Is Your Type B Personality Secretly Awesome?

2025-08-16 00:00:21.493

Helene Rutledge, a healthcare executive, has friends representing different personality types, including a "massive type B" friend who is spontaneous but might miss plans. This highlights the recent virality of the Type B personality on platforms like TikTok. However, experts like Colin DeYoung, director of the DeYoung Personality Lab, explain that personality isn't about types but rather a spectrum of traits. The Type A/Type B dichotomy originated in the 1950s, linked to heart attack risk by cardiologists, with research partly funded by the tobacco industry. This early research hasn't held up, and today, personality researchers favor the Big Five model (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism). Despite its lack of scientific backing, the Type A/Type B concept persists, possibly as a reaction to hustle culture and a desire for a more relaxed mindset. People connect with labels that reflect traits they admire, but these typologies can be misused by companies. While simple, the Type A/Type B dichotomy doesn't capture the complexity of personality; traits are not fixed and can change over time. Ultimately, individuals possess diverse strengths and tendencies, and focusing on traits rather than types allows for a more nuanced understanding of personality and individual potential.