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To my sorrow, I am monolingual, but I was fascinated by a psychology study that found differences in risk assessment when the test was conducted in someone's primary vs. secondary language. Apparently, people are naturally risk averse, but less so in a secondary language. It seems that...

I'd be happy to answer the rest of your questions, but this was the part that I thought needed a response the most. I can't speak for any other INTP, but for me, doing all the "feeling" stuff is definitely work. It may be very pleasant work, and I am happier for having done it, but I have to...

Nope, sorry, not buying it. I know people who want to be treated like they are God's gift to the world, who are greedy and power-hungry and in one case sociopathic. They want to be given all the accolades, money, and decisions. There are others who want to be treated with kid gloves, who can't...

I don't agree with this at all. We can't come up with generalities on the spot. Coming up with the right reaction on the spot is hard. There are all kinds of reasons why people will take the easy way rather than the right way: anonymity, peer pressure, fear of embarrassment, fear of...

I rather doubt that any moral code can cover every circumstance, and therefore flexibility is necessary. However, while it is true that a bunch of miscellany doesn't work, some situations come up repeatedly and predictably. There was a previous mention of academia. If you are in academia, it...

I'll go along with the Golden Rule. I understand the objections raised but they don't really apply. It isn't about doing only what people like, or thinking everyone likes the same things. For example, in the face of disagreement, some people want deference from others, and some people like...

I don't know that there is a way to quantify how much damage you do. If you do harm, even a little, you don't know all the effects. Some people will brush it off and never think about it again. Or, it might be the last straw that makes someone lose their temper and take it out on someone they...

Well, murder and rape are illegal. People who consider those moral get locked up as criminals or criminally insane. Society doesn't want that, and such codes are vigorously suppressed. It isn't really a good option, and seems outside the scope of this thread. We were debating whether basic...

I don't think there is a moral obligation to be nice. But there is my moral obligation to be nice. Like many on this forum, I have used logic, research, experiments, philosophy, and personal preference to create my own code of conduct/morals/ethics. And my code includes being nice. I...

I think they must be messing with you, with all these questions about whether you are some kind of ur-INTP. I have known people in all the fields you mention that are of all different types, so it doesn't really matter that much anyway. I have also known many people with all kinds of degrees...

I agree with Jennywocky that it gets easier, and also that it can be better if you just don't think about it too hard. "Thanks!" I don't know you very well, but you use exclamations a lot and I want you to think I am friendly. "Thanks," Thanks for calling, your business is very...

The phrasing of that poll makes me suppose that any group of any personality types would choose demonstrated knowledge over claimed titles. You would probably get a different outcome by asking: O Credentials awarded by accredited institutions O Listening to the person lecture on their area...

I second the suggestion that you look it up. Daria is really funny, the writing is great, and she is such an INTP. (Much cooler than I ever was, though.)

Redbaron, since you gave me permission to post this to the thread, here it is. You have a mix of good and bad, obviously. When a sign for something appears once, it isn't clear that it wasn't just a fluke. But when you see something several times in different ways, you can assume it is present...

If there is neurosis in love, I think you nailed it here. In the US at least, love pretty much means romantic, sexual love. It is okay to love your parents, children, and siblings as well, as blood relations are supposed to be mystical as well. What isn't okay is to love anyone else. I...

Well, your writing is pretty unusual, so it might take me a while. I'll probably PM it. How did you get interested in graphology, anyway?

How hard do you press the pen on the paper? How old are you? Is English your first (or one of your first) languages? How close did you get to the edge of the paper? What size paper did you use? I'll give it a try but these things also matter so I figured I'd as those first rather than guessing.

I didn't mean we grow out of making principled stands, or even getting ourselves into trouble with it, but rather that we grow out of the meltdowns. A bit. I still take intransigent stands more often than is good for me. But I don't melt down as much anymore.

I think this is true, on the whole. We handle it fine when someone disagrees with us, or simply doesn't understand us. INTPs don't always get what they want, but that's life. Where we run into trouble is when someone else understands our point, and even agrees, but simply doesn't care, or...

I think it's funny to say ordinary things in the manner of a super-villain. "No one can stop me now. I have only to add half a cup of olive oil, and my salad dressing will be complete. (Bwahaha.) At last, my plans are coming to fruition! Dinner shall be served!!!"

Sounds like you were right. She is the most adorable kid in the world. Congratulations, daddy!

So tell us about your daughter!

You are way out of your league. Don't get between them or try this deceit. It could be dangerous to you and the wife. It does you credit that you want to help, and if you are willing to take action, I recommend calling the police. (If you hate that idea, try a hospital, a church, or look...

It isn't a question of how intelligent they are, but of how they act. A know-it-all, whether they are smarter or not, is unwelcome. Someone who enjoys knowing, learning, and sharing is very welcome, again whether they are smarter or not.

I can relate. I've occasionally been told that I'm cold and unfeeling. Which isn't true but whatever. Introverts can, in fact, really enjoy talking to people, even if it is draining. You don't, apparently. You are who you are. If you didn't ask for their advice on how to live your life, or...

I recommend finding anything that lightens your mood. For me, it has always been reading James Herriot stories. For you it might be a particular piece of music, or an activity like drawing, or just putting on a night light. Avoid anything that darkens your mood, even if you like doing that, as...

Have a wonderful leave while you get to know your daughter!

It must be true, because parents are well-known to be completely objective.

One of the most coherent and readable summaries of the issue I've seen, thanks.

Wonderful news! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Okay, yes, Harry was miserable after book 1. You are completely right, it wasn't a good choice. But of all the books with contrived happy endings, that one bugs me the most.

After thinking this over for a while, I decided I most enjoy inconclusive endings, which are not happy, nor sad, nor really an ending. My favorite movie is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which didn't exactly end, and I liked that. The end of the book Catch-22 is similar. King Rat would...

31/32. I missed the one on Jonathan Edwards.

An old-fashioned melodee dee-dee-dee dee-dee-dee Or, indeed, the rest of Hair.

Are you still playing D&D 4e?

How about Random Frequent Flyer Dent, from Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams? She likes to figure out how things work and is naturally very curious. Making conversation doesn't seem to come naturally to her, though she is perfectly willing to try. She is lonely but doesn't form relationships...

Yeah. I recently read that dung beetles use the Milky Way to navigate their little balls of dung away from the crowd. I read stuff like that for fun and also to have something to say if conversation flags a bit. I also read a lot of linguistics, though I am not a linguist, history despite not...

Maturity isn't everything, particularly on this forum. Yes, teenagers are immature, compared to how they will be later. But I've known some very immature people in their 60's, and some very adult 8-year-olds. So it depends on the person. Maturity provides the experience to handle a greater...

Some people do have a strong antipathy to sad songs, and find listening to them very painful indeed. Some just don't like anything that makes them cry. Some have been told that happy songs are better. For whatever reason, your friend finds sad songs painful/upsetting/harmful. Since music tastes...

Yep, me too. I don't see it as emotional self-harm. It is sort of self-indulgent, but not at all harmful that I can see. It is more refreshing. For me it restores rather than upsets emotional balance. Right before I saw this thread, I listened to a whole bunch of songs from Hair (including...

I am certain that everyone already knows how to prepare for a zombie apocalypse, but just in case you haven't checked your supplies lately, you should look over the CDC zombie preparedness site. (If you don't live in the USA, the CDC is the Center for Disease Control.) There are many comments...

Last summer my 8-year-old and I had a mommy-daughter project to build a function generator. We ran waves through my pocket oscilloscope and a set of speakers we had lying around. Great fun. Lead-free solder isn't as good as the stuff we used when I was a kid, though. It seems like most of my...

I had to read it in high school and didn't like it at all. I also thought Holden was whiny and I couldn't relate to him or even bring myself to care about him. But then, I generally don't enjoy angsty stuff. Lots of people love it, though. Different things speak to different people. A...

I wouldn't take off my shirt all the time, no. I would sometimes, depending on the situation. Obviously I wouldn't volunteer at my daughter's elementary school without a shirt. That is a professional environment, and I dress nicely there. But if I happened to be doing yard work or having fun at...

Descriptions don't do a whole lot. Ideally, to analyze a sample, you need a physical copy, preferably written in pen, in the writer's native language. It should also be a page long with a signature, rather than just a sentence or two. The reason for a physical sample is that you can learn a...

For me, friendships aren't pointless, but rather infinitely valuable. I put a lot of effort into maintaining my friendships, which are few but wonderful. INTPs are very loyal friends. We just don't enter into it casually. I think that is why we have more acquaintances than friends.

It seems unlikely. Bottle feeding was a 19th century innovation, and I'm pretty sure straight men liked breasts and porn before that. The USA has a crazy taboo against breasts being shown. (This irritates me, as a woman. If a man can take off his shirt on a hot day, I want to do the same.) In...

My 8-year-old daughter has both. She likes her Barbie quite a bit (actually this doll has a different name but I forget what it is). But I think she likes the enormous collection of LEGOs more. She recently received as a birthday gift a couple of sets of "LEGOs for girls." I'm sure you've...

I gather from your username that you read Forest Gump?

What if you were born in a different solar system? Or on a spaceship travelling through the solar system? The Moon couldn't exactly be in the seventh house, then, could it? For that matter, it might be difficult to calculate your date of birth.