The Myers-Briggs personality test is used by 2 million people annually in corporate organizations, HR departments, universities, and the government. The test is a series of 93 questions that groups people into 16 types. Four sets of characteristics include extraversion vs. introversion, intuition vs. sensing, feeling vs. thinking, and judging vs. perceiving. Consulting Psychologists Press (CPP), the company that produces and markets the test, makes around $20 million yearly. The company charges $15 to $40 per person who wants to take the test and $1,700 for anyone interested in becoming a test administrator. 

Swiss psychologist Carl Jung laid the foundations for the popular personality test. In 1921, Jung published his book Psychological Types, which discusses his theories on the human brain. He believed people fall into two categories: perceivers and judgers, which can then be split into sensing and intuiting and split again into thinkers and feelers. However, Jung created these classifications by observation and personal experience rather than experimentation. He admitted that “every individual is an exception to the rule.” The test was created in the 1940s by Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, who had no formal training in psychology. The test was called the “Type Indicator,” which copied Jung’s types. The mother-daughter duo wanted to help women entering the workforce choose a job best suited to their personality.

The problem with the Myers-Briggs test is best summarized by Adam Grant, a psychologist from the University of Pennsylvania, who claims “there’s just no evidence behind it.” He goes on to say, “the characteristics measured by the test have almost no predictive power on how happy you’ll be in a situation, how you’ll perform at your job, or how happy you’ll be in your marriage.” Humans cannot be perfectly categorized; Jung himself has admitted, “there is no such thing as a pure extrovert or a pure introvert,” which is why the MBTI is considered a pseudoscience, due to its inaccuracy and lack of scientific backing. 

Although inaccurate, Myers Briggs appeals to people, giving flattering and vague descriptions. Personality types often overlap, but people like to make sense of chaos and complexity. It’s easy for humans to categorize themselves. The MBTI offers insight into people’s habits, preferences, and attitudes toward life. The test may be fun and appealing, but remember it is a loose interpretation of humans’ complicated personalities.