Have you taken the Helen Fisher personality test? If you haven’t, then chances are you haven’t heard the name. Or perhaps, you’re not a fan of Match.com.
In 2015, the dating platform, Match.com hired Helen Fisher to help find the best answer to an old but confusing question. The question was, “why would you fall in love with one person rather than someone else?
In other words, why would someone go into a relationship with a particular person rather than another person?
No doubt, finding the solution wouldn’t be a walk in the park for Helen and her colleagues, whoever they are. But they managed to come up with something anyway.
In this article, you’ll learn about Helen Fisher’s personality types and more on the personality test. Keep reading.
What Helen Fisher Personality Test Is
When crafting this post, over 14 million individuals spread across 40 countries have taken Dr. Fisher’s personality test.
Dr. Helen Fisher carefully developed this personality test to test the levels to which people express four broad patterns of behavior and thinking.
Dr. Fisher discovered that diverse personality traits were associated with four brain systems. These were serotonin, dopamine, estrogen, and the testosterone system.
Why Did Dr. Helen Fisher Design The Personality Test?
Why do many marriages fail? Why do people leave their spouse for someone else? One of the reasons has to do with compatibility. Somewhere along the line, in the relationship, many people discover how incompatible they are with their spouse.
When two people in a relationship aren’t compatible, chances are they’re bound to grow tired of each other’s behavior. It might take years or months, but it may likely happen. And when you’re not compatible with someone, a little misunderstanding can tear the union apart.
On the other hand, when you’re compatible with your better half, both of you are more likely to find common ground and resolve conflicts much quicker and amicably.
So, compatibility in relationships and marriages is a big issue in the world today. It’s the reason many married couples and lovers have gone their separate ways.
The truth is, many people got married out of infatuation. And according to the esteemed psychologist Dorothy Tennov, relationships built on infatuation can only last between 18 months to three years.
So, Dr. Helen Fisher’s interest was to help people understand themselves better. She wanted people to better understand their personality traits before finding love or even establishing friendships with others.
Again, Helen Fisher’s reason for designing this personality test is to help people determine how compatible they are with someone they see as a potential partner before committing to a relationship.
The test will help you determine how compatible you are with someone you’re in a relationship with or thinking of dating, and vice versa.
The test enables men and women to know the person they’re most compatible with, a key ingredient in every successful marriage or relationship.
Furthermore, you can also use the personality test to determine the personality styles of your employees, employers, colleagues, friends, siblings, parents, relatives, clients, and even children.
Please note that upon completing the questionnaire, you’ll receive feedback, which will answer the following three things.
- What your personality signature is: This includes how you behave and think. Many people aren’t aware of these aspects of themselves. The Helen Fisher test will offer you more information on that.
- The person you’re most attracted to naturally: We all have someone we are naturally attracted to. The Helen Fisher personality test will help you unravel yours.
- The third and final feedback you’ll receive is the natural problem and joysthat may result if you eventually connect or enter into a relationship with someone with a different personality signature.
Dr. Helen Fisher Personality Test Types:
As you may have already discovered, millions of people have taken the Helen Fisher personality test and made positive comments about the outcome. And this goes to show that Dr. Helen and her team sure deserve some accolades for their hard work.
As earlier said, Dr. Helen created the test to determine people’s four ways of behaving and thinking, linked to four basic human brain systems.
The brain systems Dr. Helen mentioned or designed her personality test on are dopamine, serotonin, estrogen, and testosterone systems.
She also named these four personalities as the explorer, builder, director, and negotiator.
Alright, the above are the Helen Fisher personality types. Now, let’s explain each personality in detail, including notable people that fall into each category.
The Explorer: This personality type comprises people that express traits connected with the brain’s system, dopamine.
People in this category are creative, curious, energetic, spontaneous, daring, high-risk-takers, independent, enthusiastic, and mentally flexible. They’re inspiring; fancies adventure, novelty, and like to think outside the box.
Explorers make great entrepreneurs, entertainers, and artists. They’re considered charismatic leaders.
Here’s a list of notable personalities who’re explorers.
- Angelina Jolie
- Richard Branson
- Winston Churchill
- Gloria Steinem
- Princess Diana
- John F. Kennedy
Additionally, explorers have many interests, ranging from hiking, reading, theatre, to spelunking (exploring caves as one’s hobby).
So, who does an explorer long for? Firstly, know that explorer’s behaviors are affected by a brain chemical called dopamine. And as you know, dopamine production is encouraged when one experiences novelty and pleasure.
So, if you’re an explorer, then you’re probably seeking a playmate. Explorers also bond well with other explorers.
The Builder: The builders’ behavior is well-connected to the brain system called serotonin. People in this category are conventional, traditional, and like being cautious. But then, one thing you’ll notice about builders is that they’re never scared.
People in this category are only cautious and not afraid of anything. They also have a reputation for observing social norms. They hate breaking the rules. So, expect builders to adhere to rules, plan and schedule their appointments effectively, and respect those in authority.
Builders are the opposite of explorers in the area of risk-taking. They don’t like taking risks. Furthermore, they’re logical thinkers who enjoy paying attention to details and following due process.
Excitingly, builders make great soldiers and managers. And when they become leaders, they tend to be highly authoritative.
Additionally, you’ll also discover that builders are great at managing people, building community and family. They’re also very calm, friendly and well-known.
Here’s a list of notable personalities who’re builders
- Queen Elizabeth
- Hu Jintao
- Mike Pence
- Al Gore
- Tiger Woods
- George Washington
- Colin Powell
- Jennifer Aniston
Builders are always conscious and dependable. And remember, the critical neurotransmitter in builders is serotonin, known to regulate one’s mood such as calm, anger, and aggression.
So, who are builder most interested in? Firstly, builders get attracted to people who are well-organized and calm. That’s because they’re pretty quiet and reserved. Thus, they’re more likely to stay longer in a relationship with a compatible partner.
Builders are interested in finding helpmates. Plus, they form strong bonds with other builders like themselves.
The Director: People in this category do express traits connected to the testosterone system. They’re quite decisive, straightforward, analytical, tough-minded, competitive, rank-oriented, logical, and emotionally contained.
Directors are ambitious, boost excellent spatial skills and understanding of rule-based systems, such as mechanics, engineering, computer science, music, or mathematics. Another thing you shouldn’t forget about directors is that they’re commanding leaders and strategic thinkers.
Here are notable personalities who’re directors.
- Donald Trump
- Margaret Thatcher
- Hillary Clinton
- Albert Einstein
- Steve Jobs
A Handy Tip: The sex hormone, testosterone is present in males and females too. It’s the hormone, which dictates directors’ behavior.
So, who are directors interested in? Directors are pretty competitive, ambitious, and long for a mind mate. They also form strong bonds with negotiators.
The Negotiator: The negotiator comprises people whose behaviors are dictated by the estrogen hormones.
These classes of people are emotionally expressive, boast great social and verbal skills, facial expression, reading postures, and perform incredibly well in interpersonal skills. They’re insightful, intuitive, nurturing, and emphatic.
Negotiators perform better in varied positions, as medical workers, salespeople, and educators. Their personality traits fit these tasks perfectly.
When negotiators become leaders, they tend to excel at the diplomatic aspect of their leadership duties and boast the capacity to broker consensus.
Here’s a list of notable people who are negotiators.
- Charles Darwin
- Oprah Winfrey
- Bill Clinton
- Abraham Lincoln
- Mahatma Gandhi
Negotiators can establish a strong bond with coordinators—little wonder why Hilary and Bill Clinton bonded so well.
Negotiators are most interested in landing a soul mate, someone they can spend the rest of their lives with.
Conclusion
So, these are the Dr. Helen Fisher personality types. The personality test designed by her was to help people find the right partner. By the right partner, it means those they’re compatible with. And as you know, getting into a relationship with a person you’re compatible with can help make things progress between you smoothly.
But then, humans are unique and come wired to find and identify love. Infatuation is the one major issue causing many people to make the wrong choice. But if we can put that aside and focus, it will be much easier to find the right match.