In this edition of the Journal of Psychological Type^® Research Digest, we have familiar types of studies and a few new ones.

Along more familiar lines, Ahktar analyzes MBTI^® preferences, stress, and coping mechanisms in medical college students. Analyzing the type distribution in a group of extreme sports athletes, Thompson found an overrepresentation of several types, including INTJ and other types with a Judging preference. And Ibrahim represents another study utilizing MBTI personality in machine learning. In this case, creating an online recommendation engine for K-pop bands aligned with personality type preferences.

The JPT-RD summarizes select research published in peer-reviewed journals or publications vetted through an editor. In this edition, we have done something different: we summarize a white paper by John Hackston, Thought Leader at The Myers-Briggs Company. This is an unusual selection, but one we feel is warranted due to the relevance and importance of the topic and the comprehensiveness of Hackston’s paper. The paper discusses and details the relationship between Myers-Briggs^® personality type and various forms of neurodiversity, including guidance on how to assess and work with neurodiverse clients. Hackston makes clear distinctions between the various forms of neurodiversity and discusses research with personality.

Finally, we do not typically include studies conducted below the college level, but in this case we summarize a study on MBTI preferences and emotional responses to color by Robbins. Not only is the topic unique, but some of the results may surprise you.

I hope you enjoy this edition of the JPT-RD. As always, if you have questions or would like a copy of these or any other articles, reach out to library@myersbriggs.org.

Stress is a prevalent issue for many people, particularly medical students. Understanding how different personality types cope with stress can bring insights into effective strategies and techniques to manage it. This study measured anxiety, depression, and stress coping styles among medical students and correlated the results with the Extraversion–Introversion scale of the MBTI^® instrument.

Out of 158 students, more than half reported having stress. Stress was significantly associated with personality type (Extraversion), coping style (avoidant), and gender (female). Surprisingly, students with a preference for Extraversion reported more stress, which goes against previous studies that showed a preference for Introversion typically reported more stress. Notably, the authors point out that this study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when social lives were significantly limited.

In the sample, 68% were female and 31% were male. Preferences for Introversion and Extraversion were 63% and 37%, respectively. Most students employed an approach coping style (91%) rather than an avoidant coping style (9%), with an approach coping style used across preferences for Introversion and Extraversion.

To manage stress, students use various approach-style strategies, including time management, social support, and relaxation techniques. The article underscores the importance of addressing stress in medical education and suggests that institutions should provide better support systems to help students cope more effectively.

In a comprehensive and detailed white paper, Hackston lays out all the details of how MBTI^® type relates to neurodiversity, including a detailed analysis of the various forms of neurodiversity, something we do not often see as neurodiversity is usually considered ADHD or autism. Hackston gives distinctions of dyscalculia, dyslexia, and other forms. In addition, he discusses the research finding links between personality and neurodiversity, both the Five Factor Model and the MBTI model.

For MBTI practitioners, there is guidance on how to administer the MBTI assessment and complete the best-fit feedback process with salient points to consider when working with this population, such as use of images versus words or understanding “masking” normal behavior in order to fit into a world that is not designed for them.

Neurodiversity is a growing field and topic of discussion. Personality type can inform and deepen our understanding of neurodiversity, especially how to assess conditions and communicate compassionately and effectively.

Increasingly today, people interact with online systems that recommend products and services based on their personal interests. Enhancing the quality of personal recommendations is a particular challenge for music streaming services. This study aimed to create a recommendation system that suggests K-pop bands based on musical preferences aligned with users' MBTI^® personality preferences. By integrating personality insights into the recommendation process, a more engaging and tailored experience for K-pop fans can be created, ultimately contributing to the growing field of personalized music recommendations.

The project focused on creating a K-pop band recommendation engine that leverages the MBTI types and the Latent Dirichlet Allocation, a topic modelling algorithm. Data collection was done with questionnaires distributed through Reddit, a social media platform. The questionnaire asked for MBTI personality type and inquired about preferences for K-pop bands and songs. A band recommendation engine was designed and tested to match K-pop music preferences with personality type preferences.

The results of this study can be applied to various online recommendation systems, beyond music streaming services, to personalize consumer experiences aligned with MBTI preferences.

A common debate in psychology is the varying ways that people emotionally perceive colors. This study explored correlations between MBTI^® personality type preferences and emotional perceptions (positive, negative, neutral) of six colors.

The results tabulated the percentage of positive, negative, and neutral evaluations of colors for each of the eight preferences. Some of the results are expected and some surprising.

Preferences with the most positive evaluations were Perceiving (83%), Thinking (70%), and Intuition (60%). Considering the naturally critical stance of the Thinking preference, the 70% positive evaluation was surprising.

Preferences with the most negative evaluations were Sensing (58%), Judging (56%), and Introversion (48%). A particularly surprising result was that people with a preference for Feeling had an unusually high percentage of neutral evaluations—60%. We would expect that a preference for Feeling, with its passion and emotional responsiveness, would have had more positive evaluations. Preferences with the least neutral responses were Perceiving (2%), Intuition (5%), and Thinking (9%).

Like many vocations, hobbies, and lifestyle pursuits, extreme sports attract distinct personality types. This study examined a group of runners called the Marathon Maniacs, who focus on frequency of marathons rather than speed or winning.

The personality traits and mental toughness of Marathon Maniacs were assessed through the NEO Five Factor Inventory, the MBTI^® instrument, and the Inventory of Mental Toughness Factors in Sports. A total of forty-two participants, Age M = 48; 20 males (47.6%), 22 females (52.4%), completed the assessments.

Results showed that Marathon Maniac members were low in neuroticism, high in openness, and also in conscientiousness. MBTI results revealed overrepresentation of particular types and preferences. Notably, Marathon Maniac members were 7.52 times more likely to be INTJ types, 3.10 times more likely to be INFJ types, 2.47 times more likely to be INFP types, 1.88 times more likely to be ENFJ types, and 1.81 times more like to be ENTJ compared to a normative sample. Overrepresentation was also examined for preferences and found a strong overrepresentation of IN, NT, and TJ as these were 2.72, 1.94 and 1.76 times more frequent than what is represented in the representative sample.