Contributed by: ElyseRomano on Tuesday, September 06 2011 @ 08:43 pm
Last modified on
After researching why people fall in love with one person rather than another, Dr. Helen Fisher and her colleagues, Arthur Aron and Lucy Brown, determined that every man and woman is a combination of four personality types, each driven by a specific hormone or neurotransmitter:
We've already discussed the primary characteristics of each personality type, but that's only a piece of the puzzle. Each personality type is primarily attracted to partners who fall into a specific category, and the personality types also determine how two people are likely to act in a relationship with each other. Let's take a closer look at how each personality type may affect who and how you love:
Explorers: Explorers are generally attracted to other Explorers, a case in which opposites do not attract. "The Explorer/Explorer match is generally strong," explains Telling It Like It Is[*1] , "because Explorers love adventure and want an partner to share their spontaneity." An Explorer seeks someone who shares their optimism, natural curiosity, and occasional impulsivity. The downside to an Explorer/Explorer relationship is that people who fall into this category are not particularly introspective, which means that the relationship may lack depth and the partners may avoid having the difficult, but critical, conversations that are necessary to any serious, long-term relationship. Explorers may also find themselves in sticky situations when their adventure-seeking and impulsivity go too far.
Builders: Like Explorers, Builders are typically attracted to other Builders. Serotonin-driven Builders seek order and stability, making them the personality type most likely to marry and least likely to divorce. A relationship of Builders is strong, as both partners are motivated to bring people together and work hard to maintain the connections they establish. Builder partners will most likely make "sensible decisions about money, family and feelings together and value security above almost everything."
Directors & Negotiators: Where Directors and Negotiators are concerned, opposites do attract. These personality types are different but complimentary in many ways. Negotiators see the big picture, while Directors focus on smaller details. Negotiators have a knack for seeing all angles in a situation, but often fail to take action. Directors, on the other hand, are decisive but often act without fully analyzing all available information. Directors and Negotiators are also highly compatible socially, as Negotiators are skilled at "smoothing over Directors' inappropriate comment," while Directors "admire the diplomatic nature of Negotiators."
What does Fisher have to say about her research? We'll find out next time.
Dr. Helen Fisher helped develop a popular dating site's matching system. To find out more about this dating service you can read our Chemistry review.