Swipe right: online dating for the real worldOnline dating This article is more than 8 years oldShould I include my Myers-Briggs results in my dating profile?
This article is more than 8 years oldSwipe Right is our advice column that tackles the tricky world of online dating. This week: can a multiple-choice personality test help me find better matches?
- Got your own online dating quandaries? Send ’em to Eva: askevaguardian@gmail.com
Dear Eva,
I recently took the Myers-Briggs (MBTI) personality test for the first time and have been reading about my results online. Some people believe that knowing your partner’s personality type is a key indicator in how well matched you are for each other. Do you think it’s it worth including my Myers-Briggs results in my dating profile?
Hey, you.
I too, recently took an MBTI test, as part of a team-building initiative at work (being your online dating expert is, alas, not my only job). I found the results to be very revealing about things that I already knew about myself; it was somewhat similar to the time that I went to a psychic and she told me that I am mostly happy but have also sometimes experienced great sadness.
Dating online seems to promise us that it’s possible to extrapolate compatibility from data, that we can reduce ourselves to a few traits, find someone else with complementary traits and book a wedding venue. But, of course, anyone who has had a bad date with someone they met online can confirm that shared characteristics and interests with an individual does not guarantee that you’ll want to have a relationship, or even a second drink, with them.
Does the MBTI have any validity when it comes to better and worse romantic partnerships? Personally, if I see a man has listed his MBTI results on his profile I don’t get in touch, not because I think I could never love an INFJ (or whatever), but because I feel it indicates a certain lack of creativity to rely on a multiple-choice test to describe yourself rather than, you know, just describing yourself.
But, you don’t have to go out with me! Some people love MBTI. And if you also love it, there’s a chance that posting your result may help you find someone with whom you can spend many happy hours discussing whether you like to attend parties and how organized you are. So, just as I would never discourage you from mentioning any other hobby that is dear to your heart, feel free.
Love,
Eva
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