Memorial Day in the United States marks the onset of summer and is often celebrated with patriotic festivities, outdoor cookouts, and joyful gatherings of family and friends. But it’s also a holiday with sobering roots – it’s an official occasion to mourn members of the U.S. armed forces who have died while serving their country. Memorial Day may give rise to many different thoughts and feelings, depending on our personal experiences with life – and death.
So it’s in a spirit of respectful reflection that we present a snapshot of how different personality types regard death, according to our ongoing “Death Attitudes” survey. (Take the survey for yourself to see the full current data.) Not sure what we’re talking about when it comes to personality traits or types? We’ll drop links throughout the discussion to help you learn more.
Questions, Responses, and Personality Differences
Our survey asks people whether they believe that what waits for them after death is undeniably good, and there’s definitely a trend in the responses. Extraverts (46% agreement) are somewhat more likely to agree than Introverts (34%), and the same is true for personalities with the Feeling trait (46%) versus the Thinking trait (28%). However, it’s notable that overall agreement is tepid, perhaps reflecting that many people simply do not believe that their existence will continue after death.
In fact, there are only a few personality types that show majority agreement (if barely). Top among them are Protagonists (ENFJ) (60%), Entertainers (ESFP) (60%), and Consuls (ESFJ) (58%). All of these personality types have both the Extraverted and Feeling traits, both correlating to likely agreement. These are also personalities known for energetically engaging in opportunities (and the future) with a dose of optimism. That mindset may influence their views on life after death as well, with some seeing it as a positive potential. Logicians (INTP) (23%) are least likely to agree. These relatively fatalistic and pragmatic personalities may simply have a hard time imagining that a rosy afterlife is probable.
In response to another survey question, few people say they are very afraid to die, with average agreement at about 30%. However, within that minority, personalities with a Turbulent Identity (36%) are more likely to agree than those with an Assertive Identity (20%). Turbulent personalities tend to be more prone to anxiety and stress, often worrying about negative possibilities – sometimes to an unreasonable degree. That likely explains their higher agreement rate regarding fear of death.
But what about the opposite of death: immortality? It may sound improbable, but as a thought experiment, our survey asks people if they’d want to live forever, even if they were the only person to do so. Average agreement is a mere 36%, but personalities with the Thinking trait (46%) are more likely to agree than those with the Feeling trait (25%). If we had to hazard a guess as to the reason for that difference, we’d suspect that it has to do with how many Feeling personalities look more to their interpersonal bonds for fulfillment than do Thinking personalities.
Feeling types may be more put off by the idea of constantly outliving their loved ones and suffering through a repeated sense of loss as time stretches infinitely onward. Thinking personalities likely don’t relish that idea, either, but may see it as more acceptable in light of the potential advantages of living forever. They may have an easier time accepting the inevitability of death or even the idea that personal relationships can fade out of existence for other reasons as well. That’s all conjecture, but it may relate to the next question.
Overall, about 75% of respondents say they are content with the fact that everyone has to die. But Thinking personalities (80%) are a bit more likely to agree than Feeling personalities (70%). It’s possible that Thinking personalities have a slightly easier time achieving a detached view of death than Feeling personalities, who tend to embrace emotion more readily. The rationalistic mindset often associated with the Thinking trait may help these personalities overcome their fear of death. But that said, it seems that most personalities find a way to be content with their mortality.
Conclusion: A Focus on Life
Memorial Day may prompt us to reflect on death, as might the loss of any friend or family member. For some, the idea that something good awaits after death is a great comfort. For others – particularly on this holiday – the thought that death was a tragic consequence of a purposeful contribution might also be of solace. The idea that a life well lived can make death seem less fearsome is one that has great benefits in the here and now, regardless of what lies beyond.
So, might we humbly suggest that, in addition to pursuing knowledge about personality types on this Memorial Day, you take a moment to consider how your own life could be more satisfying and meaningful? What experiences would make your life so wonderful that it counterbalances the specter of death? Living out those grand goals might take a lifetime, but you might find something that you can start on today. One very wise conclusion to be drawn from reflecting on death is that it’s important to live every day as fully as possible.
Further Reading
- What happens if you search “life purpose” on our site?
- When Personality Types Cry
- An Introvert at a Funeral
- Coping When It Seems Like There’s No Good News