Personality tests like the MBTI are all over the internet, the workplace, and dating apps — but some say it’s all a bunch of baloney. So are any of these tests legit? And what can science actually tell us about personality? We talk to psychologists Dr. Alexander Swan, Dr. Emorie Beck, and Dr. Ted Schwaba.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsPersonalityTests


In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Chapter 1: Personality tests and their impact
(05:49) Chapter 2: Personality and the MBTI
(13:21) Chapter 3: Why personality ‘types’ flop
(24:52) Chapter 4: The scientist’s personality test
(30:05) Chapter 5: What personality can predict
(33:24) Chapter 6: Can you change your personality?


This episode was produced by Michelle Dang, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Nick DelRose, Rose Rimler, and Joel Werner. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Eva Dasher. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, Peter Leonard, So Wylie and Bobby Lord. Special thanks to all the researchers we spoke to for this episode, including Dr. Nicholas Turiano, Prof. Howard Friedman, and Prof. Paul Duberstein. And special thanks to the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. 

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