In this edition of the JPT-RD, we summarize five studies. Akber discusses a study on correlations between MBTI^® personality preferences and Ekman’s six emotions, and Furnham presents an analysis correlating type with emotional intelligence (EQ). An unusual and interesting study from Gindre on embodied cognition finds a connection between type preferences and the biomechanics of runners. The summaries are rounded out with Liying’s study exploring the relationship between job satisfaction and well-being in working college students, and Thompson’s dissertation that focused on the impact of personality awareness on perceived influence of new leaders.

We have a special editorial section in this JPT-RD, the Editor’s Note, where I highlight a group of articles that didn’t make it into this edition yet circle a topic that I think readers will find as current, relevant, and interesting as our team did. These articles from East Asia analyze the impact and meaning of the rise of the MBTI model as a cultural phenomenon in the younger generation in China and South Korea.

As always, we offer opportunities at the end of each section for your comments and to request copies of the articles for yourself.

There are two worlds of the MBTI^® model and system: professional application with individuals, and online social identity and entertainment. At Myers & Briggs Foundation, we work in the former world with certified practitioners and researchers using the official MBTI assessments. While our efforts are in professional applications, the cultural and online phenomenon of the MBTI model does not escape us; it can be frustrating in its shallowness and inaccuracies about the assessment, yet it is also fascinating and entertaining.

Our selection criteria for the Journal of Psychological Type Research Digest are publication in a peer-reviewed journal or venue with a selective editing process and the use of the official MBTI assessment or analyses of the MBTI/Jungian theory and model. Each year, our team vets and selects articles and studies from publications around the world; as you can imagine, there are many candidates. Some years our selection process is harder than others, but each year, we see trends in research topics.

This year, the world of the online cultural phenomenon of MBTI personality type appeared on our radar of vetted articles in five articles. These publications did not use the MBTI assessment and did not make it into the Research Digest, but they are focused on an important emerging trend and concern with younger people in Chinese and South Korean culture, where the cultural phenomenon of MBTI personality type is exploding and creating a virtual world of its own with significant impact on young people.

The authors describe this trend as people becoming “virtual subjects” in virtual communities, where the MBTI model is moving from a personality assessment used in professional development to a social identity and cultural phenomenon.

While we do not work in this world of the MBTI personality type as an online social identity or entertainment, we are highlighting these articles because they discuss important topics for all of us: the uncertainty that existing in an online world and within virtual communities fosters, particularly the uncertainty of identity and the need for social identity and belonging. The authors analyze how to sustain virtual communities that work and discuss the threat of social labels, stigmatizing, and stereotyping. We think these are relevant concerns for everyone, but especially for the younger generations.

There are five pieces—four from China and one from South Korea. I encourage you to access and read them. Through the explosion of MBTI personality type in their cultures, the authors discuss the global reality of social media and living more and more virtually online, how this transforms personal identity into social identity, and how it impacts traditionally collective cultures to move towards individualism.

Reach out to our librarian, Logan, at library@myersbriggs.org, if you are interested in reading any of the articles discussed and cited below.

Lee, H., & Shin, Y. (2024). A study on MBTI perceptions in South Korea: Big data analysis from the perspective of applying MBTI to contribute to the sustainable growth of communities. Sustainability, 16(10), 4152.

Wang, C., Gao, Y., & Xie, Y. (2024). Analyzing the dissemination of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) in China: A case study of Weibo and Xiaohongshu Texts. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Public Management and Intelligent Society.

Wang, M. (2024). Fluid modernity and virtual communities: An analysis of the popularity of MBTI on social media. Communications in Humanities Research, 46(1), 167–173.

Wu, W., Hao, W., Zeng, G., & Du, W. (2024). From personality types to social labels: the impact of using MBTI on social anxiety among Chinese youth. Frontiers in Psychology, 15.

Yueying, Y. Z. Z. (2024, July 16). Focus on the phenomenon of “MBTI fever” among young people and beware of the dangers of excessive addiction. China Psychology Network.

Personality and emotional expression have always been deeply related. In this study, the authors link MBTI^® personality preferences to Ekman’s six emotions (joy, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, surprise). Their objective was to automate the process of determining the relationships between personality traits and emotions.

The study has two phases: one in which machine learning models are trained on datasets labeled with emotions and the second in which the models then trained the patterns of emotional expression they learned on targeted datasets of social media posts in which the MBTI type of the users was known.

With an overall accuracy rate of 85.23%, the study finds links between each MBTI preference and the Ekman emotions. The study reveals that preferences for Extraversion (E), Sensing (S), and Feeling (F) are more likely to share joyful and surprising emotional posts, while preferences for Intuition (N), Thinking (T), and Perceiving (P) traits tend to express negative emotions such as anger and disgust. Conversely, Introversion (I), Intuition (N), Thinking (T), and Judging (J) personalities are more inclined to share posts reflecting fear and sadness.

This study provides insights on how individuals with different personality preferences express emotions on social media. Tending to be more present and open to situations and others, preferences for Extraversion, Sensing, and Feeling might be expected to express more positive emotions, just as preferences for Intuition and Thinking may tend to more negative feelings as these preferences can draw a person away from the present or have a critical perspective on the present.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is a popular and relevant factor in understanding our relationship styles and how to improve them. As noted in Akber’s study presented above, personality is intimately related to emotional experience and expression, leading to levels of emotional intelligence as well. The author has published numerous papers analyzing large datasets from management consultancy firms, several highlighted here in the JPT-RD.

This current paper presents the results from analyses of two samples that took both the MBTI^® assessment (form G) and the EQ-I 2.0^® instrument. The author notes that correlations in both studies were significant but modest. In trait theory studies, trait Neuroticism was a significant negative factor of EQ; that is, high Neuroticism correlated significantly with lower EQ. The MBTI instrument, of course, does not have a similar scale for Neuroticism.

The findings from both studies confirm expectations in type theory and results from past studies: a preference for Feeling has higher EQ scores at the domain and facet levels. Further, preferences for Extraversion and Intuition also performed better than preferences for Sensing and Thinking, while preferences for Judging and Perceiving did not have significant correlations.

This is a study in embodied cognition, testing a hypothesis that motion is linked to personality. As personality is linked with so many human expressions, it seems likely that motion is one of them.

Specifically, this study explored whether personality traits could be linked to biomechanical variables that characterize running forms. To do this, 80 runners completed three randomized running trials of 50 meters. During these efforts, running biomechanics were measured: ground contact time, flight time, duty factor, step frequency, leg stiffness, maximal vertical ground reaction force, and maximal leg compression of the spring during stance.

Results found that preferences for Sensing and Intuition are associated with distinct running biomechanics. A Sensing preference demonstrated a more grounded running style, whereas a preference for Intuition demonstrated a more dynamic and elastic running style.

Even the words the authors used to describe the running styles resonate with the nature of Sensing and Intuition! Years of research has confirmed that personality type influences our emotional expression, EQ, career preferences and more, and now this study indicates that our personalities also influence the way runners use their lower limbs as springs. Fascinating!

This research sought to assess whether personality types and job satisfaction can be used to prevent the decline of well-being among working college students in China. It specifically examined the effects of MBTI^® preferences on job satisfaction and well-being.

A sample of n = 351 (18–26 years old; 58% male, 42% female) were given the MBTI assessment, Chinese Happiness Inventory, Psychological Wellbeing Scale, and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results showed that MBTI personality types significantly shape both job satisfaction and well-being. Preferences for Extraversion, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging predicted high job satisfaction and better well-being among the students. Job satisfaction was the mediating factor positively impacting the well-being of working students.

The findings demonstrate that understanding Myers-Briggs Type Indicator^® (MBTI) type impacts job satisfaction and well-being; in this study, preferences for ESTJ predicted higher job satisfaction and well-being. These results can be applied to other MBTI preferences and targeted to enhance the well-being of working college students in China and other countries, such as the United States, where more and more college students work while studying and have increasing pressure to choose a satisfying career.

In an age of rising technology, especially AI, the significance of the “human element” is also rising and will only increase. This small dissertation study examining the impact of personality awareness on the perceived influence of new leaders in higher education, aligns with the growing importance of self-awareness.

The study asked: how does an understanding (awareness) of one’s MBTI^® personality enhance or influence leadership effectiveness among new administrators? To answer this question, the author developed a professional development program incorporating the MBTI assessment for new administrators in a higher education setting.

Results indicate that increased self-awareness of personality type, particularly among extraverted participants, was linked to enhanced perceived influence competencies. However, introverted participants did not consistently report lower influence capacity. The integration of personality assessments, developmental workshops, and coaching significantly improved participants' self-efficacy, critical thinking, and application of influence strategies in practice.

Notably, coaching was perceived as a key factor in translating theoretical insights into actionable leadership behaviors, resulting in improved job satisfaction and performance. Again, the human touch in coaching demonstrates the continued relevance and need for person-to-person work.