From: Quartz
We took the world’s most scientific personality test—and discovered unexpectedly sexist results
Personality tests are both incredibly popular and largely bogus. BuzzFeed made its name in part by publishing quizzes telling readers which ‘90s kid they are, which Friends character they are, which Disney princess they are, and…well…which Disney princess they are, really. None of these have any scientific basis. Then there’s the somewhat more reputable Myers-Briggs test, inspired by Jungian theories about personality types. Some 2.5 million people take it every year, and 88% of Fortune 500 companies use it. Despite its reputation, however, the Myers-Briggs has poor scientific validity.
There is one personality test that is far and away more scientifically valid than any of the others: the “Big Five.”
The Big Five evaluates personality by measuring—as the name suggests—five personality traits: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, each on a continuous scale. Studies have shown it that it effectively predicts behavior, and the test is often used in academic psychological personality research. People who score higher in conscientiousness tend to work harder, for example, while more neurotic personalities are more prone to anxiety and depression.
Despite its scientific validity, and even with the contemporary fascination with personality tests, the Big Five is relatively unpopular outside of academia. A recent FiveThirtyEight article on the subject suggested that personality scientists haven’t effectively marketed the one credible personality test.
But there are serious concerns not just with the marketing of the test, but with how it’s presented to a public audience. Despite the scientific rigor around the Big Five in academia, many online versions of the test are designed to give sexist results.
Read the whole story (subscription may be required): Quartz
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I like doing personality test for fun however logically I find they are only accurate for how how the person is feeling at the moment they take the test or where they’re at in life We are constantly changing so I think our personalities are constantly changing like somebody going and taking a test for depression if they are going though a major life change the test will most likely say they have major depression however if that person taking the test on a “good” day with little stress could come up with the result of dysthymia. I think it would be better to come up with a test that shows what a person’s morals or values are as I find this would give us a better understanding of who the person is are you a person who is empathetic are you a person who selfish a narcissist that’s what I want to know about a person’s personality and I find that those are things are core personality traits and never change no matter what a person’s going through or where they’re at in life.
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