Every year, thousands of people take personality tests. Some do it because possible future employers require it, others do it to determine whether they might have any underlying mental health issues, and others do it simply to try and understand themselves better.
Either way, it’s clear that there are many benefits to personality tests. There are also many personality tests out there, and they all work in different ways and for different purposes. But it all boils down to this: a personality test will give you insight into yourself, your habits, your feelings and how to cope with them. For instance, if it’s determined that you are an ESFP personality type, you can use that information to better understand your strengths and weaknesses.
Keep reading for more ways that personality tests can benefit you.
You’ll understand yourself
While this is the most obvious reason for taking a personality test, it’s also one of the biggest benefits. Understanding yourself will help you manage your emotions better, as well as making you feel more like you belong. We all go through phases of feeling lost, and that’s mainly due to a lot of unanswered questions we have . . . about ourselves. Why do we feel a certain way? Why do certain things trigger certain emotions? Why do we react in a specific manner? While a personality test might not directly answer all of these questions, it’s the first step to understanding yourself.
Helps you choose what to study
Many people choose their study direction based on a passion. That’s great, but what if you don’t have a passion? Or you have multiple passions and can’t pick between them? In that case, using data and statistics might be the most logical route to go. This is where personality tests come into play. You’d be surprised at how many people with similar personalities gravitate towards similar jobs and study field. Whether you’ll be studying locally or abroad, knowing more about your personality type can only be a good thing when it comes to life-changing decisions, such as what you’ll study.
Helps with choosing a career
Since personality tests give so much insight into what to study, it makes sense that they’d do the same when it comes to your career. Certain personalities unfortunately just don’t click with certain jobs. For instance, a very cheerful personality might not cope well in a work environment that requires constant seriousness. Similarly, a person with a short temper won’t get far in a job that requires a lot of patience. Try doing some research on the most popular jobs for people with your personality type.
Improves your management skills
We all know why managers are important for a business’ success. So, it’s natural that if you ever find yourself in a managerial position, you’ll want to be the best manager possible. Even if you don’t ever become a manager, you’ll probably still need management skills at some point in your life, such as during group projects or when managing a big family. Knowing more about your personality will help you know which management methods will work best for you, and knowing more about other people’s personalities via personality tests will also make it easier to manage them.
Teaches coping mechanisms
Gaining insight into your personality traits will also help you realize which emotions tend to overwhelm you, and which ones you struggle to deal with. Depending on your personality type, you might feel certain emotions more intensely than other people do. Taking a personality test will help you realize why you feel this way, and you’ll be able to learn how to cope with those feelings once you understand them better.
Makes you empathetic
Empathy is an incredibly valuable skill. It is something that will benefit you in every aspect of your life, whether it’s professional, recreational or personal. Being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes will help prevent conflict. Once you understand your own personality, you’ll be able to see not only your strengths, but also your weaknesses. This will allow you to see yourself as well as the situation from the other person’s point of view.
You’ll gain insight into your mental health
As mentioned, personality tests often have a psychiatric side to them as well, which can help point out any underlying problems you might have. While you always need to seek professional help if you’re struggling with your mental health, this might be a good indicator that it’s time to seek help.
