INFJ "Blue Zen State" and Dario Nardi’s Neuroscience of Personality

[meowzician]

Is anyone here familiar with this at all? I just came across this for the first time tonight. Apparently EEG's show that when INFJ's contemplate the future or address a novel problem, our brains exhibit the same zen state that other types only get at their peak moments, like an athlete performing at their peak performance, or a concert pianist performing.

 

[John K]

@meowzician I'm not familiar with this sort of study, but it doesn't surprise me because behind the specifics it is saying something similar to other perspectives on INFJ people. I first came across MBTI on a management training course - there were 22 of us attending and we took the test, then they sorted us into type-based groups and gave us some exercises to do. The way we went about the exercises was so what you would expect from their type descriptions LOL, so I'm not surprised that the way folks process the world and their interactions with it is reflected in their brain patterns.

I've used the analogy of sight myself quite often in the forum to describe my own experience of Ni, and I think it's a really good one. The video reflects on the way we turn what someone's saying into a sort of 'image', which takes significant effort. What it didn't mention, I think, is the reverse - sheer effort it takes to turn an INFJ mental 'image' into words and how imprecise it feels when we have done that. It's like trying to describe a 3-dimensional landscape in a 1-dimensional and pixelated string of words.

Just to be very INFJ - there's something that often sets my teeth on edge with videos that go into INFJ psychology, and there's just a little bit of this here, though not as bad as some are. I think it's very important for us to understand that although our insight can be very powerful and accurate, it can also lead us right up the garden path and into an old compost heap. I think it's often because our insight has cost us a lot, as the video says, so we become attached to it and cannot easily let go when it's not matching reality. An obvious example is that I doubt INFJ folks are any better than others at choosing a lifelong partner.

 

[Asa]

Is anyone here familiar with this at all?

Yes. I posted about it years ago. INFJ and INTJ share this blue zen state. (This appeals to me because I'm married to an INTJ.) Carry on.

 

[meowzician]

An obvious example is that I doubt INFJ folks are any better than others at choosing a lifelong partner.

When I was young and velociraptors roamed the earth, someone said to me that INFJ's are the type most likely to believe in true love, and least likely to find it. I don't know if that's true or not, but it stuck with me.

 

[meowzician]

Yes. I posted about it years ago. INFJ and INTJ share this blue zen state. (This appeals to me because I'm married to an INTJ.) Carry on.

Wow!

Do INTJ's also get it when imagining the future or tackling a novel problem? Or does it happen to them for other stuff?