People Fall Into 4 Distinct Personality Types, According To Study
Science has discovered that there are four main personality types.
ShotPrime Studio / Shutterstock Determining personality types and dominant personality traits have come a long way since the fun magazine quizzes that we did in middle school.
Personality types have officially crossed over into our adult lives and they've become a whole lot more complicated than they used to be. Instead of answering some quick questions to determine who our ideal celeb crush is or which character you are from a popular movie, we now have more intricate tests that reveal much deeper insight into ourselves.
Personality types have taken on a whole new meaning and importance to us as we try to know more about who we are as individuals. We're now trying to understand what makes us the complex humans that we are.
In fact, personality type analysis has basically become a science of its own. Scientists who study personality believe that it is an ever-changing phenomenon, where people are constantly morphing from certain personality traits to others as they grow older.
However, a new study has now determined that there may be four common types most people fall under.
Researchers at Northwestern University discovered these four distinct types from data that was gathered from online quizzes taken by people all over the world. The data taken was then applied to what is known as the Big Five basic personality traits considered by many contemporary personality psychologists to represent the "basic dimensions of personality."
The "big 5" traits are agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion.
After this research was complete, the four main types became apparent.
So what are these four distinct personality types? And which one might you fall under?
Here is some more information on the four main personality types people will fall under, based on this study.
1. Average
This is the most common category, hence why it's called average. In regards to the Big Five traits, those falling under this type scored high in extraversion and neuroticism and low in openness. The study also found that women are more likely to make up this type than men.
2. Self-Centered
If you're a male teenager, then you're most likely to be this type. This personality type scores the highest in extraversion, but considerably low in conscientiousness, openness, and agreeableness. According to researchers of the study, most teenage boys constitute this type.
The good news is that many people with this type will grow out of it as it was found that the amount of people making up this personality lessens with age.
3. Reserved
This is the most emotionally stable of the four types. These people are not particularly neurotic or open, but they do score low on extraversion. They're also usually conscientious and agreeable individuals.
4. Role Models
This is the fourth personality type and it's not hard to understand why they're called the role models.
As high scorers in every Big Five trait with the exception of neuroticism, this is probably the most coveted type. Luckily, it's also pretty attainable as the probability of a person falling under this type will become a greater possibility as you get older.
These people are reliable leaders who are always ready for new ideas. There's also some serious girl power going on with this type. It's much more likely for women to be this personality than it is for men.
Although four main types were revealed in the study, one of the paper's authors, William Revelle stressed that it's important to realize that these four personality types will not apply to everyone. "These statistical learning algorithms do not automatically produce the right answer," says Revelle.
"What we're describing is the likelihood of being at certain parts of that distribution; we're not saying that everyone is in one of those four categories."
Sloane Solomon is an editor and writer for YourTango, covering pop culture, lifestyle, love, and relationships.