11 Signs You're A Type B Personality (And Proud Of It)
Who doesn't love being the flexible, relaxed, and chronically late friend?
Viktoriia Hnatiuk | Shutterstock Largely considered to be the carefree, relaxed, and flexible person in everyone's lives, people with Type B personalities tend to be more patient than their Type A counterparts. Despite being largely characterized by their excellent listening skills and warmth within social connections, many people struggle to understand where their own personality falls on the scale developed by cardiologists Meyer Freidman and Ray Rosenman.
For others, they're openly self-aware (and passionate) about their Type B tendencies, but relatively ignorant to the day-to-day struggles and habits they fall victim to. From cleaning, to planning schedules, to working in the office, there's several signs you're a Type B personality and proud of it.
Here are 11 signs you’re a Type B personality — and proud of it
1. You accidentally double book yourself
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With a more carefree approach than the typical nature of an over-planning, overly excited Type A friend, people with a Type B personality may find themselves accidentally making plans with the same person at the same time, scheduling a trip during a birthday, or even missing work because of a misinterpreted schedule.
They're not careless, but rather, more concerned with what's happening to them in the present moment. They're actively listening to the people around them, supporting them from a genuine place, and carefully integrating empathy into conversations. Who else has time to ensure their planner is perfectly curated before saying "yes" to two different plans?
2. Your phone is always on low battery
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As psychology professor Kendra Cherry suggests about personality types, everyone — whether they're Type B or Type A — will exhibit some of the same character traits across their lives, but usually each Type exhibits some more than the other, characterizing their personalities at a broad level.
The flexibility and carefree nature of Type B people means they often don't plan ahead, especially when it comes to phone usage in a social setting or situation. They may have forgotten a charger, left it unplugged all night, or simply wasted the battery in passing without considering their later usage.
Of course, Type A personalities have also probably let their phones die at some point, but it's the intentionality of their actions and a characteristically aggressive attitude that sets them apart.
3. You lose your wallet, purse, or a credit card daily
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Typically broad-minded, creative in innovating, and imaginative, it's not uncommon for Type B people to also be occasionally absent-minded while they're lost in thought or fully engaged in a social interaction. This absent-mindedness, according to Harvard psychology professor Daniel Schacter, is a very common experience that influences the tendency to misplace objects and lose things like a wallet, purse, or credit card, that you might even use every day.
"[It's] a breakdown at the interface of attention and memory," Dr. Schacter told The Washington Post about absent-mindedness, "where we're focused on something other than the object we're about to lose — be it the TV remote or a phone or glasses."
4. You have thousands of unread emails or messages
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According to psychologist Larry Rosen, acknowledging a bunch of unread messages or unopened emails can spark the release of stress-based neurotransmitters that contribute to anxiety. For Type B people, who tend to have overflowing inboxes, it's easier to ignore this stress by subsequently ignoring the little red notifications.
Type B people recognize that monitoring and organizing that inbox, a tendency Type A people often prioritize, is going to cause them unnecessary stress, so they avoid it. This self-awareness is a specific "type of intelligence," according to Dr. Rosen, that helps them to continue living in the present moment and sidestep the consequences of anxiety.
5. You struggle to be on time
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People with laid-back personality types and less achievement-oriented attitudes — otherwise considered "Type B" — are more likely to experience chronic lateness in their daily routines, according to a research study from psychologist Jeff Conte.
With a tendency to multitask or procrastinate certain tasks until the last minute, Type B people are more likely to be late than everyone else, as their mind is preoccupied with the awareness of whatever they are doing in that present moment.
6. Nearly all your clothes are stained or wrinkled
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With a tendency to procrastinate and an aura of impulsivity, it's a glaring sign that you're a Type B personality if you frequently run out of clean clothes or forget to stain-treat a dirty shirt.
For Type B individuals, It's not a characteristic that makes them an unclean person, just an occasionally forgetful one. This can also mean your laundry hamper is overflowing and you ran out of laundry detergent weeks ago — it's okay to own it!
7. You rely heavily on spell-check
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According to the book "Quiet: The Power of Introverts In a World That Can't Stop Talking," it's not entirely possible to assign Type A and B personalities to being either entirely introverted or extroverted; however, there are many Type B tendencies that align with introverted personalities. With that in mind, a 2016 study published in PLOS One argues that introverted people are more likely to rely on spell-check, aggregated by grammatical mistakes or typos.
Especially when communicating with other people online, where typos and grammatical errors can relay a sense of ingenuity or passiveness, Type B people tend to invest extra time in ensuring they're crafting the right message to send. They're carefree, but they're also intentional, especially when it comes to social interactions and conversations.
8. You've always been the class clown
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According to 2014 research from the Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, Type B personalities still have the privilege of being academically successful in the classroom in many cases, but they're less achievement-oriented. They work hard, without becoming stressed over reaching milestones or hitting certain achievements.
Without the aggressive and anxiety-ridden approach to social academic spaces, Type B personalities are able to have intentional conversations — even if they're sparked by humor — with their peers. They're the class clowns, the talkative neighbor, or the person willing to help you on a question when you're stuck. They're less competitive, especially in the classroom, and more flexible and adaptable to whatever comes their way.
9. You can relax in a messy house
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According to psychologist Dr. Sherrie Bourg Carter, stress can be sparked by the feelings of overstimulation a messy home often evoke. But for Type B personalities, they're less threatened by clutter. Instead of stress-cleaning their entire home after work, unable to relax or unwind with dirty dishes in the sink or an unmade bed, a Type B person simply "goes with the flow."
They live in the present moment, and if rest and relaxation is what they need, they're going to get it. The same goes for making social plans when there's a deadline or chores to do — they'll get to it at some point, but they're wickedly good at centering what's beneficial to them in the present moment.
10. You change your furniture layout often
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According to a 2017 study from Current Psychiatry Reports, impulsivity is a common trait in people with Type B personalities, but not necessarily in the constant ways that evoke stress, emotional instability, and increased distress.
This momentary impulsivity is more influential on the daily lives of Type B people — they may jump in the car for a road trip, call into work at the last minute, or even change the furniture around in their room a few times in the same month. They're flexible and adaptable; it's in their nature. If they don't feel like they're being served by the state of the current moment, they're not afraid to change things around.
11. You check engine light is always on
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Procrastination, a tendency that Type A people absolutely loathe according to a 2016 study, is one of the popular signs you're a Type B personality and proud of it in many cases. You may be criticized for procrastinating something important that evokes an unfamiliar nature of stress into your life, but you're also the best person to get it done.
Despite being fully aware of the systems that ensure procrastination is avoided, Type B people continuously seek the thrill of finishing a project or making a plan at the very last moment. They have a better sense for the present moment, what they need, and how to make the best use of their time under pressure, whereas Type A people need planning and control to feel secure.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango who focuses on health and wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.