Understanding Your Personality Is Crucial to Your Happiness

Understanding Your Personality Is Crucial to Your Happiness

You've heard the children's song "Dem Bones." It goes like this: "The hip bone's connected to the back bone. The back bone's connected to the neck bone. The neck bone's connected to the head bone…" I was reminded of this song when considering the connection between happiness and understanding your personality. I believe we could sing: "Understanding who you are is connected to understanding others. Understanding others is connected to good relationships. Good relationships are connected to happiness." In fewer words, understanding your personality is crucial to your happiness.

Understanding Your Personality

Each person has a unique personality that has been shaped by three contributing factors:

1. GENETICS - Genetics is the special recipe of brain chemicals—serotonin, dopamine, and others—that you were born with.
2. ENVIRONMENT - Environment includes experiences you had as a child (where you grew up, to what you were exposed, the health of your home life). Environment also includes traumatic experiences you may have endured at different points in your life (the death of someone close to you, injuries from a car accident, a divorce).
3. BEHAVIOR - Behavior is how you have chosen over the years to act and react in the situations that arise in daily life.

Taking an online personality assessment can help you identify the traits and tendencies of your unique personality.  

Understanding the Personalities of Others

Once you begin to understand who you are, you can choose to step beyond that to understand the personalities of those around you. It's in understanding the characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of other personalities that you can start building strong connections with those you love, live with, and lead. You don't have to be perfect at this to start seeing improvements, simply putting in the effort to understand others will go a long way towards building strong relationships and improving your happiness.

Good Relationships

There is not a right, wrong, better, or best personality type. All personalities can be successful in personal and professional relationships. The key is intentionality. When you work at understanding your personality, then work at learning the personalities of those different than you, you will discover how they perceive you. You can intentionally make adjustments to improve your relationships with them.

Happiness

Good relationships ARE connected to happiness. U.S. News & World Report posted an article by Paula Davis-Laack entitled "Why Relationships are Crucial to Your Health and Happiness." Here is an excerpt:

"World-renowned psychologist Chris Peterson was once asked if he could sum up decades of positive psychology research, and he said, “Other people matter.” It was his way of emphasizing how important relationships and connection with others are to your happiness and well-being."

If you'd like to get started on this path to happiness, take our online personality assessment. Within a few minutes, you can discover your personality type and learn how to make a difference not only in your life, but also in the lives of those you interact with.