Beautiful minds and reluctant heroes - the curious case of the INFP

What do Virginia Woolf, Vincent van Gogh and  Kurt Cobain have in common? They were all INFPs (my type) in the Myers-Briggs system and they committed suicide. INFPs are said to be the most idealistic type and have the highest suicide rates of all types. Strangely enough, they also frequently have heart-shaped faces and the rare redheads seem to be overrepresented among them.
INFPs are also known as “dreamers” (this is the noun most frequently used by my teachers to describe me on parent-teachers days to my parents), who prefer to live in their minds more often than in real life. I suppose I am not the only INFP who spent his childhood and teenage years reading books and comics and binge-watching movies, and of course dreaming up magical worlds and exciting stories, trying to escape real life whenever possible. No surprise that many of us become artists and writers.
What makes it so hard for INFPs to live in this world? To begin with, we are the exact opposite of ESTJs: extraverted (high dopamine), S (practical, materialistic), T (high testosterone, competitive and stress-resistant), and J (high serotonin, conscientious). I have argued before that ESTJ are personality traits that evolved
I have argued before that ESTJs are personality traits that served early farmers well, whereas INFPs have preserved more hunter-gatherer traits: egalitarianism, altruism and high social sensitivity (empathy). We are constantly told to be less sensitive, to be more extraverted and have more fun (dopamine), to be more conscientious (serotonin) and above all to be more assertive (testosterone). All of these things are hard for us, as we a really programmed to thrive on oxytocin, the hormone of love and laughter.
We are living paradoxes, as we are programmed to trust, only to find that most people aren’t as trustworthy as us and still we want to believe that all humans are good. We are programmed to set our self-worth to whatever other people think of us (which is basically losers) and this is how we come to hate ourselves and love everyone else. We are programmed to be highly (outgroup) social, and we frequently end up as loners.
Of all types, INFPs probably have the lowest stress-resistance of all types. My INFP son usually comes home from school with his brain full of cortisol, unable to do anything until he has come down, usually by playing videogames. INFPs are the quintessential orchid children, who thrive in loving and low-stress environments, but who fail in life if those conditions aren’t met. INFPs are probably not only the type with the highest suicide rates, but also the highest rates of depression and schizophrenia. Scientists nowadays are quick to put down such conditions on genes. However, these genes are ancient, stressful social environments are more recent.
INFPs dream of being heroes and changing the world for the better. At the same time, they are reluctant to go out there, because they feel so powerless. Many stories are actually about reluctant INFP heroes, invented by their INFP authors: Frodo in Lord of the Rings, Luke Skywalker in Star Wars and Peter Parker, aka Spiderman, the nerdy student who gets bullied by his classmates. In fact, INFPs are much more likely to be the victims of bullying than heroes. INFPs are the easiest prey for bullies: they are typical nerds or weirdos, have few or no friends to help them and are not even programmed to be non-violent.

INFPs have hunter-gatherer minds, that struggle more than any other type in this materialistic farmer world. Most of us even struggle to hold a simple 9-5 job. In a world that is materialistic and competitive and that doesn’t need poets, INFPs have to be stronger than everyone else. Small wonder that so many of us give up.


I am indebted to Jim Black for pointing out the facial features of INFPs to me.

Comments

  1. "All of these things are hard for us, as we a really programmed to thrive on oxytocin, the hormone of love and laughter."

    Please show some evidence of this alleged programming.

    And Oxytocin is NOT the hormone of love and laughter - it is a emotion enhancer, for good AND bad. https://bebrainfit.com/increase-oxytocin/ - or more precisely:

    "It dials up social emotions, both positive and negative, ostensibly for your protection."

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  2. I am also INFP. I use to look at these labels as the bible and excuses for why I am the way I am. Now I use it as a reflection for how and where I could transcend these traits to become a more 'whole' individual to become more effective in this modern world. Thank you for your blog posts. Really loving them.

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    Replies
    1. you are welcome! It makes me incredibly happy when I can help people... INFP, after all ;)

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  3. I can totally relate with everything!

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  4. MBTI describes patterns of CHOICE, not character per se.

    Despite my earlier criticism - above (I would like more evidence of the facts presented, though) - I keep returning to this page. I find it hard being around people, more and more, as I age, and have basically tested INFP since 1989, all tests of 70-90 questions.

    Your claim:
    E - high dopamine [rewards for being in the throng of people and public activities? I]
    S - practical, materialistic [but order and ownership has their own rewards: sugars! MINE]
    T - high testosterone, competitive and stress-resistant [ego, dominance, ME]
    J - high serotonin, conscientious [MY I]

    so

    I - low on dopamine - [would that be from dopamine producing activities, or simply low?]
    N - disorder, non-materialistic [no rewards gained from order or ownership?]
    F - low on testosterone, non-competitive an stress-INtolerant? [or just not in the ring?]
    P - low on serotonin and [antonym to conscientious are] careless, cutthroat, dishonest, dishonorable, immoral, unethical, unjust, unprincipled, unscrupulous.

    I DO like a comparison to hormones and brain chemistry causing different choices, thus different MBTI types, but I would like it documented. Please.

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  5. correlation between MBTI and hormone levels?
    https://www.reddit.com/r/mbti/comments/7unfay/correlation_between_mbti_and_hormone_levels/

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  6. https://www.personalitycafe.com/threads/hormones-and-mbti.124377/

    This:

    As far as it goes there's a lot out there:

    [Text Line Diagram Parallel Symmetry]

    Dopamine is the power neurotransmitter and dominates the frontal lobe. It is associated with beta waves and high brain voltage. People high in dopamine score as NTs. They love power and are theory oriented. They hunger for precision in thought and language. They are the long range strategists.

    Acetylcholine is the speed neurotransmitter and is produced in the parietal lobes. It is associated with alpha waves and quick electrical speed. People high in this creative chemical score as NFs. They strive to be authentic, benevolent and empathetic. Their greatest desire is to make the world a better place. They are highly charismatic

    GABA is the rhythm neurotransmitter and resides in the temporal lobes. It is associated with theta waves and a steady electrical brain rhthm. People high in calming GABA score as SJs. These logistic experts look to the past and abide by tradition and conventional values. Relationships are of utmost value to them.

    Serotonin is the synchrony neurotransmitter and rules the occipital lobe. It is associated with delta waves and regulates the other neurotransmitters to maintain balance. People high in playful serotonin score as SPs. They act often act on impulse and seek adventure and experience. They live for the moment and prize nothing more than fun.

    sources:
    https://web.archive.org/web/20200722135443/http://www.uccs.edu:80/Documents/dsegal/An-empirical-investigation-Jungs-types-and-PD-features-JPT-2.pdf

    http://www.neurotransmitter.net/mbti.html - MBTI and Mood --

    https://web.archive.org/web/20130119074348/http://www.pathmed.com:80/pdf/NutriNews%20-%20The%20Edge%20Effect%20Spring%2005.pdf

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    Replies
    1. thanks a lot! I'll look into it.

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    2. I understand your desire to undstand the hormone correlations... but it looks like you are far more advanced than I

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