PersonaBubble Blog | Personality Test

Strange superstitions

by Katie April 13, 2012

It’s the second Friday the 13th of the year and for those of you who suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th) you won’t be pleased to hear there’s another to come in June. Whether you believe today is unlucky or not, there are plenty of other superstitions held by people across the UK, so we decided to take a look at some research which explores them further.

More than 60 million people worldwide are claimed to suffer from a fear of Friday the 13th and according to research 14 million adults regularly carry out superstitious behaviour, like touching wood and avoiding cracks in the pavement.

A survey conducted by Prof Richard Wiseman at the University of Hertfordshire revealed that 77% of people were at least a little superstitious or carried out superstitious behaviour and surprisingly 25% of these people had backgrounds in science.

Here are some of the most popular superstitions among those surveyed:

Touch wood 74%
Fingers crossed 65%
Avoiding ladders 50%
Smashing mirrors 39%
Carrying charm 28%
Number 13 26%

What’s most interesting about Wisemans study is that he discovered that people with certain types of personality are more likely to be superstitious than others.

Apparently, people who tend to worry about life are far more superstitious than others – “50% of those surveyed who claimed to be worriers were very/somewhat superstitious.” It also appeared that people who have a strong need for control in their lives are far more superstitious than others who don’t – “42% of people indicating high need for control were very/somewhat superstitious”.

Wiseman also discovered a significant gender difference, with 51% of women saying that they were very/somewhat superstitious compared to just 29% of men. Wiseman suggests that this might be due to “women having lower self-esteem and less perceived control over their lives, than men.”

Finally Wiseman asked participants about their personal superstitions, to which 25% of respondents admitted to having. These ranged from wearing lucky t-shirts and having lucky numbers. He did, however, find some more unusual behaviors and beliefs, such as:

Avoiding staying in the bathroom once the toilet has been flushed.
Drawing a smiley face in a free pint of Guinness.
Leaving a house by the same door used to enter.
Never having the volume on a car stereo set to volume 13.
When a clock has matching numbers, such as 12:12, having to say 1212 out loud.
When seeing a hearse, touching your collar until you see a bird.

How do you feel about superstitions and do you think certain personality types are more likely to believe them than others? Maybe you have a strange personal superstition- let us know in the comments section below

To see more from Richard Wisemann’s report visit his website here

Introverts, have the courage to speak up softly!

by Katie April 3, 2012

J.K Rowling, Steve Wozniak, Dr Seuss and Gandhi – What do all of these people have in common? Just like half the population, and half of all PersonaBubble users, they are all classed as introverts.

Susan Cain author of a new book QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, believes that, in today’s society, the value of introverts is being ignored. I recently had the opportunity to hear her speak at the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival ( sponsored by HSBC Premier) where she explored this concept further.

‘Faking it’
Cain, an introvert herself, began by describing her childhood, growing up in an introverted family where escaping into a good book was embraced and working alone in the classroom was the norm. This starkly contrasts many classrooms and even workplaces today, where people are encouraged to work in groups or in large open plan offices. She explained how this can result in introverts having to ‘fake it’: learning to go against their inclination of sitting back and thinking things through alone and becoming more of the outgoing, outspoken personalities we’ve come to associate with success today. This is why you might be surprised that even influential people like Barack Obama and Google co-founder Larry Page are introverts, they are just good at hiding it.

Introversion isn’t about being shy
Cain was keen to distinguish the difference between introversion and shyness explaining that, introversion and extraversion refer to how you react and cope with outside stimulation whereas shyness is related to a fear of being judged by those around you. And apparently it’s even possible to measure this in the make-up of your brain. Extraverts have shown to possess more active reward networks in their brains than introverts. This means that when extroverts are confronted with the prospect of reward, getting a promotion, winning money, etc., they get more excited than introverts typically would. This explains why introverts are usually more cautious; they aren’t distracted by the excitement of the reward and can therefore read more of the danger signals.

Celebrate your introversion!

If you’ve taken the PersonaBubble personality test and discovered that you come outcloser to the introvert end of the scale, avoid the urge to see this as a weakness. Many of the world’s most influential people are introverts and it’s been shown that introverts often make better leaders. As Cain identified, they allow others the space to bring their ideas forward rather than speaking over them. In the case of Gandhi, his introversion was the reason he made such a great leader. He was driven by caring for his cause not his desire to be in the spotlight. A study of London investment bankers found that the most successful traders were introverts because they have a more wary and cautious approach to risk.

Cain ended the session by saying that although she wants introverts to be recognised, she doesn’t necessarily believe in promoting them as being better than extraverts. She identified that there are pros and cons to all types, and the ideal is creating a culture where introverts and extraverts can work together.

The points Cain raised in the discussion and her book are definitely thought-provoking and this is shown by the way her book has captured the imaginations of many arou d the globe. Here at PersonaBubble we certainly advocate embracing, and learning to work with, all types of personality and believe that understanding yourself and your own personality type is the first step towards this.

Find out if you’re an introvert ‘faking it’ as an extrovert by taking the PersonaBubble personality test. You’ll can also discover how others see you and find out how to get on better with other personality types by inviting and comparing personalities with your friends. Let us know what you discover below or over on our Twitter and Facebook pages.

Cat owners vs dog owners – how different are they?

by Katie April 2, 2012

Apologies if you fell for our little April fool’s day prank. Unfortunately we won’t be releasing a pet personality test any time soon, but to compensate, we thought we’d provide you with some insights into pet owners.

When thinking about your choice of pet, chances are you’re either a cat person or a dog person and many believe this is a good indicator of your personality. We are all aware of the stereotypes of the ‘crazy cat lady’ and dogs being a man’s best friend, but we wanted to find out how true these really are.

We surveyed a representative sample of the UK population about their personality and the type of pets they own and we made some interesting discoveries…

What we found out about cat owners:

more likely to find jobs involving self-expressive behavior appealing e.g. art, music, design, writing, acting and composing
more cautious in their approach to decision making than other pet owners
more introverted than other pet owners and non-pet owners
more independent: they enjoy making their own choices
more abstract thinking style than other pet owners and non-pet owners
focus more on theories and the bigger picture when making decisions
more open to new ideas and approaches and will enjoy experimenting with new solutions to problems
more likely to be aware/concerned about others’ feelings and reactions when making decisions.

What we found out about dog owners:

likely to find jobs which involve nurturing and caring more appealing e.g. nursing
more likely to have a warmer and more open personality than other pet owners and non-pet-owners
more likely to show interest in social contact and helping others.
more likely to be expressive and enthusiastic, may enjoy variety, excitement and spontaneity more than other pet owners.

What we can’t do from this research is identify why these differences occur. Instead, we can speculate that people attempt to find pets that match their character; it could be that cat owners like to keep more aloof, more independent pets because they reflect their own personalities; in contrast, the more sociable type drawn to dogs may be choosing them because they are a more social type of animal.

How much do you agree with this? Which pet do you prefer and how does you personality match the traits mentioned above. Take the PersonaBubble Personality test to find out and let us know your discoveries below.

PersonaBubble releases personality test for your pet!

by Katie April 1, 2012

Ever wondered why you really click with some animals and not others? Or which of your pets you are most like and why? Well now you can find out with our latest feature: PersonaBubble Pets.

Launching in the coming weeks, PersonaBubble Pets allows pet owners to explore the personality of their furry-friends using a unique, first-of-its-kind pet personality questionnaire.

PB Psychologist Rob Bailey explains
“ We’ve found that people love exploring their personality and comparing with their friends so we thought why not allow their pets in on the fun too? It took a few years of research but we’ve now cracked it and are really excited to be releasing thing to the public.” Interestingly, we’ve also found out what personalities different pet owners have – we saw that dog owners tend to be warmer, more friendly, but less intelligent than cat owners. (Sorry dog owners – that was all in the data.)

PersonaBubble Pets assesses the personality of the four most popular types of pets; cats, dogs, rodents and fish. It measures everything from ‘tail waggily-ness’ to ‘purr frequency’. The results generated can help you identify the personality for your pet and then compare them to yourself, your friends and even other pets.

We’ve already tested the new functionality with a few users and their pets, and the results have been extremely positive.

Mark from Oxford said, “ I found I always got on with one of my dogs better than the other, so I put them through PersonaBubble Pets . I discovered that Mr Pickles is more introverted than me and just prefers to have some quiet time now and again so I shouldn’t take it personally.”

Jess from London said, “I have both a cat and a dog and they’ve never seen to see eye-to-eye. It was starting to stress me out, so I put them through PersonaBubble and found out ways to help them get along better. Now Tigger and Gnasher are much closer, I came home the other day to find them snuggled up on the sofa together.”

We hope you are as excited as we are about these new features and expect to see them on site really soon. In the meantime, why not take our personality test for humans here.

Do we really become our parents? PersonaBubble helps you find out.

by Katie March 15, 2012

They say, at some point, we all turn into our parents and perhaps you’ve already had someone say you act exactly like your Mother or Father. But how similar are you really? In honour of Mother’s day, we asked two PersonaBubble users and their Mums to take our personality test and find out.

Jane and Denise

Denise and mum, Jane, both live in Oxfordshire and describe their relationship as being ‘very close’. Although they aren’t ‘living in each other’s pockets’ they know they’ll always be there for one another. Before taking the personality test, they both thought they were quite similar but they often had differing points of view on things such as morals and work ethic. Denise thought that she was more calm than her mum who, she thought, panicked quicker than her. When asked how similar they thought they were out of 100% Denise said 70% and Jane said 75%.

The Results:

Overall Similarity 83%

Overall we can see that Jane and Denise are more similar than they both predicted. Their main differences lie on the extraverion/introversion scale and the stable/reactive scale. We can see that Denise is slightly more extraverted than her Mum. They are both likely to be lively and enthusiastic and find it easy to talk to new people, although this could mean they often get carried away in their shared enthusiasm. Contradictory to what Denise thought, she is more reactive than her mum and a little more so than most people. This may mean that Denise may find change and disruption harder to deal with and be more prone to worrying. It will help if Denise can communicate with her mum to let her know that she’s may be finding things harder to cope with so that Jane can then offer her the support she needs.

Denise “I am surprised by our comparison, that I am more sensitive and more reactive than mum. I am also surprised by how similar our personalities are. I had always thought that I was calmer than my mum but I guess every time I have a worry I call my mum for her help and rely on her much more than I realised!”

Anahid and Margaret

Anahid lives in Kent while her Mum lives in the Republic of Ireland. Anahid describes herself as having ‘a great relationship’ with her Mum. ‘She is so encouraging, positive, loving and open. I can pretty much talk to Mum about anything.” They both agree that they are quite similar, outgoing and enjoy life but, Anahid believes her mum is more sensitive than her. When asked to give a similarity score out of 100% their answers were quite different with Anahid answering 75% and Margaret 90%.

The Results:

Overall Similarity: 60%

Anahid and Margaret’s results are surprisingly different considering they both thought they were quite similar. They show significant differences on nearly every scale but this does not mean that they don’t get along. Although Margaret is more extraverted that Anahid they are both more extraverted than most people and will probably find they both enjoy socialising and be very lively and enthusiastic. When it comes to structure, Margaret is likely to appreciate structure and planning more than Anahid, who will prefer to keep her options open. Therefore Margaret will probably appreciate if Anahid can make her mind up about plans a little earlier. We can also see that they score differently on the stable/reactive scale. As with Denise and Jane It will help if Anahid can communicate with her mum to let her know that she’s may be finding things harder to cope with.

Anahid, “I found it slightly surprising that my 64 year old Mum is more social than I am but on reflection I can’t seem to keep up with her going to events and openings like she does so it stands to reason.”“Mum loves a bit of structure and planning though whereas I like to get there minus the stress. If plans change I’m generally fine with that whereas Mum will flap a bit more.”

Margaret, “Anahid would be running on to the aircraft, with clothes jammed into a case. I would have packed the week before and I would want to be at the airport at least two hours BEFORE the check in time.I like the structure so I am prepared for any emergency.”

Anahid “I’ve learned we are not as similar as Mum thought we would be. If my Dad and I did this test it would probably be 99% alike but with my Mum we are like each other when it comes to core values and empathising with people but our approach to life is pretty different. Guess its a generation thing too!”

Have you used PersonaBubble to compare personalities with your parents? And did you get the results you expected? Let us know what you discovered and what you learned.

Get to know your friends better with PersonaBubble.

by Katie February 24, 2012

Whether you’re heading out to a party with your friends this weekend, or catching up with them on Facebook, why not add them to PersonaBubble first and discover more about each other.

Taking the PersonaBubble test and getting your results is one way PB can help you explore your personality, but in fact that’s just the beginning. Your initial results provide an insight into your personality and how you perceive yourself but what about your relationship with others? We all have friends who love to party and others who are great for a one-to-one chat. It’s these differences that make our friendships more interesting but sometimes they can cause misunderstandings.

For example, when planning a night out with my girlfriends, there is one friend we always invite but we know will never come out, or if they do, they don’t stay for long. Sometimes it can be hard not to take this personally but, as we’ve discovered in PersonaBubble, it may just be part of their personality.

People who fall closer to the introverted end of the PersonaBubble scale can find being around others quite draining, where as those at the opposite end find this energising. If your friend is an introvert they are more likely to prefer a night in with just a couple of other close friends rather than a night in a busy club. It doesn’t mean that your friend is antisocial it just means their style of socialising is different.

It’s differences like this that PersonaBubble can help you understand and deal with them. Taking the example of my friend above, we can see she is less extraverted than me and my other friends. PersonaBubble recommends that I should not assume that my friend is unhappy because she wants to be alone and that they would probably appreciate it if I let them have some quiet time, for example, not talking constantly when we are together!

PersonaBubble even lets us comment on our results, so my friend can let me know what she thinks of them. It may be that she agrees with the results, but she doesn’t mind that I talk a lot as long as I don’t do it throughout Desperate Housewives! It’s great because we can now make the most of our time together as we understand each other much better.

So before you get annoyed that your friend has bailed on you again this Saturday night, why not add them to PersonaBubble and you may discover that it’s not you it just their personality.

Famous fictional couples – how do their personalities compare?

by Katie February 14, 2012

To celebrate Valentine’s Day we thought it would be fun to compare the personalities of some our favorite fictional couples using PersonaBubble. Here’s what we discovered:

Kermit and Miss Piggy from the Muppets

Overall similarities 68%

Both Kermit and Miss Piggy have similar levels of extraversion and are a little more extraverted than most people, so they are both likely to seek the company of others and enjoy a lively party, which will be why they are never far away from the rest of the Muppets.

Where they clash:
Miss Piggy is likely to enjoy influencing others and getting her own way on things, whereas Kermit will be keener to avoid conflict and may be happy to do things Miss Piggy’s way. Kermit is a lot more likely to go with the flow than Miss Piggy as his scores fall closer to the flexible end of the scale. Miss Piggy scores fall closer to the reactive end of the scale, which means she is more likely to get stressed and being Miss Piggy, everyone is likely to know about it!

Ross and Rachel from friends

Overall Similarities 30%
With Ross and Rachel it really is a case of opposites attract, especially when you look at their personality profiles. It really does explain the on-again-off-again nature of their relationship.

Where they Clash:
Rachel is more extraverted than Ross and is likely to enjoy socialising and partying much more than he does. It does mean that Rachel will have a tendency to talk more and interrupt Ross. We can also see Ross is extremely structured, which may explain his geekiness and attention to detail, and why he feels the need to correct peoples grammar. Rachel is the opposite of Ross on this scale and, as Phoebe once described her, will probably come across as quite flakey,

Marge and Homer from the Simpsons

Overall Similarities 29%
Despite all they have been through Homer and Marge have always stuck together. And, although they do sit quite close to one another on most of the traits, there is a huge difference between them on the structured vs. flexible scale which is likely to be the cause of many of their disagreements.

Where they clash
Homer’s results place him at the flexible end of the scale, which means he takes a much more laid-back approach to life and doesn’t like rules and regulations. Marge, on the other hand, is happiest when she’s following the rules. Marge is super organised whereas Homer, unsurprisingly, is much more likely to be driven by is own impulses which can cause tensions between the two. Mmmm donuts!

How do you compare to your partner? Are you happily married with completely different personalities? Has PersonaBubble identified one of your key clashes?

Add your partner to PersonaBubble to find out and let us know what you discover in the comments below.

10 Valentine’s treats to suit all personalities

by Katie February 10, 2012

We know it can be tough deciding what to do for your loved one on Valentine’s Day, so we thought we’d help you out and have put together some suggestions that will suit every personality.

1.Extraverts

If your date is an extravert you’re in for a lively night. Extraverts are likely to be the life and soul of the party. They are perfectly happy and at ease doing all the talking, instigating the date, and making the first moves. So be prepared to sit back and enjoy the ride.

PB Recommends
For a night where they can take centre stage why not try Hip Hop Karaoke at The Social. They’ll not only get to exercise their more energetic side they’ll also get to act out their rap star fantasies!

2. Introverts

If you’re trying to please an introvert they’ll more likely be at ease in a quiet and more intimate setting. Low lights and soft sounds, where they can really get to know the other person, would be ideal. Depth and meaning in conversation can be important to an introvert and too much external noise acts as a distraction from this.

PB Recommends:
An intimate weekend away at Hodsock Priory would be the perfect place for you and your date to get to know each other. They offer 3 course candlelit dinners and walks amongst their snowdrop displays.

3. Collaborative

If your date falls toward the collaborative end of the PB scale they are likely to enjoy taking a back-seat and letting you take control of the night. They’ll prefer to avoid conflict and are happy to accommodate others needs.

PB recommends:
Take the lead and hire a tandem from The London Bicycle Tour company . As long as you’re the one in the driving seat your date should be happy

4. Influential

If your valentine’s scores sit closer to the Influential end of the Persona Chart this means they’ll prefer to take charge. They might appreciate the opportunity to decide what you do on the date and if they don’t like something they are more likely to let you know about it. They are also likely to be more competitive so they’ll enjoy a date that challenges them.

PB Recommends
Encourage their competitive side and take them paintballing! Mayhem are organising a St Valentines day massacre which is planned to be one of their biggest events yet.

5. Tough-minded

People who site more closely to the tough-minded end of the persona chart tend to be interested in facts and logic. They’ll be more interested in discussing concrete realities e.g people they know, their jobs and previous events.

PB recommends:
London’s science museum is currently running a series of late night adult only events which would be the perfect venue for your partner to express their love of logic.

6. Sensitive

People who fall closer to the sensitive end of the scale are more likely to be excited by future possibilities and enjoy discussing their dreams, beliefs and vision. They are more likley to take things to heart, so be careful not to critcise them. They enjoy new experiences and ideas and so a valentines treat which reflects this will make them happiest.

PB Recommends:
Buy your beau a membership to Love art London and go to their after-hours Valentine’s tour where you’ll have the opportunity to discuss the ideas behind some of western arts greatest romantic works.

7. Flexible

If your date sits closely to the flexible end of the scale they are likely to enjoy an evening without a strict plan. People who are more flexible tend to be spontaneous and will be excited by change. So a spontaneous night full of surprises would most excite this kind of date.

PB recommends:

A trip to the London Tombs, for a night full of unexpected surprises! They are currently running a Be my Bloody Valentine promotion where you and your partner can get two tickets for the price of one.

8. Structured

Scoring closer to the structured end of the scale means your date will be more likely to enjoy a well-planned night out. They’ll want to know exact times, locations and dress-codes, so make sure you’re clued up on every detail. Structured people won’t like a last minute change of plan and definitely won’t appreciate you turning up late!

PB Recommends
A well planned night in with the help of EATPIE who’ll deliver a special Valentine’s Day meal for two right to your door. You’ll get a pie meal for two, chocolate body paint and a bottle of bubbly. All you need to do is make sure you let your date in on all the details.

9. Stable

Individuals who sit closer to the stable end of the persona chart will tend to come across as laid-back. They’ll be easy-going and tend not to show huge bursts of emotion. They can deal with most things that are thrown at them, so you’ll be able to pick a date that is pretty extreme and they may not even bat and eyelid!

PB recommends:
Try to get their heart racing by giving them a voucher for Coasteering with Preseli Venture. They’ll experience the exhilaration of rock climbing, cliff jumping and swimming into sea caves, if that doesn’t excite them, nothing will!

10. Reactive

As you would expect, those scoring more highly on the reactive scale are more likely to express their emotions. Their days are likely to be a series of highs and lows and might find it slightly harder to deal with day-to-day stresses than others. Therefore they’ll probably appreciate a date where they can relax.

PB Recommends
To get you both de-stressed why not try a massage date for two. Savana urban spa are even offering massage workshops where you’ll learn exactly how to ease your partners stresses and strains.

Can your choice in chocolate determine your personality type?

by Katie February 9, 2012

Today is Chocolate Day and here at the PB offices we’ve been discussing our favourite chocolates ( I’m a double decker fan myself!). After hearing a variety of answers from the team, we started to wonder: Can your choice in chocolate determine your personality type?

It appears that New Zealand psychotherapist Murray Langham, author of Chocolate Therapy: Dare to Discover Your Inner Self, seems to think it can. In his Book Lanham explores the ideas that the type, shape and filling of and individuals favorite chocolate can reveal something about their personality.

Apparently, milk chocolate lovers, tend to be innocent people who like to live in the past, whereas fans of dark chocolate are materialistic, problem solvers who are excited by the future. Those who like white chocolate are supposed to have an innate sense of fairness and believe they have the power of the universe at their command.
Langham believes that even the shape and choice of filling can reveal something about an individuals personality. Oval-shaped chocolate lovers, for instance, are social and sensual and those who prefer a coffee filling are open-minded, but also impatient, anxious and immature.

Although we can’t say how true this theory is, we will certainly enjoy testing it out today!

Let us know your thoughts, are KitKat lovers really different from fans of Fruit and Nut? How does your choice in chocolate compare to your PersonaBubble results? Tell us below.

Introducing a new and improved PersonaBubble

by Katie February 6, 2012

Over the last few months we’ve been listening to your feedback and while most people were off enjoying their mince pies and celebrating the New Year, our team set to work building some new features just for you!

All the features are now live on the site and ready for your to explore, here are some of the things you can expect to see when you log in:

1. Now even easier to invite your friends

We’ve updated the invite process so it’s even easier for you to add your friends and start comparing personalities. If you connect your account to Facebook you’ll notice that you’ll also be able to see which of your existing friends are already using PersonaBubble and are available to connect.

2. Publish your results to your timeline

We’ve added share buttons across the site so that you can share your results on your Facebook timeline. Publish your personality results or share the people you are most similar too.

3. Add comments to your results

We’ve added a comments box and a 5 star rating so you can let your friends know what you think of your comparison results. Maybe you’re surprised at how similar you really are or perhaps you’ve always told them they talk more than you. Well, now you can let them know.

4. Notifications

We’ve added notifications so that you know as soon as anything new happens on the site. Whether it’s a new connection or a new comment, we’ve made it easier for you to stay up to date with your PersonaBubble account. You’ll now receive updates on your dashboard and via email. You can adjust your notification settings on your account settings page.

We hope you enjoy our latest updates as much as we do; we’d love to hear what you think so feel free to add your comments through our Feedback and Helpcentre

Or drop us a line through our Facebook or Twitter pages.

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We hope you are as excited as we are about these new features and expect to see them on site really soon. In the meantime, why not take our personality test for humans here.

1. Now even easier to invite your friends

2. Publish your results to your timeline

3. Add comments to your results

4. Notifications

Find us on

Search this Site

Pages

Archive