Sixty-five participants were surveyed about their personality traits; then 682 “informants”—anyone from close friends to mere acquaintances who knew the participants well enough to comment on their characteristics—were asked about them as well. After comparing the outsider and self-reports, most of the participants seemed to have certain traits that they did not use to describe themselves but that a large majority of their informants agreed applied to them. Moreover, the individuals had no idea that others thought they possessed these traits. Your personality is relative, explains Daniel Leising, PhD, one of the researchers and a professor of psychology at the Technical University Dresden in Germany. When a number of people in your social environment define you as something, that description is considered true in that social reality, even if you are unaware of that reputation. The key to minimizing these personality blind spots is feedback, says Dr. Leising. “It may be worthwhile to once in a while ask yourself who might be a particularly intriguing source of information about you. And those may not be the persons that you prefer to surround yourself with all the time but may be the persons that you tend to avoid,” he says. “Maybe those people have something to tell you that’s not just mean—it’s true.” People whose opinions you think you would rather not know—like, say, an ex-husband or an unfriendly coworker—may actually have interesting insights into your character, Dr. Leising explains. They offer good opportunities to discover more about yourself. For example, the next time somebody criticizes you, try not to immediately jump to the defense. Instead, stop and think critically as to whether or not what they’re saying is true and whether or not you want it to be true. Then go from there. More from Prevention: How Your Personality Affects Your Waistline 3 Ways To Nail A Job Interview The Fittest Personality Type
