Big Five Personality Test - Openness To Experience!

In this talk, I go over Openness (to experience), which is one of five personality type traits in the Big Five personality test model. specifically, I go over how people who are high in openness vs. low in openness differ in lifestyle, career, friendship, and relationship preferences (as well as people somewhere in the middle of this spectrum).

Transcript

Hey,

This is Ish,

And in today's talk,

I want to go over one facet of the Big Five personality type test,

And this facet is known as openness.

So if you look at the acronym for the Big Five personality type test,

It reads as OCEAN.

So O-C-E-A-N.

So the first letter is O,

And that stands for openness.

And I'll be talking to you a bit more about that.

So specifically,

Some characteristics of if you are low in openness and how does that manifest in your behaviors?

What happens if you're medium in openness and what happens if you're really high in openness?

And then I'll be going over what to look for career-wise if you are either high or low in openness,

How people who are very high in openness behave in relationships compared to very low in openness.

And then from there,

I'll be going over what careers are perfect for people who are really high in openness compared to very low in openness,

How people behave in relationships and friendships if they're very high in openness compared to very low,

And then I'll also be going over overall lifestyle choices and different patterns you'll notice in people that are either very high or low in openness.

So this talk is just very specifically on the one facet known as openness in the Big Five personality type test.

But if you want a brief rundown or overview of the Big Five personality type test,

You can watch my other talk on it.

So openness,

As the title implies,

Is openness to experiences.

People who are very high in openness are really into exploring different ideas,

Different possibilities.

They are very creative as well,

And they like to have different possibilities in mind and have a wide variety of interests compared to someone who is low in openness who tends to narrow down their field and scope of attention.

So people who are high in openness really enjoy living life and exploring different options out.

They like to dabble in the arts,

Music,

Creative pursuits as well.

And whenever I've taken Big Five personality type tests,

I always scored pretty high on openness.

But I have known people personally in my life who are at the extreme ends of being very high in openness.

And this is where you see that lifestyle where they travel so often.

They like to,

They're like in a new city every single month or every single week,

And they're constantly just on the go exploring different towns and cities and exploring different things to do.

And that's not something they do just on vacation,

But that's how they live their lives for long periods of time.

So the brain constantly needs new stimulus,

New things to explore.

They might,

You know,

Use couchsurfing apps to couchsurf on different people's couches while they travel.

They're not about planning the whole thing,

But rather just going at it and seeing what happens and exploring life as it is.

I've also known one person personally who used to live in his van.

So instead of saving up,

Which he had the money for,

Instead of saving up and getting an apartment and paying monthly rent,

He decided to live in his RV.

And he made it really nice,

But he would live in his RV and drive around different towns and live this hippie lifestyle.

So typically you'll find people who describe themselves as hippies as very high in openness.

And I think in a sense that's very true.

So people who are very high in openness,

As I mentioned earlier,

Are very creative.

They are also very spontaneous and at times it could be very impulsive,

But that's a different story.

And you also notice that they can be visionary.

So anytime a given structure is stagnating,

It always takes one person who is a visionary to come in and shake things up and think of different ideas out of the box.

Because out of the box thinking is what people who are high in openness really specialize in.

So they don't go with what is given,

But rather they like to brainstorm,

Come up with new ideas and go forth.

So that's very cool to think about.

And yes,

When this is taken to the extreme,

It does have some negative connotations.

So if someone is only focusing on different ideas,

Possibilities,

They may be seen as impractical or flighty or flaky even.

Because they may have these ideas,

But they're not grounded in any kind of reality,

Which is what people who are low in openness really focus in on,

Which I'll talk about in a bit.

But you can start to see how this artist type,

Which we all love and admire,

They may also become very impractical and just don't have any backing behind their ideas.

This is where you have a lot of people fail in that regard.

So it is finding that balance if you are highly creative to take some time to also think about how you can ground yourself as well.

Now,

People who are low in openness,

They have more narrow interests compared to people who are very high in openness or exploring different possibilities.

People who are low in openness like to do what they already know and they like to follow a predictable routine.

And this routine gives them comfort and safety as well.

So they're big on conserving energy rather than expending it and trying different things and getting exhausted.

For them,

Their mindset is how can I conserve energy and how can I preserve what I already have and enjoy the things that I already like doing.

So this is where you can see people who are low in openness have a good sense of self because they know what they like and it's very narrowed down.

But this can also come at a cost because they can be seen as very rigid.

So they're only focusing on what they know in this little box over here,

Which they may be very efficient at what they do.

But if they're only confined to that box,

This can lead to rigid thinking where they're unable to step outside and maybe unable to empathize with different ideas or other people as well.

So something to keep in mind.

The strengths of people who are low in openness is that they're very reliable,

Dependable,

They're able to do their work consistently.

So they're able to commit to a course of action and stay with it.

So this is a very powerful gift to have because a lot of people nowadays will put a little bit of effort and then it's like,

I give up.

But people who are low in openness will stick to the same routine and over time those results will add up.

So although they may not have like a go big or go home mentality like a lot of people who are high in openness have because they're just going with the moment at the time,

People who are low in openness will put in the steady effort and continue with that over time.

And now there are also people who are in between the spectrum of being very low in openness and very high in openness.

And unlike the Myers-Briggs test,

Which I talk about a lot in this channel,

With the Big Five personality type test,

It's graded upon a spectrum.

So you can be 49% open or 70% open and that gives you a slightly different result.

So if you're somewhere in the middle of this curve,

You are both open minded,

So you're able to try new ideas and innovate when needed,

But also stick to routine and what is comfortable and familiar.

So you have the best of both worlds and possibly the worst of both problems.

So something to keep in mind.

But this is pretty much a balance for you.

And just observationally,

I've noticed people who are somewhere in the middle of openness are pretty balanced,

In my opinion,

In terms of how they manifest their behaviors.

So you may have a job that they do pretty well consistently day in and day out,

But every once in a while they'll try to innovate something else.

Or if concerning their social life,

They may not go out every single day and try new things like someone with a very high in openness,

Or maybe not even leave their house like a person with a very low in openness would do,

But they're somewhere in between where they'll try to stick to the same routine and then maybe every once in a while they'll break out.

So like I mentioned,

With this,

There are also pros and cons because maybe you're not committing to something all the way.

And at the same time,

You are probably not staying with something all the way like someone who's lower in openness would be.

So you have the pros and cons for both.

Now,

When it comes down to career,

This is very interesting because this is something that I personally went through throughout my journey,

Trying out different careers,

Being very high in openness for whatever reason.

I took some jobs that are very low in openness that a lot of people would like,

And then I've also done things that are very creative and things that are all over the place too.

So I had a good experience and a lot of life experience trying out different careers to see if it was a good fit for me.

And in similar fashion to a lot of people who are very high in openness,

I've had a lot of different jobs just because I wanted to try new things.

So one thing that people who are high in openness look for is novelty and change.

So if you have a routine job that you're just repeating over and over again and there's no change in that aspect,

A person who is high in openness will feel restless and bored.

So they want to get up and do something,

And they want to change things up.

So this is why you should,

If you're high in openness,

It would be beneficial for you to try a career field where they give you more room to explore and everything is a bit new.

So this could be a job such as acting or writing or making videos like I am,

And some kind of skill or profession where things are constantly changing,

Or at least you have the control or ability to change.

And yes,

Maybe the fields that are very high in openness typically would not,

On paper,

Perhaps pay as much as the other jobs that are more consistent and stable,

But you can also find a high level of openness in any kind of job.

So one thing I've noticed personally is in my day-to-day job,

My day job as a recruiter,

I staff people for different jobs.

Now,

When I was working in a very corporate type of environment where you were expected to do a meeting every morning,

And then they track your progress every day and you have certain metrics and you're kind of doing the same thing over and over again,

And you have a meeting at this time and another meeting in two hours,

And everything kind of repeats.

Your day just repeats over and over again.

Well,

I didn't find myself being very satisfied in that job just because I'm very high in openness.

So maybe someone who's very low in openness would like that,

But I personally didn't.

But then later on,

I did find another recruiting job,

Which I'm still doing the same jobs in terms of what I'm doing responsibility-wise,

But I have less structure in place so I can kind of make my own schedule.

So now this becomes very rewarding for me because I have flexibility to schedule my day however I want.

And this is something that people who are high in openness look for is the ability to create your own schedule or have flexibility in terms of exploring different ideas or what you want to do.

So if I want to get up at 8 a.

M.

And go for a walk,

I could do that.

Or if I want to take a quick break to go make tea or maybe make a drawing or make a video,

I could do that during my day.

Whereas if I was in office in the corporate type environment at my last job,

I probably wouldn't be able to do that.

So this particular job I have allows me to do that.

So even if you are in a certain field which isn't open on paper,

You can still find the right particular company or the right position,

Which allows you that flexibility.

Now if you're very low in openness,

You would be looking for something that has a consistent routine and you're repeating that over and over again.

So an example would be like an accountant or doing admin work or HR.

So you're doing a lot of paperwork,

Repeating things over and again,

And your day doesn't really change a lot.

So you're not like a club promoter or something where you're just promoting a different event or traveling around or being a pilot where you're going to different cities every week.

Your routine is a bit more consistent,

More you know what you're getting into every morning that you wake up.

And this actually provides a huge feeling of relief for people who are low in openness.

So this is great.

They have the routine,

They do it every day,

And then once they're done,

They'll go back and do other things too.

So you want to find whatever it is for you where you can replicate the same things over and over again if you're low in openness,

And you know what your day is like.

So if you have a lot of unknowns,

That actually causes a bit of panic and stress for people who are low in openness,

But also for people who are high in openness.

So in terms of relationships,

What I find is that people who are high in openness behave a bit differently or approach dating a bit differently compared to people who are low in openness.

So someone who is very high in openness,

There's grass is always greener.

They're always looking at new opportunities.

It could be described as serial daters.

They go from one relationship to the next.

A lot of casual opportunities a bit more because they're open to new experiences.

So they want to experience new partners,

New lifestyles.

They want to explore just different cities,

Maybe just traveling around.

There's different types of people that they would be attracted to and they want to go check that out.

There's a lot out there.

So,

You know,

We have billions of people in the world,

So the world is a pretty good playground.

So I typically find people are very high in openness,

Are very happy to explore and see what they like.

And once they do find a relationship,

They will always bring that excitement.

So it's never boring with them because there are new ideas,

Different places you can go to.

So this is something I resonate a bit with more because I'm very high in openness.

So I'm always looking at new opportunities.

I can do this.

I can do this person.

So my mind is always like kind of going in different directions.

And this is a plus and a con.

So in the pros,

It's very exciting because I can explore more,

See what I like and really refine what I'm looking for.

And then the con is,

You know,

I'm all over the place.

So sometimes people want consistency and that's not good either.

I also find that people who are high in openness are also more open to alternative lifestyles as far as dating.

So they could be interested in the poly communities,

Dating other people,

Or in terms of like the bedroom,

They're into more freaky things.

And I'll leave it at that.

So they're always open for exploration in all aspects in the relationship.

And you can never say that relationship with someone who is very high in openness gets boring.

Now,

Someone who is low in openness is someone who knows what they want in a relationship to go for it.

And once they're there,

They'll kind of stay put.

And they're very dependable,

Loyal.

You won't really worry that they're just constantly looking at new things or trying new possibilities out or maybe cheat on you.

And of course,

Everyone has a potential to cheat.

But with people who are low in openness,

They don't have that grassy green mentality.

So they're able to stay with things a bit longer.

And as far as the long term relationship,

It may at times be boring or stale because they are very into their routine.

So these are people who are very low in openness.

So they like to do their routines every single day.

So they might go to a date spot they always go to.

And if you like Chinese food,

It's Chinese food every Friday or whatever the case is.

So there might be some kind of friction there in case it gets a bit stale.

So that's one thing to keep in mind if you're very low in openness.

But on the plus side,

People who are very low in openness are also very loyal.

They like to be very dependable and be very consistent in their relationships.

So no ups and downs and exploring all over the place.

Now as far as friends,

So people who are high in openness tend to be very exciting and they like to explore different possibilities.

They're like,

Oh,

I can do this.

And I had a friend like that in high school.

We're very close.

And he would always suggest different ideas.

We can go to like a road trip on a random Tuesday while we're in school.

He's like,

Yeah,

Let's do it.

Let's go to this new place.

Let's just drop our things and drive four hours to the next date over,

Do something fun.

So it's always very fun with people who are high in openness and they are very interested to keep things interesting.

But at times they can also be very flaky,

Which can be frustrating at times.

And people who are high in openness typically will have a lot of different friends from different groups because they're constantly exploring different ideas.

So they may have a friend group from a dance class and then one from an art class and one from sports.

And they just have a whole mesh of things where someone who is lower in openness will move at a slower pace.

They will have fewer friends from different groups,

So they'll have more friends from a smaller group interest because their niche is a bit smaller.

And they'll tend to keep that long lasting.

So people who are higher in openness will tend to go through different friend groups just because they're exploring,

At least in that phase.

And they may slow down a bit.

But people who are lower in openness will tend to have a friend group long lasting,

So they'll stay with them over time.

Now in terms of lifestyle overall,

So what you'll find is that if someone is very high in openness,

But they're also low in conscientiousness,

And this is another trait I'll talk about in a future talk.

Controversialness is basically how organized and detailed you are and work oriented.

So someone who is very low in that and very high in openness is kind of like the scatter brain person who is just like all over the place,

Who has a lot of ideas but is unable to execute upon that.

So that's me.

So they can be described as slackers at times.

And then someone who is very low in openness,

But very high in conscientiousness is someone who sticks to routine and they're able to be very efficient at what they do.

So my dad is very similar to this where he likes to stick to the routine and he'll do it every day.

He's very efficient at what he does,

And is very detail oriented.

Now if you are very open minded and also very conscientious,

What that will mean is that you have a lot of ideas,

You're like the innovator and entrepreneur,

You have all these ideas,

But you're also able to back it up and do the work necessary and be very on top of things as well.

Now if you're low in openness and also low in conscientiousness as well,

Well you're kind of just this,

I want to say boring person,

Don't think it was a bad way,

But you like your routine,

Not rock the boat too much and just lead a very simple life.

And the pros to that is you're able to be very happy with little and just really be fine with that and be fine with your small interests because that gives you joy.

So that also,

There's a lot of merit to that as well.

So I hope you like this talk.

And in the next talk,

I'll be going over the next letter in the acronym OCEAN.

So O-C-E-A-N.

And so this talk we went over openness,

Which is O,

And the next letter is C,

Which is conscientiousness.

So we briefly talked about conscientiousness in this talk,

But I'll be going over that in more detail in the next one.

And then we'll be again talking about people who are very high in conscientiousness compared to low,

And then also how their behaviors will manifest in their personality and how they appear in their lifestyle choices.

And also what careers will suit them,

Friendships,

Relationships,

And so on.

So again,

Thank you again for watching this and be stay tuned for the next talk in the series.

Reviews

Helpful, Ish. I think it is interesting both our fathers are low strands and we are high strands.