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A quick thread about personality.
In particular, the Big 5 personality trait called "Agreeableness".
In particular, the Big 5 personality trait called "Agreeableness".
Over the past 40ish years, the behavioral sciences have come to agree that personality can be comprehensively described with 5 traits:
1. Openness to new experience
2. Conscientiousness
3. Extraversion
4. Agreeablness
5. Neuroticism
1. Openness to new experience
2. Conscientiousness
3. Extraversion
4. Agreeablness
5. Neuroticism
Openness describes how novelty seeking, creative, and artsy you are.
An example of a high Openness person is Picasso.
An example of a low Openness person is your neighborhood accountant.
An example of a high Openness person is Picasso.
An example of a low Openness person is your neighborhood accountant.
Conscientiousness describes how hard working, organized, and disciplined you are.
An example of a high Conscientiousness person is @jockowillink
An example of a low Conscientiousness person is [redacted to spare feelings].
An example of a high Conscientiousness person is @jockowillink
An example of a low Conscientiousness person is [redacted to spare feelings].
Extraversion describes how reward seeking, active, and social a person is.
An example of a high Extraversion person is Bill Clinton or @wolfofwallst (Jordan Belfort).
An example of a low Extraversion person is Keanu Reeves.
An example of a high Extraversion person is Bill Clinton or @wolfofwallst (Jordan Belfort).
An example of a low Extraversion person is Keanu Reeves.
Agreeableness describes how caring and team-oriented a person is.
An example of a high Agreeableness person is Mother Theresa.
An example of a low Agreeableness person is Simon Cowell.
An example of a high Agreeableness person is Mother Theresa.
An example of a low Agreeableness person is Simon Cowell.
Neuroticism describes how sensitive a person is to threats in their environment.
An example a high Neuroticism person is Woody Allen.
An example of a low Neuroticism person is @AlexHonnold
An example a high Neuroticism person is Woody Allen.
An example of a low Neuroticism person is @AlexHonnold
Today, we're in the process of systematically destroying everyone who has very low levels of a certain personality trait.
That trait is Agreeableness.
Sounds like a good thing.
After all, we don't want any jerks in our community...
...Right?
That trait is Agreeableness.
Sounds like a good thing.
After all, we don't want any jerks in our community...
...Right?
No.
There's a reason that we have almost infinite diversity in the personality world.
There's a reason that peoples' Agreeableness varies so much.
That's because it has been evolutionarily valuable for some people to have a particularly low level of it.
There's a reason that we have almost infinite diversity in the personality world.
There's a reason that peoples' Agreeableness varies so much.
That's because it has been evolutionarily valuable for some people to have a particularly low level of it.
Highly disagreeable people, while interpersonally unpleasant, are the antidote to groupthink.
They're the people who feel comfortable disagreeing with the crowd.
They're the ones who shatter commonly held delusions.
They're the people who feel comfortable disagreeing with the crowd.
They're the ones who shatter commonly held delusions.
They're also the positively disruptive entrepreneurs, scientists, and revolutionaries of any given age.
Was Steve Jobs a pleasant guy?
No.
But did he change the world and make our lives better?
Yes.
Was Steve Jobs a pleasant guy?
No.
But did he change the world and make our lives better?
Yes.
Pretty much all the great step-function changes throughout history have come from disagreeable people who were willing to go against the common wisdom and pave their own path.
Just a few examples:
Galileo.
Semmelweis.
The Founding Fathers.
Just a few examples:
Galileo.
Semmelweis.
The Founding Fathers.
America is the creation of a bunch of disagreeable guys who just wanted to do their own thing.
The American constitutional obsession with the *individual* instead of the group is a deeply disagreeable thing.
Group > Individual is a hallmark of the highly Agreeable personality
The American constitutional obsession with the *individual* instead of the group is a deeply disagreeable thing.
Group > Individual is a hallmark of the highly Agreeable personality
In the current climate, it's unlikely that the Constitution could have been written.
It's also no surprise that we've seen an utter collapse of trust in our institutions.
When institutions or societies punish the disagreeable types, they make worse decisions.
They don't have the diverse viewpoints disagreeables provide.
When institutions or societies punish the disagreeable types, they make worse decisions.
They don't have the diverse viewpoints disagreeables provide.
Ironically, institutional collapse also happens to be the perfect environment for particularly malevolent disagreeables.
They can use the chaos to their advantage and grab power.
We saw this with Stalin. We saw this with Hitler.
They can use the chaos to their advantage and grab power.
We saw this with Stalin. We saw this with Hitler.
In short: If a society or institution doesn't respect and tolerate disagreeables, it creates the perfect climate for malevolent disagreeables to take control.
What happens after that?
As history shows: nothing good.
What happens after that?
As history shows: nothing good.
