Are you someone who can easily relax, go with the flow, and enjoy life? Do you value the present moment more than the final outcome? Do you handle stress well and avoid unnecessary worries?
If this sounds like you, you may have a Type B personality. Type B people are calm and easygoing but struggle with motivation and ambition.
In this article, you will discover whether you possess Type B personality traits and how to maximize your strengths and overcome your weaknesses.
What Is the Type B Personality?
The Type B personality is the polar opposite of the Type A. While Type A people are more ambitious, competitive, and driven, Type B's are tranquil, relaxed, and chill.
Instead of planning every moment and trying to win, they prefer to take things easy and enjoy the ride. For them, the destination is less important. What matters is the journey and the moments they experience along the way.
What Are Type B Personality Traits?
Since the Type B personality is the opposite of Type A, those with it lack the competitiveness, hostility, and impatience that make up the Type A personality.
What this means is that Type B people are:
Easy-going
Nothing ruffles a Type B's feathers. They get along well with others, and everybody loves them. They are calm, collected, and composed; when they encounter challenges, they brush them off and move on.
Patient
Type B people don't have the same obsession with time as Type A’s. In fact, they are very generous with it and are always willing to shift things around despite their packed schedule to make time for their friends.
Relaxed
Type B individuals are the kind of people you want with you on vacation. They are laid back and chill and don't worry about things beyond their control. Instead, they focus on enjoying life to the fullest.
Adaptable
Type B people are great at rolling with the punches. They’ll be the first to try out new tech, warm up to a new co-worker, and accept different worldviews. They see change as inevitable and prefer to go with it rather than futilely trying to hold it back.
Creative
Type B people love to exercise their imagination and creative freedom. They don't always concern themselves with efficiency but instead, look for the most fulfilling way of doing things.
Type B Traits Impact on Health and Stress Levels
Your personality type substantially impacts your stress levels, which in turn affects your health. Since Type B people are more relaxed, adaptable, and easygoing, they don't overthink or overwork, which makes them more resistant to stress.
Less stress, in turn, means a lower chance of burnout syndrome, anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems.
However, having a Type B personality does not mean you are out of the woods.
Your laid-back and relaxed attitude can be your kryptonite. For example, you may neglect personal care such as eating healthy, exercising, and getting regular health checkups. Such neglect can lead to obesity and high blood pressure or exacerbate previously minor issues.
Additionally, since Type B people prefer to get along with everyone, you may struggle to cut off detrimental relationships. Maintaining these connections can be harmful to your physical and mental health.
How Do You Know if You’re Type B?
The easiest and best way to know if you have a Type B personality is to take a Type B test to measure how closely or distantly you correspond with the Type A traits. If you score low enough in all three areas of hostility, competitiveness, and impatience, you are Type B.
If, for any reason, you can't take the Type B test yet, you can infer what type you are from the results of your other personality tests.
Type B Personality and the Big 5
On the Big 5 test, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion are the key traits for identifying a Type B personality. As a Type B, you will score high on agreeableness because of your easygoing nature. Your conscientiousness score will likely be low since you are more go-with-the-flow, and your extraversion score will be high because of your friendly disposition.
Type B Personality and the Enneagram
If your Enneagram is Type 9 (the Peacemaker), there's a good chance you have a Type B personality since both personality descriptors are laid back, pleasant, and even-tempered.
Type B Personality and the MBTI
The characteristics of Type B align closely with the feeling and perceiving dimensions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. That means that Type B people are likely to be INFP, ESFP, ISFP, or ENFP on the MBTI test.
However, the Type A/B test is still your best bet for the most accurate result of your personality type. Take the test for a clear-cut result of your personality type.
Type B Personality Strengths
The unique combination of traits in Type B people makes them naturally better at some things than others. Here are some areas where your Type B personality can be an asset:
Relationships
Type B people are likable and great at making good first impressions. This skill can come in handy when networking or simply making friends.
Stress Levels
Type B people are great at keeping their heads even if others lose theirs. That means that when you face high-stress situations, like public speaking or managing a big project, you’ll have an easier time keeping cool.
Collaboration
Working in a team is a lot easier when everyone likes you, and Type B people have got that down to a T. They’re also great at welcoming new suggestions from others, and their easygoing nature helps prevent conflict in the group.
Resilience
When Type B's experience disappointments, they don't let it weigh them down for too long. Instead, they brush it off and try again. That resilience will help you overcome difficult situations and eventually help you achieve your goals.
Life Satisfaction
Type B's don't tie their satisfaction to goals, possessions, or titles. Instead, they focus on enjoying life and living in the moment. As a result, their happiness is not some distant, far-off thing but something they actively experience now.
Type B Personality Weaknesses
While the Type B personality is suitable for many things, it also has drawbacks. Here are some challenges you may experience because of it:
Procrastination
Type B people don't have the same sense of urgency others do. As a result, they tend to procrastinate and put off important tasks. When you have deadlines to meet, this can be a debilitating trait. Effective time management is something Type B’s need to work on.
Laziness
Sometimes people may mistake your laid-back nature for being lazy, which can hurt your professional reputation. This is another area where time management and prioritization skills can really help. You may have to actively prove to your bosses and co-workers that you're pulling your weight.
People Pleasing
A trait of Type B people is that they try to maintain cordial relationships with everyone. However, if you always try to please everyone and shy away from conflict, it can make you look weak and let others take advantage of you.
No Goals
That go-with-the-flow attitude Type B people are famous for can hurt them. Since they don't have clear goals, they can’t create plans for achieving them, which can negatively affect their long-term success.
How to Thrive as a Type B
Now that you know what to expect as Type B, the next step is managing all that baggage to have a successful life, personally and professionally. To do that, you'll need to leverage your strengths while keeping your weaknesses in check. Here are a couple of tips that can help you out there.
Create a Schedule
Structure and rules may go against your nature as a Type B. Still, if you're going to make any meaningful success, you need to organize your efforts so that you don't end up herding cats. You can start by making a schedule with all your tasks for the day and sticking to it.
You don't need to plan every second of every day. Just make sure you factor in the time for doing your important tasks.
Showcase Your Strengths
People often accuse Type B people of being lazy. You can avoid this by actively showing your value. That means contributing to brainstorming sessions, building valuable connections, and pulling your weight in group projects. This way, even if you seem relaxed and laid back, no one can accuse you of not doing your part.
Be Assertive
It's okay to be nice, but don't tolerate disrespect. You need to know when to put your foot down and stand for what you believe is right. Some people may not like you for it, but many more people will respect you.
Do Your Tasks Immediately
Don't put things off. Start working on your tasks as soon as you get them. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll finish. If you're having trouble, use the Eat that Frog technique to help you get past that first hurdle.
Leveraging Your Type B Personality
The Type B personality is not an absolute category but a relative one. You'll most likely have traits from Type A and Type B. However, if Type B is your predominant personality type, you may want to adapt your lifestyle to suit it better.
By knowing your strengths and weaknesses and following the tips above, you can better yourself and enjoy a relaxed life.
