The Media Mirror: What Your Favorites Say About You
Photo credit: Myers-Briggs 16 personality test
By: Lily Miller
Imagine it’s a rainy Friday night at about 8 pm. The kind of rainy night where it's too miserable outside to do anything other than stay home, curl up, and watch a movie. One friend is watching a gruesome horror movie, another could be watching a gut-wrenchingly beautiful romance, and the third could be fully immersed in an out-of-this-world sci-fi or fantasy movie. This is relatively average human behavior that isn’t questionable at all, but if you really sit and think about it, the choices we make on what movies we watch or what music we listen to can tell a lot about our personalities.
There are two main personality types according to the Myers-Briggs 16 personality test. These are personality types E and I. E stands for extroverted, and I stands for introverted. Now, under these main types, there are four sub-categories: Analysts, Diplomats, Sentinels, and Explorers.
Analysts:
Architect - INTJ-A / INTJ-T: Imaginative and strategic thinkers, with a plan for everything.
Logician - INTP-A / INTP-T: Innovative investors with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
Commander - ENTJ-A / ENTJ-T: Bold, imaginative, and strong-willed leaders, always finding a way -- or making one.
Debater - ENTP-A / ENTP-T: Smart and curious thinkers who cannot resist an intellectual challenge.
Diplomats:
Advocate - INFJ-A / INFJ-T: Quiet and mystical, yet very inspiring and tireless idealists.
Mediator - INFP-A / INFP-T: Poetic, kind, and altruistic people, always eager to help a good cause.
Protagonist - ENFJ-A / ENFJ-T: Charismatic and inspiring leaders, able to mesmerize their listeners
Campaigner - ENFP-A / ENFP-T: Enthusiastic, creative, and sociable free spirits, who can always find a reason to smile.
Sentinels:
Logistician - ISTJ-A / ISTJ-T: Practical and fact-minded individuals whose reliability cannot be doubted.
Defender - ISFJ-A / ISFJ-T: Very dedicated and warm protectors, always ready to defend their loved ones.
Executive - ESTJ-A / ESTJ-T: Excellent administrators, unsurpassed at managing things -- or people.
Consul - ESFJ-A / ESFJ-T: Extraordinarily caring, social, and popular people, always eager to help.
Explorers:
Virtuoso - ISTP-A / ISTP-T: Bold and practical experimenters, masters of all kinds of tools.
Adventurer - ISFP-A / ISFP-T: Flexible and charming artists, always ready to explore and experience something new.
Entrepreneur - ESTP-A / ESTP-T: Smart, energetic, and very perceptive people who truly enjoy living on the edge.
Entertainer - ESFP-A / ESFP-T: Spontaneous, energetic, and enthusiastic people -- life is never boring around them.
The information above is derived from the Myers-Briggs 16 personality test.
I conducted a survey, to which I got 40 responses. I asked the participants what 3 movie or TV show genres they watched the most, and then what their top genre was. I then asked what 3 music genres they listened to the most, and then what their top genre was. Finally, I provided them with the list above and asked which one fit them the most.
The point of the survey was to answer the question: Does the media you consume help define or affect your personality?
I think it's important to mention, first, that comedy was the most selected TV genre of all the personality types, and pop was the most selected music genre. They bridge across personality boundaries, which encourages them to serve as baseline pop culture rather than personality-defining choices.
Here is a visual of my responses:
Personality differences come out, not in initial genre preference but in ancillary choices, namely, fantasy vs. thriller, indie/classical vs. rap/hip-hop, and slice of life vs. action
The intuitive-feeling types, such as INFP, INFJ, and INFP-A, had a common theme of romance, slice of life, comedy, and fantasy for TV and movie genres. The common theme for music was pop, alternative, indie, and classical. These personalities regularly pick emotion-driven, character-focused, and introspective music, reinforcing the idea that NF types prefer content emphasizing emotional nuance, identity, and relational storytelling.
The intuitive-extraverted feeler types, such as ENFP and ENFJ, picked comedy, romance, and action for movies and TV shows. Pop, rock, and alternative were picked for music. These types balance high-energy stimulation and emotional engagement, favoring socially engaging and optimistic media that still maintain emotional depth.
The commander/executive types like ENTJ picked action, thriller, and comedies the most for TV shows and movies. For music, they picked rock, rap, and hip-hop for music. These personalities gravitate to fast-paced, goal-driven, and high-intensity media, lining up with their common traits of assertiveness, leadership, and strategic thinking.
The consul / sensing-judging types like ISFJ picked comedy, romance, and slice of life for movies and TV. Pop, rock, and country were their music genres. Common to the intuitive-feeling types with their romance, comedy, and slice of life genres, they pick these for a different reason. They exhibit a preference for the familiar, comforting, and socially cohesive media. Which causes them to pick genres that amplify stability, tradition, and everyday relatability.
There is a large correlation between personality types and media preferences. Emotional and intuitive personalities prefer narrative-driven and expressive media, while assertive and strategic personalities tend to gravitate towards high-energy, plot-driven genres. The mass-appeal genres (comedy, pop music) cut across personality, operating as cultural constants. Media consumption reflects how people emotionally regulate, seek stimulation, and relate to stories.
It should be made known, however, that personality types are self-reported, not medically evaluated, and the MBTI categories are descriptive, not deterministic.
