INFJ Is The Rarest, ‘Easily Misunderstood’ Personality Type

If you’ve ever done a personality quiz, you’ve probably heard of the Myers-Briggs personality types.

These are assigned based on tests that measure people’s levels of extroversion (E), introversion (I), sensing (S), intuition (N), thinking (T), feeling (F), judging (J) and perceiving (P). Our balance of these factors is meant to reflect how we receive and give energy (E or I), take in information (S and N), reach conclusions (T and F) and relate to the outside world (J and P).

In total, there 16 Myers-Briggs personality types, made up of different combinations of these four traits.

And the rarest kind seems to be INFJ, which describes around just 1.5% of the population.

We spoke to psychologist and CEO of Male Allies UK, Lee Chambers, about what INFJ personality types usually experience, and how they’re often “misunderstood”…

INFJs score highly on introversion, intuition, feeling and judging.

They may “seek meaning and connection in ideas, relationships, and material possessions”, Myers-Briggs’ site reads.

Chambers explained that INFJs will often “look calm on the outside while processing a lot on the inside”.

“They tend to be intense, while also being quiet, enjoying time with a small, close-knit group, going deep in conversation, [and] actively listening, before stepping away to recharge alone,” he continued. “They are likely to enjoy routine, space to reflect, and doing things that have meaning.”

He added: “They tend to be well attuned to the energy of rooms of people, often care deeply about the feelings of others, and prefer harmony, while having low tolerance for bravado, small talk, and things they perceive as shallow.”

The psychologist said this personality type tends to enjoy meaningful activities with people who share a passion for what matters to them.

“But they also find joy in space to reflect, expression through creativity and feeling in alignment,” he noted.

“A slower, deeper type of connection, with just a few people, tends to create the trust that this personality type values. And many have a personal mission they are on, that they get happiness from bringing to the world.”

Chambers added that INFJs are “easily misunderstood, their quietness mistaken for being cold and secretive”.

Their empathy can make them seem like a “soft touch” to some, while others might think their deep caring tendencies mean they’re constantly emotionally available.

In reality, though, the expert said INFJs need “solitude to recharge”.

Meanwhile, their capacity for deep thought might sometimes make them appear overly serious.

“While every INFJ is an individual, they are likely to listen more than they speak, always look like they have it together (even when they don’t), are good at picking up emotional undercurrents, and remember the thing others miss,” he ended.