It was a fairly dull weekend, watching paint dry....seriously...we’ve have been revamping the bathroom and downstairs cloakroom. Anyway, I took the BBC’s Big Personality Test, which works out your ‘Big Five’ personality traits, namely...
Openness - how receptive you are to novel ideas, creative experiences and different values.
Conscientiousness - to what extent you are organised, strategic and forward-planning.
Extroversion - how inclined you are to experience positive emotions and how attracted you are to social, stimulating experiences.
Agreeableness - to what extent you are concerned about the feelings of others and how easily you form bonds with people.
Neuroticism - to what extent you react to perceived threats and stressful situations.
Here’s how I scored:
Here's the blurb that came with the result...think it should be taken with a hefty dose of "Let's not take this too seriously now":
1. Openness: Low score
"This trait is sometimes known as ‘Openness to experience’. People with scores like yours tend to have a less broad range of interests. They usually stick to what they know rather than being overly enthusiastic about trying new things. You may find that generating lots of imaginative ideas is not your biggest strength. It has been suggested that Openness is related to a person's likelihood to hold unusual beliefs. People with low-to-medium Openness may therefore be less likely to believe in things like conspiracy theories."
Nat: OK, so, basically, I’m a boring old fart....although I’ll try most things once, often with disastrous outcomes (such as paragliding and skiing). No plans to go skydiving or bungee jumping or go running off to join the "Elvis Is Alive and Lives in Area 51" followers.
2. Conscientiousness: Medium score
"Conscientiousness describes how dependable, organised and hard-working a person is likely to be. This may be the reason why, of all the personality traits, Conscientiousness is the most consistent indicator of job success. People with scores like yours are less likely to be workaholics, instead achieving a good work-life balance."
Nat: Probably true...I’d say my work is important, but I don’t live to work. I will get a job done, on time and properly, but I know when to call it a day.
"Conscientiousness often gives clues to the amount that a person plans. You probably enjoy planning aspects of your life and may indulge in occasional list-making, but you are unlikely to be averse to behaving spontaneously."
Nat: I’ve been known to do a bit of planning in my time....I recall my soon-to-be-father-in-law joking that I’d planned our wedding in finer detail than the D-Day Landings at Normandy were ever planned.
"Some studies have shown the more Conscientious an individual is, the more disciplined they are likely to be about exercise and diet."
Nat: Ummm.....I’m working on it.....
3. Extroversion: Medium score
"Extroversion is characterised by positive emotions and the tendency to seek out pleasure-stimulating or risk-taking activities. People with scores like yours are likely to be comfortable meeting new people and will usually enjoy social occasions. You are likely to have a generally positive outlook on life and may display a greater gift for leadership compared to those with low scores on this trait."
Nat: True to a point....I think.
4. Agreeableness: Medium score
"Agreeableness measures how sympathetic and considerate a person is likely to be. People with scores like yours are likely to show concern for the feelings of others and will be inclined to help those in need. You probably find it easy to get along with most people, but you won't be averse to speaking your mind."
Nat: I'd say I get on with most people and have found a way to work with some very difficult personality types. I think I was a lot more sarcastic and argumentative in my 20s, more likely to have a heated debate with someone with a strongly different opinion. I came across a lot of chauvinism early on in my life and I still have no tolerance for it.
5. Neuroticism: High score
"In the context of the Big Five personality traits, the term 'Neuroticism' relates to a person’s response to threatening or stressful situations. People with scores like yours may find that they often feel tense or anxious, and may well experience changeable moods."
Nat: Me...tense or anxious....never!
"Some scientists have suggested that Neuroticism was beneficial in evolutionary terms. Early man may have found it advantageous to live in a population where certain individuals had a high sensitivity to threats to the group's survival."
Nat: So, I would have been the one keeping an eye out for rampaging woolly mammoths....or sabre toothed tigers prowling outside the cave?
"There is evidence to suggest that Neuroticism, when combined with high scores in personality traits such as Conscientiousness, can result in a powerful work ethic and a will to succeed."
Me: Well, at least we end on a positive note (see Extroversion).
