Hi, my name is Maddy, and I'm a personality test enthusiast. Meyers-Briggs, Love Languages, and, most recently, the cube test have all floated my proverbial boat — especially that last one. As a result, I am now seeking out personality tests like the cube test. If you are anything like me, you probably are as well.
So what is it about personality tests that's so attractive? Why do they tend to suck away literally hours of my free time? Well, to be honest, I tend to turn to them in times of heightened anxiety or unhappiness (though duh I'm always a little obsessed with them). It's comforting, when you're drowning in self-doubt, to be told facts about your own being. Even if they're not super accurate. Even if they're only a little accurate. Even if they're just assigning you an animal you're apparently like or a Hogwarts hybrid house. These tests remind you that you're here, you're real, and you're more than the storm currently brewing in your head right now.
I wrote recently about an eerie experience with an Uber driver and a personality test called the cube test. To clarify: the driver himself was not eerie, but the accuracy of the personality test he gave me was.
The cube test involves guided daydreams and free association (allowing the subject to come to their own conclusions and descriptions, instead of operating within pre-determined parameters), which fall under the umbrella of relational psychology.
Relational personality tests have arisen as a fun way to incorporate the same elements of psychoanalysis that Jung and Freud held so dear. They tend to resemble "Choose your own adventure" stories, but with more direct insight into different arenas of your life, including love, family, friends, and personality traits. You ready to get ~real relational~ with it?
1. The Forest Test
This test does exactly what it sounds like — you imagine walking through a forest while your "guide" asks a series of questions about your journey, including: Are you walking with anyone? When you come across an animal, what kind of animal is it? What does the animal do? When you come across a clearing, how big is it? Is it fenced in?
2. The Castle Test
You begin at the entrance of the castle (How big is the door? What is it made of? Is it hidden from view?), and work your way through this mysterious castle (what's the first thing you notice upon entering the castle? Is there anyone else around? You see a staircase — where is it leading?), arriving eventually at your True Self. Or the dragon hidden in the depths of the castle.
Just kidding. The dragon is your soul.
3. The Oasis Test
This test is less a cohesive journey and more a series of questions that all tend to relate back to the concept of an oasis — a place of true rest, of beauty, of relaxation and contentment. The first question takes you down a road, and reveals a box — what's inside? If you could be one age for the rest of your life, what would it be? If you were to retire today, where would you retire to?
4. The Love Path
So yeah, this test is more specifically focused on your love life and the way in which you interact within a relationship. When you're faced with white and red roses, what kind of bouquet do you put together? When the maid answers the door, do you go get your S.O. yourself, or do you ask her to do so? Where do you place the roses once you're inside?
Are any of these tests incredibly scientific? Not really — but what we think about can tell us a lot about how we process the world, so if you're looking for a little introspection, they're worth giving a shot.
Besides, who wouldn't want to find out whether there's a dragon at the center of the castle of your mind?
Images: Stefan Tomic/E+/Getty Images; Giphy
