Monday, August 19, 2019

Personal: Rick's Personality Test Results

The Anatomy of Love

Dr. Helen Fisher is a biological anthropologist who has studied components of "Love" and how to measure them. Her body of work goes back to the 1990's, and her career has generally been a continuation and refinement from that time.

Match.com ~ Dr. Fisher has been a consultant at Match.com for over a decade, and her personality tests provide input to Match members.

By the way, Fisher insists that Match is not a dating site: it is an introduction site.

In August 2019 I took the personality test at TheAnatomyofLove.com and I recorded the results below.


Friends/Family are welcome to drop me a note about whether they see this in me...

Rick's score on the Director scale is 29 out of a possible 42, or 69%.
Rick's score on the Explorer scale is 26 out of a possible 42, or 62%.
Rick's score on the Negotiator scale is 24 out of a possible 42, or 57%.
Rick's score on the Builder scale is 23 out of a possible 42, or 55%.

Participants are not likely to express all of the traits associated with these brain systems. But Rick expresses more of these two traits than those linked with the other two brain systems.

Hence Director/Explorer are Rick's primary and secondary types.

Rick's Primary personality type is Director.

DIRECTORS shoot for the stars. These men (and women) express traits linked with the testosterone system in the brain.

They tend to excel at analytical and strategic thinking. They are also direct, decisive, exacting and tough minded.

Directors are good at what scientists call “rule-based systems,” aptitudes such as higher math, mechanics, computers, engineering and/or music. And they are often competitive, as well as skeptical and emotionally contained.

Directors approach dating and relationships the same way they approach their other interests, by rationally analyzing their hopes, needs and intentions.

Foremost they seek a partner who shares their goals, as well as someone who is eager to exchange ideas, build theories and talk about science, philosophy, history or whatever interests them. To balance out their forthright style and tendency to make decisions quickly, Directors tend to gravitate to partners who weigh alternatives, listen actively, handle conflicts deftly and have other well-honed social skills.

Because they analyze their own emotions, as well as hide them, Directors tend to seek mates who are emotionally expressive. Because they have difficulty dealing with “controlling” people, they tend to be attracted to those who are flexible, even indecisive. Thus they often gravitate to Negotiators who have the empathy and emotional complexity to handle their forceful personalities.

Among Directors, opposites attract, like Negotiators.

Rick's Secondary personality type is Explorer.

EXPLORERS are born free. They express more of the traits linked with the dopamine system in the brain.

These men and women love novelty; they are willing to take risks to experience adventures of the mind and/or body. They are optimistic, energetic, spontaneous, mentally flexible, often generous and highly curious and creative. And they often seek a partner who will go adventuring with them: another Explorer.

Because they are friendly and enthusiastic, have little interest in rules or schedules, and have no desire to control others they can make a date feel comfortable quickly.

Explorers are also good at listening and talking. They are inquisitive, so they are likely to ask you about yourself in order to engage you and satisfy their curiosity.

But they tend to play the field and seek as much freedom and variety as possible—until they are ready to settle down.

Among Explorers, similarity attracts, so another Explorer is a good match.

Who meshes with Rick?


How Rick's PRIMARY personality type meshes with other types in a love relationship.
How Rick's SECONDARY personality type meshes with other types in a love relationship.



Rick as Director/Explorer with Rick's Partner: Negotiator/Director

How your primary types work together:

The Director and Negotiator naturally complement one another.

Although very different, your thinking meshes. Both of you dislike wasting time on superficial conversations; instead you both enjoy talking about the arts, philosophy, literature, science and/or politics.

Moreover, your focus is likely to be deep and narrow; while the Negotiator tends to see all the angles, the big picture. So you can surprise and delight each other with your knowledge and ideas. Moreover, both of you are mentally flexible, inventive and theoretical—giving you a real sense of intellectual and emotional unity.

You also have an exciting blend of social talents.

You tend to be forthright, concise and decisive; while the Negotiator is more socially nuanced, compassionate and better at putting others at ease with their verbal and people skills. You will be drawn to the Negotiator’s natural warmth, enthusiasm and tender-heartedness.

And the Negotiator will admire your sense of independence, self-discipline, frankness and goal-oriented ability to make decisions. Together you are a great team for making difficult decisions.

How your secondary types work together:

You have some other powerful things in common.

Both Explorers and Directors are theoretical, inventive and original, and love playing with ideas. So when you find topics of mutual interest, your conversations will be exciting.

The Director is likely to admire your curiosity, creativity and breadth of knowledge, while you will enjoy the Director’s analytical, informed mind.

Both types also tend to be highly independent, irreverent and daring, so each will appreciate these qualities in the other. Because you are also both deeply engaged in your own projects, neither is likely to be overly possessive of the other’s time either.

This trait in the Director is likely to be very comforting to a freedom-loving Explorer like you.

Look out for:

As a Director, you are not likely to be very introspective; you enjoy looking out, not in.

So the ruminating, self-examining Negotiator might push you to be emotionally expressive and self-revealing—things outside your comfort zone. You may also find the Negotiator to be indecisive and impractical, traits you don’t always respect.

But this is a powerful union. The Director needs the verbal talents, people skills and compassion of the Negotiator; and the Negotiator needs the decisive, forthright, tough-minded, independent spirit of the Director.

It’s a natural, exciting and formidable match.



Rick's partner as Director/Builder with Rick as a Director/Explorer

How your primary types work together:

When two Directors fall in love, they can be thrilling company for each other.

Both are highly analytical, informed, exacting and competent. Directors focus deeply on their interests and want to learn about those of their partner. So conversations can be detailed, inventive, theoretical and magnetic. Directors are natural “mind mates.” Moreover, they easily appreciate each other’s skeptical, realistic approach to data, ideas, people and social activities.

Directors also say what they mean. They are direct and decisive; both also like to debate; and both can appreciate the competitiveness and forthrightness of the other.

Neither will be interested in building elaborate social networks either; both want substantive conversations with a few close friends. Moreover, Directors are emotionally contained; so both naturally understand that still waters run deep: their love will be vibrant--yet perhaps not often verbally expressed.

How your secondary types work together:

The Builder and Explorer are polar opposites.

But, as a Builder, you can be very drawn to the energy, curiosity and adventure that the Explorer offers. And he/she is likely to be attracted to your grounded, outwardly calm, and cooperative nature. Moreover, you bring managerial savvy, the ability to plan, a love of tradition and a willingness to work patiently to build the partnership. Meanwhile, the Explorer is likely to be flexible, optimistic and grateful for your loyalty, competence and stamina. Together you will have both adventure and security.

Look out for:

Directors can be workaholics, wrapped up in their business and/or hobbies. So be sure to spend real time together. You also both like to debate, so be careful not to become too competitive with one another.

But if you make time for each other and argue constructively, you are likely to make a deeply satisfying partnership, based on loyalty, a shared vision of the future and deeply satisfying conversations as “mind mates.”



Rick's friends and family are invited to tell him whether they see these traits in him.

No comments:

Post a Comment