Live in Illinois? You’re Probably Neurotic.

 

16550I love surveys like these, even if they’re suspect. From The Muse:

Truity Psychometrics, an online provider of scientific personality and career tests, surveyed 12,703 residents across the U.S. to determine if states really do have their unique personalities. And, it turns out they do—based on common traits, Truity categorized states into five personality clusters.

How would knowing state personalities advance your career, you ask? In a multitude of ways, really. Whether you’re a job seeker looking for companies filled with concrete thinkers or a recruiter searching for the hardworking, no-nonsense folks, this infographic shows you exactly where to look. For instance, the number of concrete thinkers is especially high in Illinois, North Dakota, and Indiana. As for the hardworking, no-nonsense folks (dubbed “The Producers”)? They’re clustered in states like Texas, New Jersey, and Florida.

I’m not sure I’d bet real money on data from someplace called “Truity Psychometrics,” but some of the categories and clusters are interesting. Vermont, Kentucky, South Dakota, and West Virginia residents were scored as “introverted,” while Montana, North Dakota, Mississippi, Oregon, and South Carolina came out in the surveys as “cooperative,” whatever that means.

People in Illinois were found to be neurotic when dealing with stress but flexible in something called “organizing your life.”

And Californians share with Idahoans, Oklahomans, and Mississippians a trait called an “open mind,” meaning they’re interested in “arts, literature, the sciences, and other intellectual activities.”

Which made me laugh. And I’m sure infuriates Californians, who probably don’t think they share anything with people from Oklahoma and Mississippi.

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  1. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    I grew up in Illinois, and I’ll have you know I am not neurotic.

    And neither am I.

    • #1
  2. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    Rob Long: For instance, the number of concrete thinkers is especially high in Illinois, North Dakota, and Indiana.

    We have a lot of concrete thinkers in our office.

    • #2
  3. Mike LaRoche Inactive
    Mike LaRoche
    @MikeLaRoche

    That would explain why I’ve always liked visiting Idaho.

    • #3
  4. Jimmy Carter Member
    Jimmy Carter
    @JimmyCarter

    Live in California? Yer probably moving to TEXAS.

    • #4
  5. Casey Inactive
    Casey
    @Casey

    Why is it that they always have to link fluff like this to something like career or economic activity. As if that legitimizes it in some way. It actually ruins what would otherwise be mildly interesting.

    • #5
  6. Whiskey Sam Inactive
    Whiskey Sam
    @WhiskeySam

    Ah, the Old Dominion, the thinking man’s paradise.  The Mother of Presidents.  We gave you a republic, and look what you’ve done with it!

    • #6
  7. LesserSon of Barsham Member
    LesserSon of Barsham
    @LesserSonofBarsham

    After looking over their conclusions it turns out both the state I live in now and was born and raised in, are the “Producers”. I can live with that.

    • #7
  8. Aaron Miller Inactive
    Aaron Miller
    @AaronMiller

    If Texas was really a no-nonsense state, we wouldn’t be so welcoming of New York and California transplants. ;)

    • #8
  9. David Foster Member
    David Foster
    @DavidFoster

    I question whether “competitive” and “cooperative” are really endpoints on a single dimension:  I know quite a few people who fill both roles very well.

    • #9
  10. kelsurprise Member
    kelsurprise
    @kelsurprise

    Rob Long: And I’m sure infuriates Californians, who probably don’t think they share anything with people from Oklahoma and Mississippi.

    And would mystify New Yorkers.

    At a party last year, I told a woman I was originally from Tulsa.  She bemoaned the fact that another actor she knew recently had to move back there, then congratulated me on “getting out.”

    I told her that I was sure her friend would find plenty of artistic outlets in my backwater hamlet, thank you very much.  “Yeah, but it’s not like he’ll be able to make a living acting there,” she said.

    “Well, how many of us do you know here who don’t have survival jobs?” I asked her.

    She moved away to find some more sophisticated people to mingle with.

    • #10
  11. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    kelsurprise: “Well, how many of us do you know here who don’t have survival jobs?” I asked her.

    I’m not quite sure what a survival job is.  Is it what most of us call “making a living?”

    • #11
  12. Basil Fawlty Member
    Basil Fawlty
    @BasilFawlty

    Whiskey Sam:Ah, the Old Dominion, the thinking man’s paradise. The Mother of Presidents.

    And now a criminal enterprise.

    • #12
  13. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    Producers??  Washington State??  The home of Grunge Rock and Garbage Police.  Maybe Eastern Washington.

    • #13
  14. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    Basil Fawlty:

    Whiskey Sam:Ah, the Old Dominion, the thinking man’s paradise. The Mother of Presidents.

    And now a criminal enterprise.

    Basil, Basil, Basil.  Just because felons can vote doesn’t make it a criminal enterprise.  McCauliffe may be enough to do that by himself.

    • #14
  15. Basil Fawlty Member
    Basil Fawlty
    @BasilFawlty

    Randy Webster:

    Basil Fawlty:

    Whiskey Sam:Ah, the Old Dominion, the thinking man’s paradise. The Mother of Presidents.

    And now a criminal enterprise.

    Basil, Basil, Basil. Just because felons can vote doesn’t make it a criminal enterprise. McCauliffe may be enough to do that by himself.

    May be?

    • #15
  16. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    This strikes me as a bunch of bunk, so I’m off for Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, New Hampshire, or Pennsylvania.  Well, maybe Colorado or New Hampshire.

    • #16
  17. kelsurprise Member
    kelsurprise
    @kelsurprise

    Randy Webster:

    kelsurprise: “Well, how many of us do you know here who don’t have survival jobs?” I asked her.

    I’m not quite sure what a survival job is. Is it what most of us call “making a living?”

    Exactly.   It’s what we do in order to support our theater habit.

    • #17
  18. Weeping Inactive
    Weeping
    @Weeping

    kelsurprise:

    Randy Webster:

    kelsurprise: “Well, how many of us do you know here who don’t have survival jobs?” I asked her.

    I’m not quite sure what a survival job is. Is it what most of us call “making a living?”

    Exactly. It’s what we do in order to support our theater habit.

    Love the way you phrase it. :o)

    • #18
  19. Kim K. Inactive
    Kim K.
    @KimK

    In  “The Five Dimensions of Personality” my home state, Iowa, isn’t even listed. I know lots of people get it mixed up with Ohio, but, come on…we have some personality.

    • #19
  20. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Randy Webster:

    Rob Long: For instance, the number of concrete thinkers is especially high in Illinois, North Dakota, and Indiana.

    We have a lot of concrete thinkers in our office.

    We have a concrete thinker right here on Ricochet. He once wrote a post about it.

    • #20
  21. EThompson Member
    EThompson
    @

    And Californians share with Idahoans, Oklahomans, and Mississippians a trait called an “open mind,” meaning they’re interested in “arts, literature, the sciences, and other intellectual activities.”

    I’ve lived in Michigan, Tennessee, California, New York, and Florida and I found Californians to be the least intellectually stimulating group of people (from LA to San Diego) I have ever met, dude! Mississippians have a significant literary history and that tends to make for interesting and quirky conversation.

    Most interesting of all are New Yorkers and I will always live on the East Coast for easier access to NYC. D.C. too.

    • #21
  22. SgtDad Inactive
    SgtDad
    @SgtDad

    RushBabe49:Producers?? Washington State?? The home of Grunge Rock and Garbage Police. Maybe Eastern Washington.

    Better exclude Spokane from that.

    • #22
  23. Mike LaRoche Inactive
    Mike LaRoche
    @MikeLaRoche

    EThompson:

    And Californians share with Idahoans, Oklahomans, and Mississippians a trait called an “open mind,” meaning they’re interested in “arts, literature, the sciences, and other intellectual activities.”

    I’ve lived in Michigan, Tennessee, California, New York, and Florida and I found Californians to be the least intellectually stimulating group of people (from LA to San Diego) I have ever met, dude! Mississippians have a significant literary history and that tends to make for interesting and quirky conversation.

    Most interesting of all are New Yorkers and I will always live on the East Coast for easier access to NYC. D.C. too.

    Walker Percy is among my favorite authors.

    • #23
  24. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    Casey:Why is it that they always have to link fluff like this to something like career or economic activity. As if that legitimizes it in some way. It actually ruins what would otherwise be mildly interesting.

    Most likely that is their target audience.  Enlightened companies can give their personality test to possible employees to determine if the have the “right mindset” to be hired.

    • #24
  25. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    Er…  Now that I think about it, Western Washington is the home of Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon.com, Esterline Control Systems, and Chateau Ste. Michelle, producers all.  And we carry all the slackers on our backs.

    • #25
  26. EThompson Member
    EThompson
    @

    Mike LaRoche:

    EThompson:

    And Californians share with Idahoans, Oklahomans, and Mississippians a trait called an “open mind,” meaning they’re interested in “arts, literature, the sciences, and other intellectual activities.”

    I’ve lived in Michigan, Tennessee, California, New York, and Florida and I found Californians to be the least intellectually stimulating group of people (from LA to San Diego) I have ever met, dude! Mississippians have a significant literary history and that tends to make for interesting and quirky conversation.

    Most interesting of all are New Yorkers and I will always live on the East Coast for easier access to NYC. D.C. too.

    Walker Percy is among my favorite authors.

    I would add William Faulkner and Shelby Foote as well.

    Edited because I forgot to mention Eudora Welty.

    • #26
  27. Lidens Cheng Member
    Lidens Cheng
    @LidensCheng

    I went to school in Chicago, glad it didn’t infect me with neurotic.

    • #27
  28. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    The Reticulator:

    Randy Webster:

    Rob Long: For instance, the number of concrete thinkers is especially high in Illinois, North Dakota, and Indiana.

    We have a lot of concrete thinkers in our office.

    We have a concrete thinker right here on Ricochet. He once wrote a post about it.

    Lol.  Yeah.  He’s my boss.

    • #28
  29. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Kim K.:In “The Five Dimensions of Personality” my home state, Iowa, isn’t even listed. I know lots of people get it mixed up with Ohio, but, come on…we have some personality.

    No.

    • #29
  30. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Lidens Cheng:I went to school in Chicago, glad it didn’t infect me with neurotic.

    Illinois may have changed. I only knew one guy who seemed a bit neurotic, but it may have been that he just liked to imitate Woody Allen a lot.

    • #30
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