Personality Tests: Time to Get Personal!
Personality tests are just plain fun for some of us! We like learning about what makes us tick. By design, these tests reveal character traits in a variety of settings. They are a means to identify one’s emotional makeup, motivators, preferences, and interests.
Many of us have taken personality tests for various reasons. Myers-Briggs, DiSC, and the Enneagram are popular type-based assessments, although considered the least scientific. Academics criticize them as stereotypical oversimplifications that are based on inborn or dominant traits from childhood.
The article Personality Tests suggests the Big Five Personality Test is a scientifically validated and reliable psychological model to validate personality. It considers five factors: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness as measured against the general population. It can provide insight into your own personality and help you better understand others.
I Confess, I Like the Enneagram!
While the Enneagram seems to land in the non-scientific category, it is the most insightful personality assessment I’ve taken to date. Scientific, mystical or under whatever category it may fall, I find it quite revealing. There are just some things that science cannot explain!
When I read my Enneagram results, I felt like I found the missing link in my personality. I gained a real understanding of the core beliefs driving my deepest motivations and fear. I also learned about my shadow side, not an easy pill to swallow, but useful in self-development.
You can learn more about the Enneagram by viewing The 9 Enneagram Personality Types Explained – Ian Cron. Also, you can access a free Enneagram test, as well as a free version of the other personality tests mentioned in this post, at Truity.com. There are also many other online sources that provide free versions of these personality tests.
I’m Retired, Why Do I Need to Take a Personality Test?
Research suggests certain personality traits may affect longevity and play a role in happy, healthy aging. This provides an incentive for all of us to reevaluate our personality traits. Armed with knowledge, we may choose to tweak our personalities in a way that is more beneficial to our health and wellbeing.
We could also use the results as a retirement planning tool. Based on the same, how might you structure your retirement in compliment with your preferences and interests? Your results could show you are not ready to retire. They might also guide you in finding the right fit for volunteer opportunities.
The Two Most Crucial Traits that Predict Successful Aging
As reported in Can Personality Traits Slow Down Cognitive Decline and Aging?, which is based on the work of Dr. Daniel Levitin, of the six most impactful factors of healthy aging, five are direct features of personality: conscientiousness, openness, sociability, curiosity, and resilience. The sixth is healthy practices.
Dr. Levitin suggests that those who are conscientious are reliable and dependable, and that these traits lead to proactive behavior in terms of healthy diet, getting yearly physicals, and saving money – all things associated with brain health and living a long life.
Further, openness is increasingly important as we age because we tend to want to not do new things and just do the things we’ve always done, which can cause a more rapid cognitive decline. This is an interesting article, and I encourage you to read in full, including proper citations and sources.
Sure, A Personality Test May Take a Bit of Time and Effort
There are several reasons to take a personality test as you age. It may take a bit of time and effort, but at the very least, your results may provide you with a broader understanding of yourself and how you interact with others!
Let’s Have a Conversation
Do you believe personality tests are useful in the aging process? If so, what are some ways you would make use of the results? Which personality test is your favorite and why?
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Disappointed when you portray Truity as offering free personality tests. I took the time to answer the questions and discovered that the results cost $29. Reluctant now to read your articles or trust your recommendations!
Linda – I don’t blame you and I’m so sorry! I believed it to be free. I did look at the questions on the tests, but did not fully take the tests since I’ve previously tested elsewhere. Also, point taken about giving out your info to just any website. Finding a reputable website is important, and it may or may not include a fee. Again, my apology having posted misleading info. Thank you for pointing it out, and I hope I’ll be able to rebuild trust in the future.
Linda – I’d like to follow-up once more on this. To clarify, I just went online and took the enneagram test and did get a free result. They do charge a fee if you want a full analysis (as do most websites). Thanks so much again for communicating your concerns.
I’ve been using Truity for many years now and they do offer a free test and you can choose to pay for the full report which goes into more detail. But the free option still provides your type and a pretty good description of the type including all the unique traits and many other things. I find it hard to believe someone would just go to a site and take a somewhat personal test and provide payment information without reading anything about the process. Blaming the author of this article was uncalled for. I’m pretty sure they are not the ones who provided your financial information. I’m an Enneagram Type 8, The Protector or The Challenger. One of the main traits we have is justice and fairness for all people. And we don’t mind at all coming to the defense of those being injustly treated. The worst part about it is, how many people came here and were genuinely interested in learning about their personality, but they read your comment and decided against it. And they missed out on an opportunity to solve a problem that’s been plaguing their life for many years, like it did for myself and many other people. Now who’s fault would that be?
I think personality tests are very useful throughout life. Im consistently a particular personality type in the Myers Briggs. Im the type that is analytical and searches for deeper understanding, more meaning, and have deep interest in understanding the mind ‘ so no wonder i think personality tests are useful!.
I do think it is important to understand yourself and lean into it.
I did try the enneagram but didnt like it….i found myself wanting to expla
in my answers!
Personality test is good because it will give you a sense of direction.
It is important to understand yourself to have a good relationship with others.
💯 this story is spot on and touched upon everything about aging well and reasons to reassess our set ways! I just took the Enneagram test again and I agree that it’s among the best – unscientific, mystical or not! :)
Be AWARE the personality test leads you along and then the 1.99 charge at the completion is really a 28.00 fee to continue monthly. Don’t BITE.
Online personality tests are data mines. I think it is foolish to give away your personal information…you don’t know who is going to use it!