Spending time in the wilderness can be a venture out of one’s familiar world. The seclusion and serenity found in camping, hiking, and other traditional outdoor activities potentially offer a retreat from modern society. The natural order of things contains incredible detail and function as well as mystical, stimulating beauty. How might recreation in natural surroundings relate to aspects of personality?
We set out to explore this line of inquiry by asking whether our members agreed with the statement “You enjoy camping, and other outdoor activities.” As you will see in the data, Introverted types were less likely to agree they enjoyed such activities than Extraverts. There is also a general divide between personality types with Assertive versus Turbulent identities, with Assertive types indicating more enjoyment of outdoor activities.
Let’s examine the results more closely by looking at type roles and strategies.
Roles
Analysts and Sentinels were closely matched in their agreement with the statement (66.40% and 66.41% agreeing, respectively). For Analysts, the natural world may prove too wild and unpredictable to understand in rational terms, making them less comfortable in these settings than in the controlled environment of civilization. Not for the first time Architects (INTJ, -A/-T) bucked the trend – the Turbulent variant was at least as likely to agree with the statement as their Assertive counterparts (more on that below).
Sentinels thrive on order and established rules as well, and on being able to operate within those systems. Out in nature, they may find themselves without familiar reference points. This is especially true of Turbulent Logisticians (ISTJ-T), who agreed least with the statement (53.85% agreeing). Nevertheless, a majority from both roles and all types agreed that they enjoyed camping and spending time outdoors, meaning their qualms were not enough to keep them from participating in outdoor fun.
Explorers were next most likely to agree that they enjoy spending time in the outdoors (70.27% agreeing). The unpredictability of the woods, the possibilities of wildlife, and the escape from the humdrum realities of everyday life give Explorers a welcome opportunity to drink in their surroundings and make something of the experience.
A vast majority of Diplomats agreed they enjoyed camping and other outdoor activities (72.80% agreeing), with Assertive Campaigners (ENFP-A) agreeing most of all (83.69%). Getting away from the workaday world and all the tough decisions involved lets Diplomats focus on connecting to friends, family, the natural world, and perhaps even to foster a certain spiritual connection with nature. These are all possibilities that get easier outside the responsibilities of one’s home or office.
Strategies
There was a clear trend of Assertive types agreeing more with the statement than Turbulent types, with the notable anomaly of Architects (INTJ, -A/-T), who tied for agreement, rather than showed a split. But no such disruption occurred between Introverts and Extraverts – Extraverts, as borne out in the Strategies, consistently agreed with the statement more.
Social Engagers and People Masters (73.60% and 77.34% agreeing, respectively) agreed more with the statement than Introverts. The great outdoors offers many opportunities to enjoy others’ company, whether on a hiking or camping trip, on a picnic in a park, or playing sports. Whether for the pure enjoyment of it or for not wanting to be seen as a shut-in, they all find ways to get out and play.
The Introverted strategies, Constant Improvement and Confident Individualism, both had a strong majority agreeing they enjoy spending time outdoors (61.83% and 65.87% agreeing, respectively), though notably less than the Extraverts. Time in nature, even alone, may give them time to think through their solitary pursuits. Constant Improvers may be torn between important projects and leisure time though, making it harder for them to enjoy their time outside than Confident Individualists, whose Assertive nature would help them better balance their time between work and pleasure.
Conclusions
In any case, the averages are clear – the Extraverts and the Assertive types are simply happier to get out of the house than their Introverted and Turbulent counterparts are. As much as the Extraverted and Assertive traits align with enjoying outdoor activities though, the inclusion of other personality traits can have an effect as well.
Those with the Feeling trait were more likely to report enjoying outdoor activities, even among Introverted types. It may be that they have an easier time connecting with nature on a fundamentally emotional, or even metaphysical, level than those with the Thinking trait. Likewise, Extraversion may counterbalance the Thinking trait – 76% of Debaters (ENTP, -A/-T) agreed that they enjoy outdoor recreation. For all their variances, no type, role, or strategy had a majority disagreeing with the statement – it seems everyone can find something they enjoy doing in an outdoor setting.
How about you? What kind of outdoor activities do you enjoy, and why?