Type A or Type B. Introvert or Extrovert. Hufflepuff or Slytherin.
You may have thought you were already familiar with every conceivable personality classification, but here's a new way to find some insight into your own behavior: Are you a "head" person or a "heart" person?
The concept of where your true self is located -- either in your heart or in your brain -- has been explored in several studies over the last few years. In 2013, researchers Adam Fetterman and Michael Robinson analyzed questionnaires from North Dakota State University undergraduate students, finding the responses revealed a lot of clues about the students' personlities, like whether they made decisions based on emotions or logic. Other studies have also found that thinking with either your heart or your head may yield certain views on political topics and what types of charities you align with.
Take the quiz below to find out if you "think" more with your heart or your head:
Got your results? Below is a breakdown of what makes you a head person or a heart person, based on the research published on the subject.
Heart people...
- Characterize themselves as emotional and interpersonally warm
- Put emphasis on interpersonal intimacy in their relationships, such as discussing how they're feeling with another
- Rely on how they're feeling in order to make a moral decision, rather than making one based on rational considerations
- Experience greater negative emotions when they're stressed
- Support heart-disease charities (like coronary artery disease)
- Place greater value on belonging to social groups
Head people...
- Characterize themselves as more rational and interpersonally independent
- Enjoy intellectual challenges
- Take logic and rational characterizations into consideration when making decisions, rather than making a choice based on what they're feeling
- Have a higher grade point average as students and higher scores in general knowledge questions
- Support brain-disease charities (like Alzheimer's disease)
- May be drawn to people with similar intellect
Like most personality types, each characterization has its own strengths and weaknesses. While heart people are more agreeable, they also have a high reactivity when it comes to stress (which has terrible health outcomes). On the flip side, head people may be more intelligent and reasonable, but they also may be a little more cold and isolated in social settings (also not so great for health).
Even though research behind personality traits can be slightly dubious -- it can be difficult to nail down the hard science since humans are so complex -- some benefits can still be gleaned from figuring out what makes people tick. Researchers believe this particular personality distinction may offer some insight into other areas of people's lives, including what type of career to pursue or even what type of romantic partner is a good match.
However, for those who identify with both heart and head, never fear. There's plenty of other personality measurements to help you figure out your own character profile (shoutout to our fellow Type A-Highly Sensitive-Heart People!).
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