Skip to main content

Do personality tests work? - Merve Emre

1,168,113 Views

16,342 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

In 1942, a mother-daughter duo named Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers developed a questionnaire that classified people’s personalities into 16 types. Called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI, it would go on to become one of the world’s most widely-used personality tests. But do these tests actually reveal truths about personality? Merve Emre examines their design flaws.

Schools and companies use personality tests to evaluate the skills and interests of their students and employees. How might this be problematic? Are some personality types favored over others?

Sign in to answer question

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Merve Emre
  • Director Seoro Oh
  • Narrator Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Sound Designer Seoro Oh
  • Music Jellysound
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Script Editor Emma Bryce
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

More from Mind Matters