Eye-Opening Facts About Every Myers-Briggs® Personality Type

For as popular as the Myers-Briggs® Type Indicator is, very few people have done the work to actually crack open the MBTI® Manual itself. If they did, they’d find themselves thoroughly immersed in facts, validity studies, reliability reports, and hundreds of pages of information about how each personality type excels differently in education, careers, marriage, and more. Let’s take a look at some of them…

Not sure what your personality type is? Take our new personality questionnaire here. Or you can take the official MBTI® here.

Eye-Opening Facts About Every Myers-Briggs® Personality Type

The ENFP

According to the MBTI® Manual, of all the teachers in the world, ENFPs are the teachers least likely to see student behaviors as a serious problem. They also are the teachers who promote an internal system of belief about discipline. This means that they believe children develop from an unfolding of inner potential, as opposed to ST types who are more likely to believe that children develop as a result of external conditions or SF types who believe it’s a combination of the two. ENFPs, along with ESTJs, also have the highest coping resource scores of all the types!

Find out more about ENFPs here: 3 Weird and Wonderful Secrets About the ENFP Personality

The ENTP

In a study comparing the ranks of the 16 personality types and their aptitudes, ENTPs ranked highest in IQ among 8th graders. Male ENTPs also scored highest on two out of three measures of creativity, while females scored among three highest on one out of two measures of creativity. I guess when you think about rumored ENTPs like Leonardo da Vinci, Richard Feynman, and Steve Wozniak, this all makes sense!

Find out more about ENTPs here: ENTP Personality Profile – an In-Depth Look at “The Visionary”

The INFP

According to neuroscience expert Dario Nardi, INFPs can listen in holistic ways that involve all regions of the neocortex. While other types tend to work out their responses while the other person is still speaking, INFPs wait patiently and keep listening before forming an agenda.  In fact, of all the types Nardi studied, INFPs were able to listen the longest – holding an open, receptive listening state for ten minutes or more. Nardi says that because of this “INFPs may really get to the core of a person’s psychology.”

Find out more about INFPs here: 3 Weird and Wonderful Secrets of the INFP Personality Type

Get Dario Nardi’s book: Neuroscience of Personality – Brain Savvy Insights for All Types of People (this link is an affiliate link)

The INTP

In a psychometric assessment called SYMLOG (“System for the Multiple Level Observation of Groups”), INTPs scored highest on the value, “Tough-minded, self-oriented assertiveness” as well as “Rugged, self-oriented individualism” and “Passive rejection of popularity, going it alone”. They also scored lower than most other types on “Obedience to the chain of command, complying with authority.” This all correlates with studies in type theory showing that INTPs prefer independent thought to “group think” activities and even prefer learning alone as opposed to learning in large groups.

Find out more about INTPs here: 3 Weird and Wonderful Secrets About the INTP

The ENFJ

In a national sample, ENFJs ranked highest in “Belief in a Higher Spiritual Power”. This coincides with their over-representation in religious fields. In the religious arena, ENFJs are able to use their gift for empathy and understanding along with their inherent grasp of abstract concepts and spirituality.  Many famous ENFJs have had a strong spiritual side to them; people like Martin Luther King Jr., Johann von Goethe, Matthieu Ricard, and Maya Angelou.

“When I found that I knew not only that there was God but that I was a child of God, when I understood that, when I comprehended that, more than that, when I internalized that, ingested that, I became courageous.”
– Maya Angelou

Find out more about ENFJs here: Understanding ENFJ Feeling

The ENTJ

According to the MBTI® Manual, ENTJs are overrepresented among behavioral psychologists. While this may confound people who associate ENTJs with their stereotypes (“harsh, domineering types with zero empathy”), this actually makes complete sense. Behavioral psychology is concerned with discovering patterns in human behavior. Behavioral psychologists want to understand why people behave the way they do and are concerned with finding patterns in actions. They want to use this knowledge to create better habits, improve companies, and develop a better world for communities. As extraverted thinking (Te), introverted intuitive (Ni) types, behavioral psychology seems like a natural fit for ENTJs. Their thinking process wants to understand cause and effect, while their intuition wants to see patterns and predict outcomes.

Find out more about ENTJs here: Understanding ENTJ Thinking

The INFJ

According to the MBTI® Manual, INFJs ranked second lowest of all the types in “Positive affectivity”. Positive affectivity is a human characteristic that describes how much people experience positive sensations, emotions, and sentiments. High levels of this trait are marked by frequent feelings of cheerfulness, enthusiasm, and energy. There was no explanation given as to why INFJs scored so low on this trait, but perhaps science has an answer! Neuroscience expert Dario Nardi says that INFJs show higher-than-average activity in the prefrontal brain region fp2. This region admits negative input and allows us to reflect on the input at the risk of becoming sad or depressed. Nardi says “This region helps us explore and deal with information that is counter to what is typical or desirable. When we hear critics, take in violent or depressing content, or otherwise receive disruptive data, we can use this region to delve into that information, considering its meaning and how it applies to us.” Perhaps because INFJs show such strong use of this region they spend more time dwelling on the “darker” side of things (just a theory!). This would correlate with the huge numbers of INFJs who have asked me why they are interested or drawn to sad things.

Find out more about INFJs here: 3 Weird and Wonderful Secrets About the INFJ

Get Dario Nardi’s book: Neuroscience of Personality – Brain Savvy Insights for All Types of People (this link is an affiliate link)

The INTJ

According to the MBTI® Manual, INTJs received the highest grades and obtained the highest IQ scores among the 16 personality types in High School. They are also the type that projected themselves the greatest number of years into the future in essays. While this is not exactly shocking considering INTJs are often known for their intellect, it’s still a fascinating fact. INTJs love to learn, they love to challenge themselves, and they love to theorize about the future. What some types might find dull or overly-complex they can find mentally intriguing.

Find out more about INTJs here: 10 Things You’ll Relate to if You’re an INTJ

The ESFP

In a case study, ESFPs taking the California Psychological Inventory scored very high on sociability. They were seen as being especially gregarious, outgoing, sociable, and participative. According to the Life Satisfaction Index (LSI), ESFPs scored extremely high on being energetic, initiating, resourceful, and changeable. As extraverted sensing types, this all makes sense. Se-dominant types are known for being optimistic, active, adaptable, and excited by change and challenge. They are good at taking stock of everything around them and knowing how to use it if the situation calls for it.

The ESTP

In a case study, ESTPs ranked highest in “Positive affectivity” of all the 16 personality types. Positive affectivity is a human characteristic that describes how much people experience positive sensations, emotions, and sentiments. People who score high on this category show considerable cheerfulness, enthusiasm, and energy. Positive affectivity also promotes an open-minded attitude, helpfulness, and sociability. As extraverted sensing types, this all adds up. Se-doms are known for being resourceful, calm in a crisis, and optimistic. They also have a penchant for playing “the good samaritan” in crisis situations.

The ISFP

According to the MBTI® Manual, ISFPs are overrepresented in health care and law enforcement careers. This makes sense when you study the ISFP’s cognitive functions. They are driven by their inner values and ethics (Fi), but want to make a practical, tangible impact in the world (Se). These two favored functions give them a leg up in emergency fields that involve improving the quality of life for people in make-or-break situations.

Read This Next: The Top 7 Gift Ideas for ISFPs

The ISTP

The MBTI® Manual states that ISTPs ranked highest in feeling unsure of a higher spiritual power. They also ranked fourth-highest in not believing in a higher spiritual power. Not all ISTPs are agnostics or atheists, but it seems that this tendency is more prevalent in this type than in many others.

Read This Next: ISTP Personality Profile

The ESFJ

In a national sample, ESFJs ranked highest in satisfaction with their marriages and intimate relationships. They also ranked second-highest in believing in a higher spiritual power, with ENFJs ranking highest. This serves them well, as they statistically tend to cope with stress by relying on their religious beliefs and talking to someone close to them (MBTI® Manual – Page 99).

Read This Next: 10 Things You Should Never Say to an ESFJ

The ESTJ

According to a case study of 12,000 individuals, ESTJs ranked as the highest-earning Myers-Briggs® personality type, bringing in an average yearly income of $77K. They were also the type with the second-highest number of people managed or supervised at work (right behind ENTJs). ESTJs crave stability and security in their jobs and are highly motivated by achievement and leadership. They are known for being hard-working and consistent individuals. It comes as no surprise that these priorities give them a major head-start when it comes to their paychecks!

The ISFJ

ISFJs taking the California Psychological Inventory scored extremely high on self-control. They showed mastery over impulsivity and rarely showed tendencies of self-centeredness. They also scored very high on the Life Satisfaction Index categories “Conservative”, “Conventional”, “Guarded”, and “Reserved”.

The ISTJ

ISTJs are one of the top two types among industrial and technical teachers. They are also one of four types with the highest college GPAs. In fact, according to the MBTI® Manual, ISTJS consistently get above-average grades in High School and college. Their methodical, detail-oriented learning and innate desire to succeed serves them well academically.

What Are Your Thoughts?

Do these random facts correlate with your experience? Do you have any thoughts to add? Let us know in the comments!

Find out more about your personality type in our eBook, Discovering You: Unlocking the Power of Personality Type.

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