8 Tiny Habits That Reveal a Lot About Your Personality, According to Science
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Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” True to the word, our habits have an immense effect on the kind of person we become. With the habits formed, you can not only understand the people around butthese very habits of yours help define your persona too. So, how do you understand a person through their habits? More so, what are the small signs to look for in a person to get to know them better? Here we have a list of eight habits that can be the beacon of light to your personality.
1. The Way You Walk
In all honesty, not many people are unaware of how walking posture impacts the social status and confidence level of a person. However, there is more than just that when it comes to connecting the dots between one’s walking style and character. Weight thrown forward and quick strides are usually a symbol of higher productivity and logical thinking. However, this may also be contemplated as being competitive and distant. The other walk that is commonly associated with leaders is the square shoulders and chest forward walk. Usually combined with holding your head high, it depicts charisma and social proficiency, and at times, can take on the spotlight. Walking with the body neither forward nor backward shows that you are a people-oriented person and not task-oriented. And, of course, we are all familiar with walking light on the toes, coupled with eyes-on-the-floor, which depicts a polite, yet an introverted person.
2. The Time You Reach
We all know that one colleague, client, friend, or boss who can never keep up with time. So, to state the obvious, being punctual is a sign of positive characteristics. However, there is always one Uncle who will arrive ahead of time to every engagement, meeting, and party. This behavior is often linked to neuroticism — a tendency to be in a negative or anxious state of mind(1). On the other hand, people who come late are considered to be relaxed and unreliable. Who wins? The person who arrives “on-dot” seems dependable, agreeable and bound by duty. So, what time will you get here?
3. The Way You Eat
The masters of the fitness world have been loud with “You are what you eat.” However, you are also how you eat, right? Starting from the speed of eating, people who eat slow are considered as those who like to take the reigns of a situation and are highly appreciative of life. In contrast, if you eat faster, then you possibly are on the ambitious side with your eyes on the goal. However, it’s also a sign of impatience. Foodies with a sense of gastronomic adventure are those who want to leave the comfort zone at the drop of a hat, and live life one day at a time. On the flip side, picky eaters are highly uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations. Also considered a sign of neuroticism, picky eaters are considered reserved and introverted. And, finally, we have those who prefer not to let two different foods on the plate touch each other. If you are familiar with Sheldon Cooper from shows The Big Bang Theory and Little Sheldon, you probably know that such people are task-oriented, disciplined and often, stubborn too.
4. The Way You Speak
Have you been through one of those conversations, where you get the vibes that decide whether you want a longer conversation or book a cab out of there? These “vibes” are probably the words that a person uses that, in turn, replicate their characteristics. Sometimes, it doesn’t even have to be a face-to-face conversation; a mere text message should suffice to know a great deal about them. For instance, using too many words to answer a question may be contemplated as a lie, where as avoiding casual terms or levels of negation words can differentiate a motivated liar from an unmotivated one. Fast speakers come across as anxious and slower ones are considered as, well, slow. Maintaining the right dynamics shows confidence, some speakers who cuss are considered highly persuasive. How do you think you speak?
5. The Emails You Write
A closer look into a person’s email can shed some light on the sender’s traits. Extroverts are highly likely to speak about more optimistic and fun things. The mails with a higher number of self-references indicate the sender to be narcissistic, while those who speak of negative emotions such as anger and sorrow are probably low on emotional intelligence.
6. The Proximity To Your Phone
Do you feel restless when your phone isn’t anywhere in sight? Well, you aren’t the only one. In today’s technologically savvy world, where phones are for more than just communication, our dependency on the smartphone comes as no surprise. Whether we are standing in the line for billing items at a supermarket, or standing in the metro on the way to work, people with earphones on and eyes glued to phone screen aren’t hard to come by.
However, excessive addiction to the phone is found to be a sign of emotional instability (2). Also, introverts are found to be less addicted to phones, feeling little to no urge to keep their eyes on the phone.
7. The Selfies You Click
Is your phone’s gallery full of selfies that are merely a click away from going on social media? The way you click pictures can be linked to the kind of person you are. People with the aim to please people and help those in need have a higher possibility to take pictures from a lower angle. If you are less likely to expose a private space in your background, you may be considered as diligent and meticulous. And, of course, those with a smile and laughter are considered adventurous while those with a pout-face is a possible sign of a neurotic character.
8. The Handwriting You Use
This comes as no surprise with the school system focusing on handwriting for a long time. If you are someone with large writing, then you are probably more focused on people and like the limelight. On the other hand, those with smaller handwriting are introverted and are capable of achieving a high level of concentration. A right-side slant is someone who can make friends easily but is possibly quick to take decisions, whereas a left-side implies a reserved personality. Higher pressure on the letters are those with stronger emotions and impulsive and light pressure indicates ease.
In a nutshell, you make your habits, and in time, your habits make you. The mirror to a person’s character and personality is the way they move, talk, write and even take selfies. While these pointers can prove useful in amending your persona, it can also be handy to understand someone better. Know of any other habits that can define a personality? Let us know in the comments below.
