas to improve the state of my relationship and fantasise about future possibilities. Nonetheless, my tendency to focus on potential rather than the present can be self-defeating and my spontaneity makes it difficult for me to maintain focus on my end goal of a long-term relationship i.e. marriage. If my partner couldn’t reciprocate my acts of excitement and devotion, I will likely end up feeling unhappy and misunderstood.
It seems I will fully commit to making my relationship successful, but if it falls apart despite my efforts, I will end up plagued with burning questions about why it failed and what I could have done differently next time. Without a buoy to keep my head above water, these thoughts can crush my self-esteem sinking me into a bay of depression. I wish someone out there told me that romantic relationships require mutual interest, mutual growth and mutual responsibility and I can’t be solely accountable.
After a failed relationship, I may be reluctant to open up and commit at all. It would be years before a potential partner could navigate my bewildering depth and intensity, falsely believing that my enthusiasm and apparent openness means that I have to wear everything on my sleeves. I wish people knew that my spontaneity, inconsistency and erraticism the untrained eye notices, isn’t a product of flightiness or lack of depth, but rather a drive to express ideas about a mystical, all-encompassing energy, in the confines of a physical world. Underlying it all is the uniting principle of love, expressed in numerous ways but unshakable and infinite at its core.
What am I like as a friend?
If you are my friends with me, you would see me as cheerful and supportive, always sharing and developing ideas and being open-minded by taking in others’ thoughts and feelings. My warmth and sincerity would make me a master of drawing people out of their shells, therefore I tend have a huge circle of friends. Those who are outgoing are inferred to naturally gravitate towards me, but I also will go along great lengths and show persistence in my efforts to build knowledge on those who have reserved personalities. My ability to tune into others and speak their language with that characteristic infectious enthusiasm helps me in this endeavour, and the allure of mystery that reserved, introverted and intuitive people bring to the table will keep me intrigued for a long time. Although those with reserved personality types may never be able to reciprocate the breadth of human interest I present, but secretly they do appreciate my efforts.
My interest in others can be a double-edged sword because my idealism may come with preconceived expectations, and I would often hold my friends in an unrealistic spotlight, expecting them to keep up with the constant flow of ideas and experiences that I consider integral to life. It’s clear I wholeheartedly contribute to my friendships, and it can come as a shock to me to discover that my friends aren’t the flawless “Titans” that I believed them to be. Whether it’s social fatigue or focus on physical and practical matters instead of the mystical, I may find myself disappointed by the lack of substance beneath the surface. I tend to get deeply involved in others’ lives, going to great lengths to be selfless, caring and supportive but often forget to take care of myself. These traits are important in basic needs and emotional needs like financial stability, rest, mutual understanding and reciprocation respectively, in addition I tend to give much more of myself than most are capable of giving back. This imbalance of providing may be unsustainable as one-sided generosity often leads to criticism and resentment on both sides of the friendship. Fortunately my open-mindedness and sincerity allows me to connect with and understand even my acquaintances will enough. I recognise that not everyone expresses themselves in the same ways, and that’s acceptable. My sensitivity, though, may make it challenging to play with critical and argumentative personalities such as those with Thinking and Judging personality traits, but I do appreciate and cherish the company of anyone who appreciates my and their adventures and experiences we have together are the things that a good life consists of.
What would I be like as a parent?
It’s hypothesised that my personality type would make me a great parent (in my case, father) because it’s the sense of wonder I have for all things new and beautiful and I would be able to share this with my children every day as they learn and grow. Throughout my children’s lives, I could provide overwhelming love and support and an unstructured environment revolving around freedom and creativity. But this doesn’t mean I will simply leave my children to their own devices without guidance. I would much rather share in my children’s perspective, in a world without bounds.
I can be playful and warm, and love seeing my children excited, playing and experimenting with the world around them. It is therefore likely I would encourage this play and growth by suggesting different fun activities and lessons.
While I often recognise the value of structure and predictability, I’m unlikely to have the heart to establish these limitations myself. I may need to depend on my partner to provide necessary guidelines and discipline occasionally, but I would always have the advantage of being open-minded and empathetic, making me not just great parents, but also friends who my children would feel comfortable confiding in. I needn’t always depend on my children broaching the subject either, as I have a natural skill in spotting emotional disharmony or physical discomfort in others.
As my children approach the teenage years (10 - 19), all the emotion and attention starts to cloy, and my children may seek a more private independence. This can be challenging for me because of my strong emotions and I often invent these emotions heavily in the things and people they care about. While I may not be big on using proven ideas, I do like to see whether or not my ideas can work, and this applies to my own thoughts on parenting, too. As my adolescent children withdraw, I will leave an unsolved mystery that may last for years, leaving me wondering if my ideas on raising children actually work, resulting in happy, independent and creative adults. Fortunately for me, so long as I raise my children with a sense of productive independence, rather than an aimless, against-the-grain antipathy, I would find that my children have developed a strong sense of self and self-worth, going confidently out into the weird, wide world at their own style, knowing that they have both themselves and me and my wife to depend on.
What career pathways suit me?
My talents may include people skills and the ability to network and match the communication styles of my audience is quite valuable and much-needed in traditional strongholds suited for Analysts in engineering, systems analysis and the sciences. This highlights the fact that as I continue to explore new challenges on my own, I would be able to work with my colleagues or teammates, explore their perspectives and glean new insights into their projects. Much of modern progress stems from incorporating other studies into typically disassociated fields, and it seems only talented, energetic and future-minded Campaigners like myself are the best equipped to merge broad interests. Although Thinking types may be better when it comes to applying logic to systems and machines, I, on the other hand, would be able to apply the same logic to human interactions and networks utilising my exceptional social perception to find out what makes people tick or not. This lends me a solid foothold in any human science or service, from Psychology, Counselling and Teaching to Politics, Diplomacy and Detective Work. These fields display another important similarity in that I’m always in constant development, shifting, presenting new angles and new approaches to solving problems. I know that it’s simply not possible to be professional in these fields and to be content with the way things are, and this is where I would truly shine.
I don’t seem to shine in systems of strict regimentation and hierarchy, such as military service. It seems I thrive on the ability to question the status quo and explore any alternatives. If this quality is adjudged to be unappreciative or frowned upon, not only it would make me unhappy but it may also threaten my emotional stability. Repetition, predictability, boredom, clear hierarchy, authority; these are qualities Sentinel personality types would appreciate and accept and follow along but I don’t buy into them. I have this urge to push the boundaries and explore ideas, and focus on interests and careers that encourage this mindset.
They suggest that scientific careers aren’t the only options, but writing journalism, acting and TV reporting can give me the opportunity to explore something new every day and stir the pot a little while I’m at it. It may come to pass though, but the best way forward for me is to establish myself as an entrepreneur and consultant, and blaze my own trail and take on whatever project is the most fascinating to me, So long as I get to utilise my people skills, identify and achieve my own goals and inspire my colleges and followers, I will and almost certainly with guarantee be very happy.
What habits would I develop in the workplace?
The chance to explore new ideas, and the chance to conduct that exploration alongside other people who share my excitement are what I seek most in the workplace. Although these qualities are demonstrated by all levels of hierarchy, I would much prefer if there be hardly any hierarchy at all. It’s believed I possess warmth, creativity and an open mind that makes me excellent listeners. If my employers could recognise these characteristics, they will always be able to count on me to innovate and boost morale.
I may be growth-oriented, and as subordinates I’ll impress my managers with my creativity and adaptability. I would be an excellent listener with the ability to analyse and understand others’ intolerant of micromanagement. Generally speaking, the way I see it, I understand what’s been asked of me and all I require is the freedom to accomplish my task. If this need isn’t met, managers may find a quickly stressed Campaigner subordinate like me. Some direct management is often necessary to a certain extent, as I am notorious for letting my attention slip from 1 project to the net before I’ve dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s. My love for exploring new ideas and learning new things would make me unique but once something becomes familiar, its allure will begin to fade. The challenge for managers is to maintain a spirit of guidance and camaraderie instead of “bossiness”, so they can discover loyal and devotes contributors in their Campaigner subordinates like myself.
Being a people-person, this trait truly shines through among colleagues as fares the workplace is concerned. I view my colleagues not just as co-workers but also as friends, people whom I would take a genuine interest in, provide support and cheer when they are down or stressed. My warmth and optimism allows me to search for and find win-win situations for everyone. Brainstorms among equals are my forte, because I’ll listen to different viewpoints and suggestions not just with tolerance, but genuine excitement. My ability to relax and have fun will always make me popular around the water cooler, but what could set me apart is my transition from popularity into natural leadership, instinctively picking up on colleagues’ motivations and adhering teams together, driving me forward towards whatever truth I’ve been tasked to find. Even when I take on the role of manager, secretly I’m not a great fan of strict hierarchy and bureaucracy. If I was a manager, I would behave much like my colleagues, by establishing real friendships, and using my broad popularity to inspire and motivate. I would take on the role of leader, working alongside my subordinates, rather than shouting from behind my desk. I will tend to believe in the concept of intrinsic motivation, the idea that things are worth doing for my own sake, not because of some convoluted system of punishments and rewards.
Unfortunately, not everyone buys into this philosophy I have because challenges arise when faced with subordinates who actually prefer to be closely directed, with clearly defined objectives and timetables, who just want to do their job. Even more challenging when occasionally a reprimand would be necessary, while I prefer to meet dissent with an open ear, and to use my excellent capacity for sensing mood and morale to pre-empt such an act to begin with. As they would say, sometimes the carrot and the stick are necessary, and using them is the biggest challenge for Campaigners like me. Fortunately my capacity to adjust my communication to virtually any style will always shine through, helping to smooth things over and adapt to the needs of my team.
What do I think about this analysis?
After reading every little detail of this personality type, I’m afraid to say virtually everything the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator has described is true. But this result raises a few questions. Was I born with this personality type? Is it subject to change if I retake this test some time later after experiencing certain events? Is personality a fluid characteristic? Many critics have questioned the validity (statistically and experimentally) of the MBTI as a psychometric instrument. Follow-up studies found no evidence for people to have a direction of preference than degree of preference for the each of the 4 dichotomies. Instead of the bimodal distributions expected which could have proven the polarisation of dichotomies (i.e. 2 separate peaks), centrally peaked distributions typical of normal distributions were discovered indicating people were neither overly leaning towards each dichotomy. In 1991, a National Academy of Sciences committee found insufficient evidence to support the research that justifies the use of the MBTI in career counselling programs because it was a criterion-related questionnaire thus making it less valid. Furthermore the fact that this type indicator relies on honest self-reporting lacks the objectivity because it doesn’t use validity scales to access exaggerated or socially desirable responses, thus nothing is stopping individuals from faking their responses. In May 15, 2013 Fortune Magazine released an article titled “Have we all been duped by the Myers-Briggs Test” heavily criticises the test-retest reliability of the MBTI. Despite its popularity, there’s a 50% chance that you’ll maintain the same personality type if you retake the test after a 5-week gap compared to the first time you took the test.
Then what is personality? Personality is the set of habitual behaviours, cognitions and emotional patterns evolved from biological and environmental factors. Nevertheless, for 3,000 years there is no agreed upon definition of personality amongst psychologists with many theories regarding the biological, cognitive, learning and trait-based concepts of personality being proposed by many different theorists like Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Gordon Allport, Hans Eysenck, Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. The Big Five Personality traits (Five Factor Model, FFM) models personality based on common language descriptors to describe 5 broad dimensions that form the basis of human personality and psyche. Those 5 factors are:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits
(a) Openness to Experience = Inventive / Curious (Openness & Intellect) VS Consistent / Cautious — People with this trait have an appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, curiosity and variety of experiences. Openness reflects a person’s degree of intellectual curiosity, creativity and their preference for novelty and variety over strict routines. People whom are open to experience also may be open to emotion, sensitive to beauty, willing to try new things, more aware of their own feelings and more likely to hold unconventional beliefs.
High openness is perceived as unpredictable or lacking focus, hence likely to engage in risky behaviour or drug abuse. Furthermore individuals with high openness pursue self-actualisation by seeking out intense, euphoric experiences. Conversely, people with low openness seek to gain fulfilment through perseverance, often describes as pragmatic and data-driven, sometimes dogmatic and closed-minded.
e.g. People with high openness would have full of excellent ideas, quick to understand things and use difficult vocabulary. Conversely, people with low openness have disinterest in the abstract world, lack imagination and have difficulty understanding abstract ideas.
(b) Conscientiousness = Efficient / Organised (Orderliness & Industriousness) VS Easy-going / Careless — This refers to a person’s ability to be organised and dependable, self-disciplined, dutiful, aim for achievement and preference for planned rather than spontaneous behaviour. People with high conscientiousness are often viewed as stubborn and obsessed. People with low conscientiousness are viewed as flexible and spontaneous, but can appear sloppy and unreliable.
e.g. A highly conscientious person would always be prepared, pay attention to details, completing chores right from the get-go, prefer order, follow clear schedules and exact in their work. A lowly conscientious person would leave their belongings around, make a mess of things, often forget to put things back in their proper place or shirk their duties.
(c) Extraversion = Outgoing / Energetic (Enthusiasm & Assertiveness) VS Solitary / Reserved — This refers to a person’s energy, positive emotions, surgency, assertiveness, sociability and tendency to seek stimulate in the company of others, and talkativeness. Highly extraverted people are perceived as attention-seeking, and domineering. They enjoy interaction with people and are quite energetic around them. This makes them enthusiastic and action oriented which help them possess high group visibility, talkativeness and assertion of their presence. Introverted people are seen as reserved and reflective, often perceived as aloof or self-absorbed. They have lower social engagement and energy levels than extraverts, hence they tend to be quiet, low-key, deliberate and less involved in the social world. Nonetheless, their lack of social involvement shouldn’t be interpreted as shyness or depression, but rather more independent of their social construct than extraverts. Introverts require less stimulation than extraverts and more time alone with themselves and their thoughts. However, that doesn’t make them unfriendly or antisocial but rather reserved in social situations.
e.g. Extraverts are the life of the party who don’t mind being the centre of attention. They feel more comfort around people and are considered the conversation starters. At parties, they tend to talk to a large variety of people. On the other hand, introverts think a lot before they speak or act. They don’t like drawing attention to themselves and are often quiet around strangers, hence they don’t intent talking in large crowds.
(d) Agreeableness = Friendly / Compassionate & Politeness VS Challenging / Detached — This refers a person’s compassion and cooperation rather than suspicion and antagonism towards others making them concerned for social harmony. It describes the extent of a person’s trusting and helpful nature and whether a person is well-tempered or not. High agreeableness is often perceived as naïve or submissive, valuing getting along with others quite highly. People with this trait are generally considerate, kind, generous, trusting and trustworthy, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with others. This gives them an optimistic view of human nature. Low agreeableness (Disagreeableness) are often perceived as competitive or challenging which can be seen as argumentativeness or untrustworthiness. People with this trait value self-interest above getting along with others. They lack concern for others’ well-being and are less likely to extend themselves for other people. Their skepticism about others’ motives causes them to be suspicious, unfriendly and uncooperative.
e.g. Agreeable people express high interest in people by showing sympathy with their feelings highlighting their soft heart. They take time out for others in need and feel their emotions making them feel at ease. On the other hand, disagreeable people are disinterested in others and their problems. They generally insult people and show little concern for their wellbeing.
(e) Neuroticism = Sensitive / Nervous (Volatility & Withdrawal) VS Secure / Confident — This defines a person’s tendency to experience unpleasant emotions such as anger, anxiety, depression and vulnerability. It refers to the degree of emotional stability and impulse control as known as “emotional stability".
People who seek strong stability (Low neuroticism) manifest a stable and calm personality free from persistent negative feelings but may be viewed as uninspiring and unconcerned. They are less easily upset and are less emotionally reactive. However this doesn’t guarantee them a considerable amount of positive feelings. People who don’t seek strong stability (High neuroticism) would attain a reactive and excitable personality, often viewed as dynamic, unstable or insecure. They are emotionally reactive and are vulnerable to stress. This suggests they would interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult. Their negative emotions would linger meaning they are kept in a bad mood for longer periods of time.
For instance, in the workplace, neurotic colleagues have a pessimistic approach towards their work, believing it would impede their personal relationships, causing their apparent anxiety. They have difficulty having a clear mind, make decisions and cope effectively with stress. They lack contentment in their own life achievements which increases their likelihood of falling into clinical depression, hence experience more negative life events.
e.g. Highly neurotic people get irritated, stressed out and upset quite easily. They frequently experience mood swings and worry about the littlest of things, making them more anxious than most people. People who are emotionally stable are relaxed most of the time and seldom feel blue.
—> A useful mnemonic would be OCEAN / CANOE
If you don’t exhibit a clear tendency towards these specific traits chosen from the above-mentioned related pairs in all 5 dimensions, you are considered adaptable, moderate and reasonable but can be perceived as unprincipled, inscrutable and calculating.
In 1884, Sir Francis Gallon was believed to the first person to investigate the hypothesis of deriving a comprehensive taxonomy of human personality traits by sampling language: the Lexical Hypothesis. Since then the number of adjectives used to describe observable and relatively permanent traits has decreased dramatically from as many as 4500 to the current 5. This is due to factor analysis that grouped the remaining traits using data based upon people’s estimations, in self-report questionnaires and pair ratings like the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire. In 1961, the initial model was advanced by Ernest Tupes and Raymond Christal, however it failed to reach an academic audience until the 1980s when 4 prominent researchers in a Honolulu symposium reviewed the available personality instruments during that day. Those researchers were Lewis Goldberg, Naomi Takemoto-Chock, Andrew Comrey, and John M.Digman.
Based on the Five Factor Model, my personality currently would have high extraversion, high openness to experience, some conscientiousness, some agreeableness and slightly high neuroticism. This sparks a few questions in my mind.
(1) Was my personality inherited by my parents from birth? Or was it developed over time as I learned, perceived and understood the people. objects and world around me by utilising my main senses?
— Genetic research including twin studies infer that heritability and environmental factors both influence all 5 factors to the relatively same degree. Moreover, genetics influenced openness to experience the most, followed by extraversion, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and lastly, agreeableness.
— During childhood and adolescence, studies used parent- and teacher- ratings, pre-adolescent and adolescent self- and peer- ratings and observations of parent-child interactions to support the relative stability of the 5 major personality traits across a human lifespan from at least preschool through to adulthood. Generally speaking, it suggests 4 of the Big 5 i.e. Extraversion, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness and Agreeableness reliable describe certain personality differences in person during their childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Nevertheless, Openness to Experience may not be a fundamental and stable aspect of a child’s personality until much later in their livelihood.
(2) How does my personality compare with other people in other countries and cultures and other animal species? Does gender play a major role in developing personality?
— Studies that used Hominoid Personality Questionnaire to rate chimpanzees revealed factors of extraversion, conscientiousness and agreeableness, along with dominance. However there is lack of evidence to suggest neuroticism and openness to experience are also major personality traits in chimps.
— According to cross-cultural studies, women on average consistently report higher scores for Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Warmth (Extraversion facet) and Openness to feelings, whilst men on average report higher scores for Assertiveness (Extraversion facet) and Openness to Ideas as assessed by the NEO-PI-R.
Another study of gender differences visited 55 nations using the Big Five Inventory discovered that women also consistently scored higher than men in Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, especially amongst healthy, prosperous and gender-egalitarian cultures. One explanation that accounts for this is women in individualistic, egalitarian countries are more likely to be attributed to their personality, rather than being attributed to ascribed gender roles within collectivist, traditional countries. Men in highly developed world regions were less neurotic, extraverted, conscientious and agreeable compared to men in less developed world regions. However women don’t demonstrate these personality trait contrasts across regions of differing development. One reason suggests that women are relatively resource-poor regardless of the circumstances of males within first-world countries. Authors of this study speculated that socials environments with lack of resources inhibit the development of gender differences because males generally require more resources than females to achieve their full developmental potential. Due to different evolutionary pressures, men may have evolved to undertake a more risk-taking and socially dominant persona, whereas women tend to be more cautious and nurturing. Ancient hunter-gatherers are inferred to have been more egalitarian than later agriculturally oriented humans, thus the gender inequalities may have been developed to constrain the development of gender differences in personality originally evoked in hunter-gatherer societies. Modern society, as we know it, is becoming more egalitarian and innate sex differences is gradually becoming less constrained, hence it may manifest more than in less-developed societies. However this hypothesis remains untested, unproved and unfalsifiable.
— One 2008 study used an international English language scale to support the Big Five structure across several cultures whilst a 2011 study suggested that Openness is unsupported in Asian countries like China and India. However research on the Big Five personality traits across different cultures is still ongoing as you read this.
If you are curious about personality and are willing to learn more about it, click on the link below to find a plethora of literature discussing many aspects that make up the human personality:
http://personality-project.org
Here are a few burning questions:
-- If I took out my brain and divided it into 2 equal hemispheres, then I put one hemisphere into 1 person’s skull and the other hemisphere into another person’s skull. Which one would be me?
-- Let’s say a doctor can substitute one of my cells with one of your cells. They do this one cell at a time on the outside and on the inside. But at what point would you officially be me? At least 50%? More or less?
-- If I cloned myself to make a second me who is identical in terms of cellular structure, stature and his brain’s neural connections, would that person still be me?
-- Focus on any distant object in front of you as long as you can. Does it begin to feel like you’re a little being looking through 2 eyeballs sitting beside some levers that control your muscles and thoughts as your brain receives and transmits information 24/7?
There’s no simple answer to these questions because they can get quite philosophical and controversial. So far no researcher has received ethical, moral, financial and scientific support to conduct experiments in an attempt to prove the many theories based around consciousness and the real definition of self. So what is the definition of you? Is it your name based on the Oxford dictionary or the symbolism behind it? Is it by the cells and atoms you’re made out of? Is it your academic grades according to the expectations of your education system? Is it your experiences throughout your childhood, adolescence and adulthood? Or is it the way you relate to those close to you like your parents, siblings, best friends and work colleagues? Conforming to society and receiving grades certainly aren’t the answer because they’re based on expectations set by our ancestors and authorities. The cells and atoms that make up who you are right now will die and shed away once about every 5 years. You are always dying and you are always being born. What you were at birth isn't the same person 5 years later and then another 5 years later and so on. Your experience activates your sensory systems that transmits key information about the world around you via propagating action potentials through to your brain and then in response creates a certain physical or emotional reaction through your facial expressions and body language, and generates new neurons to form a new connection hence a new memory retaining this experience for a period of time. Nowadays your life here on earth is constantly being recorded and captured on cameras and then shared on social media to your desired audience. Your cameras can only capture the positive and critical life-defining highlights of your lifestyle but rarely your gross, embarrassing, autonomous, negative, mundane and routine highlights like going to the loo, sneezing and coughing, or having sex in a public location in broad daylight. The actions you commit and the words you annunciate through your mouth define yours identity in society reminding everyone around you what your views, opinions and motivations are. The people you nominate to trust, brood and breed with defines your personality. You nonchalantly and selectively share intricate information and knowledge stored in your neural connections with those you trust based on your past experiences and first impressions with them. Ever heard of the phrase “You are what you eat”. The statement, scientifically, is true according to atomic theory. Furthermore you can add in, “you are what you drink” and “you are what you breathe” too. All the atoms that make up the complex nutrients, macromolecules and macromolecules are separated by enzymatic processes in your mouth and digestive tract and then newly bind together providing the basic foundation of the structure, foundation and integrity of every cell in your body, skin and hair to your muscles, bones, digestive and immune systems. The chemical energy you gain from the decomposition of these complex biomolecules comes from the breakdown of strong intramolecular bonds between each atom, which is then converted to either heat, sound or kinetic energy that allows you to sweat, dehydrate or move respectively. All this ties together to something much bigger more significant than you could even imagine. The truth is, we don’t have total free will nor control of our own lifestyles. As individuals, your body is a home for you DNA to reside and survive. In a race of survival of the fittest, your body will eventually become redundant but your DNA will continue to live on and prosper through your offspring. We all have sexual urges because we inherited the knowledge of breeding from our parents’ amalgamation of their DNA without the need to be taught by our ancestors. Things are just things. They don’t make you who you are. As Sigmund Freud once said, “I think, therefore I am”. Your appearance doesn't define who you are. It's your legacy for your offspring to remember and aspire from that defines who you were as a homo sapien.
