Tell Me Who I Am: The Ever-Lasting Pull of Personality Tests

In this Interintellect salon, Nastasia Griffioen will lead an exploration of personality tests, and why we just can’t seem to get enough of them.

What kind of cat are you? What type of clown are you attracted to? Are you a gryphon or a mermaid? Which Game of Thrones character are you? Although this probably isn’t what a great Greek thinker had in mind when he wrote his famous “γνῶθι σεαυτόν” (“gnothi seauton”, translated as “know thyself”), personality tests somehow never cease to lose their charm. Over the years, hundreds of such tests have been made by scientists and fandom enthusiasts alike. I wonder, which one is your favourite?

In this salon, we will explore some of the mysterious charms of these tests: what makes them so appealing? Do their outcomes ever feel wrong? And if not, how come? What is it about these results that makes them so one-size-fits-all-y? More importantly, are there dangers to these prophecy-like descriptions? Join us for a salon about this phenomenon that is so personal and yet so universal. We might even do a test together… Are you ready to tell us who you are?

Good to check out prior to the Salon:

• Short intro into the queen of all personality tests, the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
• Fun video of an MD (who is by some very aptly described as a human golden retriever) taking the MBTI and also discussing some problems with personality tests (for the latter, skip to 10:00). 
• Curious what the MBTI would say about you? Feel free to try it out on yourself here.
• Short reflection on why we might like personality tests

Timezones:

• New York: 13:00 – 16:00
• London: 18:00 – 21:00
• Amsterdam: 19:00 – 22:00
• Mumbai: 22:30 – 01:30

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