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Personalities Should Be Adjectives

Nouns are specific and adjectives are general.


Contents


Examples

I: Noun

Tom is a traveler. He's recently been to Europe, Asia, and South America, experiencing more restaurants and old churches and night clubs and languages and history than most people experience in their lifetime. He has a travel credit card and all the other features "every traveler needs": Global Entry membership, a nice pair of headphones, a sleek backpack and carry-on.

But all he talks about is travel. He relates anything he hears or see or smells or tastes or feels back to one of his previous trips. "Bro, back in China they had something similar but it was so much better". "Yeah, this stuff is pretty cool but the stuff in Chile is cooler."

I: Adjective

Murph enjoys new experiences. She's recently been to Europe, Asia, and South America, experiencing more restaurants and old churches and night clubs and languages and history than most people experience in their lifetime. She has a travel credit card and all the other features "every traveler needs": Global Entry membership, a nice pair of headphones, a sleek backpack and carry-on.

But she rarely brings up her travel unprompted. When she does, it's not to talk about the travel itself, but to share specific parts that were memorable for her. "When I was in Mexico, I really appreciated the patience the locals showed when I tried to speak Spanish." "I love the feeling of satisfaction you get from mission trips. I went on one to Bosnia and it was a great experience."

II: Noun

Mann is a cyclist. He rides almost every day, races every few weekends, and takes vacations to go mountain biking in the mountains. His evenings are spent watching cycling videos on YouTube and reading Pinkbike. He has all the best gear, from his shoes to power meter to bib to computer to helmet. His water bottle and bike rack are plastered in cycling-related stickers.

But all he talks about is cycling. His standard response to "how was your weekend?" is about some sick trail he shredded or the new part he got for his bike. There's not much outside of cycling that he can relate to or talk about.

II: Adjective

Hanley is a hard worker. She rides almost every day, races every few weekends, and takes vacations to go mountain biking in the mountains. Her evenings are spent watching cycling videos on YouTube and reading Pinkbike. She has all the best gear, from her shoes to power meter to bib to computer to helmet. Her water bottle and bike rack are plastered in cycling-related stickers.

But instead of bringing up cycling every chance she gets, she chooses to discuss the traits required to maintain her ability: hard work, pain tolerance, discipline. She relates this to other areas in her life and talks with others on development strategies and how they do so in their own ways for their own things.

III: Noun

Romilly is an engineer. He loves discussing what he's learning about and all the grandiose projects he plans to work on once he has enough money and time and knowledge. He subscribes to and watches all the top engineering content creators on YouTube. He hangs out at his local makerspace to chat with other engineers about everything engineering-related.

But all he talks about his engineering. His conversation starters always center around a cool build he recently saw or the latest and greatest technology that was just released to the public.

III: Adjective

Amelia is an engineer. She loves discussing what she's learning about and all the grandiose projects she plans to work on once she has enough money and time and knowledge. She subscribes to and watches all the top engineering content creators on YouTube. She hangs out at his local makerspace to chat with other engineers about everything engineering-related.

But she never forces engineering discussions and opts to discuss the general principles of curiosity and lifelong learning as a way to scratch that itch. She takes a keen interest in others' interests and asks insightful, thought-provoking questions that give her a greater understanding of the topic at hand.


Themes

The above examples showcase that noun-based personalities (NBP) are incredibly specific to something, while adjective-based personalities (ABP) are more general and applicable to a variety of topics. Mann likes cycling for cycling, while Hanley partially views it as a vehicle to hone her work ethic. Mann's scope of interests is incredibly narrow, while Hanley has many options, including other sports, her career, or hobbies.

In case it's not obvious and needs to be stated plainly, I view ABPs as superior to NBPs. ABPs are versatile and can relate to many distinct situations. ABPs offer more conversation opportunities, and while the depth may not be as much as NBPs, it is likely sufficient for most people. NBPs are annoying—no one wants to talk about the same thing ad nauseum every time they get together.

The adjective should come before the noun and help to enhance it. Amelia's curiosity is widespread, but she uses it to improve her engineering abilities. Hanley's work ethic can be applied anywhere, but she uses it to improve her fitness on the bike. Murph's propensity to seek out new experiences follows her in all parts of her life, but makes traveling especially exciting.

Take a good look at your personality. Is it centered around a single thing? Do you enjoy the single thing for itself or a deeper reason? Do you only talk about the single thing? Are you able to relate to other topics?

Generalizing interests leads to better interactions which leads to better living.


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