Learn Your Brain. Work Out Your Brain.

The Life Skill That No One Taught Me

Updated

How Personality Tests Limit You

At some point in your life, you will probably encounter a personality test. Big Five (OCEAN), Myers-Briggs (MBTI), Enneagram, and even Astrology classify elements of your personality, explaining the "how" of our minds. These tests are purported to help with career, relationships, and self-reflection.

My journey was similar, being exposed to Myers-Briggs in high school and using it for everything from finding a career to finding a romantic partner.

I remember first taking the test: ENFP (Extraverted Intuitive Feeling Perceptive).

Then I took it again: ENTP (Extraverted Intuitive Thinking Perceptive).

And again: INTP (Introverted Intuitive Thinking Perceptive).

Therein lies the fallacy of personality tests, and why I've never liked these questions.

For me, and for most people I've met, these binary systems that reduce personality to four letters feel fundamentally limiting. And this is where Myers-Briggs lost me. I realized the four-letter MBTI system simply can't capture the nuances of human personality.

My Journey From Personality Types to Cognitive Hacking

Soon after, I uncovered what I was missing: Jungian Psychology, aka the underpinnings of Myers-Briggs, where 8 Cognitive Functions build 16 Cognitive Processes/Stacks.

So wait, it's not that we are Extraverted or Introverted, but that all 8 of our cognitive functions can be "Extraverted" or "Introverted," meaning we can be a complex mix of both?

Well, that's interesting. And it got me thinking:

This question led me on a multi-decade journey to discover and understand the "how" of our brain, and here's my result:

Why This Works - The Science

Your brain physically changes based on how you use it—it's called neuroplasticity. When you deliberately practice weaker cognitive functions, you're literally strengthening those neural pathways. Cognitive scientists call this "cognitive flexibility": the ability to switch between different thinking strategies based on what the situation requires.

We can use this physical reality to continuously find and strengthen new ways of thinking.

Prework - Learn The Basics

Step 1: Start With Personality Types

If you're new to personality frameworks, start with Myers-Briggs (MBTI) to learn the basics. Take a personality test online. They can be fun. There's plenty to uncover with MBTI before reading further.

Step 2: Move On to Cognitive Functions

Personality types are reductive and don't capture your full cognitive style. Instead, learn their underpinnings: the 8 Jungian Cognitive Functions. Each function can be isolated and understood independently.

Step 3: Finish With Cognitive Stacks

Cognitive functions can be either "inputs" (senses, memory, insight, imagination) or "processors" (thinking, doing, valuing, considering others). Learn how to combine observation and processor functions to make the 16 cognitive processes, and learn the nuances of their differences.

Next Steps - Learn the Skill

Once you understand personality types, cognitive functions, and the basics of cognitive stacks, you can start turning them into tools.

I'll break down this skill into 3 parts: Identifying, Strengthening, and Leveraging, using personal examples to illustrate how they work in practice.

Identifying

Identifying involves constantly slowing down trains of thought to ask:

Nearly all our thoughts can be broken down through these questions.

For example, when I'm creating some art, what cognitions am I using? I notice I'm using:

And that's just what I could identify. And none of this fully correlates with the results from my Myers-Briggs personality tests.

I'm always doing this, especially with new people I meet. It's a great way to understand others. After over 15 years of doing this, I've probably put hundreds of hours into this practice alone.

Strengthening

Once good at identifying, you can start to strengthen your weaker functions.

As a personal example, my Nanu used to call me "absent-minded professor," and in general, people would often say I'm in my mind palace. This external perception reinforced that my observational skills, aka Extraverted Sensing, were weak.

So what could I do about it? At some point, I discovered Vipassana Meditation and the general practice of mindfulness. I realized meditation isolates and targets your sensory awareness, aka Extraverted Sensing.

Another powerful trick? Mimic others. Similar to how actors do, I sometimes try to "embody" the cognitive stack of someone else. This has massively helped me both understand them and strengthen my own cognition.

Leveraging

OK, cool self-help story, bro. But how can I influence and win over others?

Well first, we need to identify their preferred cognition.

For me, one of the biggest tells for identifying someone's cognition is finding out who they gravitate toward. If I'm unsure of someone's cognition, I'll learn about their friends and especially loved ones to find clues. This method leverages how Myers-Briggs talks about "complementary types."

For example, if I observe someone who seems to get a lot of work done (Te), is social (Se/Fe), I may try to learn about their significant other to narrow options. Oh, they are married to a very open-minded, observant person, and also their closest friends tend to be that? I can assume their cognition leans toward more of an ESTJ, or:

ESTJ, according to Myers-Briggs, tends to be compatible with INTP and ISTP.

So if I wanted this person to feel like we are on a "similar wavelength," I could mimic elements of the INTP/ISTP cognitive stack. In this case, it would be to be more "in the moment," more agreeable, and a better observer.

On the other hand, if their cognitive preference tended toward ISTJ, I could mimic elements of an ESTP/ESFP cognitive stack, meaning more sentences that are knee-jerk comments, more observant of surroundings, more fun-loving, and more flexible.

This understanding of cognitive processes in others helps me understand "how" they think and to match their wavelength.

But what about the holy grail of influence here?

If you know these 3 things about someone, and you happen to like them, the sky is the limit.

Limitations

Please, Love Yourself

While the desire to grow can come from a place of self-betterment, it can also be driven from a place of fear, insecurity, or general self-hate. Don't do these mental workouts because you think you are not enough. It's a dangerous feedback loop where no growth will satiate that feeling.

Make sure to always practice mental self-care along the way. Remember, cognitive functions don't try to explain if you are feeling "happy" or "sad"—just how strongly you feel at all.

Don't Force It

Often you'll find yourself not being able to match a certain thought process to a cognitive function. This is normal. Remember not to box yourself, or others, into these cognitive functions. While Carl Jung's work is popular within the world of Psychology, it's not without its limits and has struggled to create Randomized Controlled Trials to test the theories.

It's a Thin Line Between Empathy and Manipulation

While these skills can be used to improve relationships, they can also be used to manipulate others. Don't be an asshole.

Cognitive Functions Cheat Sheet

Psychologist Carl Jung identified eight core ways humans process information and make decisions.

While there are plenty of resources online to learn about these, I've created my own because I haven't found something similar.

Think of these as the primitive building blocks of thought that make up the foundation of the habit patterns of our mind.

Input Functions

These four functions determine how you gather and perceive information from the world around you and from within yourself.

Cognitive Muscle Jungian Function Neurological Basis You're Using This When… Quick Self-Check What It Feels Like When It's Good When It's Bad How to Develop It
Senses Extraverted Sensing (Se) Activates sensory processing regions (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch)
  • You are able to notice things in your peripheral vision.
  • Noticing subtle changes others miss (new haircut, different mood).
"What am I noticing right now around me?" Feel "awake." The more you sense, the more you can see/hear/smell/taste simultaneously in ever increasing magnitudes. Awareness & mindfulness. Short term thinking. Stressed by your environment. Meditation. Learning to observe without immediately reacting. One of life's most important mental skills.
Memory Introverted Sensing (Si) Engages hippocampus and memory consolidation systems that compare current experiences with stored past experiences
  • Remembering exactly how your childhood bedroom smelled.
  • Sensing when something feels "off" compared to how it usually is.
  • Comparing current situations to past experiences.
 "Am I recalling a memory?" Using the "eye inside," when you can "see" your memories, that's this function. Good memory, abilty to remember names and details. Can't get go of the past. There are many tools to improve memory. I especially enjoy mental tricks developed by the memory champion Jonas von Essen.
Imagination Extraverted Intuition (Ne) Activates divergent thinking networks and association areas that generate novel connections between disparate concepts
  • You are creating new patterns or ideas.
  • You "see" a new idea in your head, but before you make an opinion on it.
  • If you are making new patterns.
  • Exploring "what if" scenarios that others find random.
"What else could this become or connect to?" The initial "imagination" is just you "seeing" a new idea in your head.
Note: It's important to separate the observation of the idea from the reaction (handled by processing functions).
Endless creativity and ideas. Weak grasp on reality.
  • Improv, as it forces you to think on your feet and creatively.
  • Brainstorming and divergent thinking exercises.
Insight Introverted Intuition (Ni) Involves the frontal cortex (especially the prefrontal cortex), which helps organize and synthesize complex patterns from disparate information
  • You are recognizing new patterns.
  • Suddenly understanding the deeper meaning of a book or movie.
  • Experiencing that "a-ha!" moment when learning something complex.
    Note: The "a-ha!" itself is a reaction, which would be your Fi function; the actual learning is your Ni function.
  • Getting sudden clarity about your life direction.
 "What does my intuition tell me this really means?" Whenever you "learn" something, or feel that new sense of clarity, but right before you have an opinion on it. Wicked Smaht. Great Student. Weak grasp on reality. Overthinking. Ask "why" for everything. Keep making connections between seemingly unrelated things.

Processing Functions

These four functions determine how you evaluate information and make choices once you've gathered it.

Cognitive Muscle Jungian Function Neurological Basis You're Using This When… Quick Self-Check What It Feels Like When It's Good When It's Bad How to Develop It
Empathize Extraverted Feeling (Fe) Activates brain regions involved in theory of mind, empathy, and social cognition for reading group dynamics
  • You think about how others think about you
  • Try to increase social cohesion
  • Immediately noticing when someone feels excluded
  • Choosing words carefully to avoid hurting feelings
 "Am I focused on how everyone around me is feeling?" Feeling "the vibes". You sense the emotional frequency of a group as a tangible thing. Can feel harmonious or exhausting if the emotional atmosphere is tense. Empathy. Great at uniting people. Codependent people pleaser: overly concerned with others' opinions.
  • Ask "how does this make others feel?"
  • Learn to read micro-expressions and body language.
  • Lead group projects or study sessions.
  • Study conflict resolution techniques.
Value Introverted Feeling (Fi) Engages emotional processing centers and personal identity networks When you ask "how does this make me feel?" "Does this align with who I really am inside?" When you feel a way about something, like "happy" or "sad", this is your Fi function. It feels authentic and deeply personal. Authenticity. Self-centered. Narcissistic. Anger issues.
  • Writing for yourself (aka journaling).
  • Practice saying "no" when something doesn't feel right.
  • Express yourself through creative outlets.
  • Spend time in solitary reflection.
  • Explore your deepest values through meditation.
Execute Extraverted Thinking (Te) Activates prefrontal cortex areas involved in planning, goal-setting, and executive control of external environment
  • Getting things done.
  • Planning group projects with clear deadlines and roles.
  • Reorganizing your space for maximum efficiency.
  • Setting up systems to handle repetitive tasks.
 "Am I in my Nike mode? Just do it?" Flow state. The feeling when you are getting things done and don't want to stop. Hard work ethic. Unable to take a step back and see the big picture. There are many productivity hacking techniques available, but in general, learn to find your flow state.
Analyze Introverted Thinking (Ti) Engages analytical networks that break down complex information and seek internal logical consistency
  • Simplifying and distilling complex ideas into simpler concepts.
  • Taking apart arguments to find logical flaws.
  • Analyzing theories to see if they're internally consistent.
"Am I trying to understand how this actually works?" It's the feeling of "distilling," when you are simplifying and distilling complex ideas into simpler concepts. Logical person. Great at solving problems. Overthinking and Overanalyzing. Can't move forward. Logic puzzles and math.