Throughout human history, every society has created rituals to honor important things and reinforce a sense of group belonging through synchronized activity. In modern times, honoring their national anthem is the ritual that many people perform more frequently than any other. It is such a routine beginning to the school day or a sporting event that many people may simply put their hands over their hearts and tune out... unless something goes wrong.
Others, though, get goosebumps every time they hear their country’s anthem. They feel united with the people around them and think about the ideals of their country and the sacrifices so many have made in the name of patriotism.
To see how personality type affects people’s reaction to the national anthem, we asked our community to respond to the statement, “Hearing your national anthem does not make you feel any different.” Some patterns emerged, with clear differences across all five aspects. Let’s take a deeper dive into the data.
Roles
Sentinels (39% agreeing)
Sentinels were the least likely Role to say that hearing their national anthem did not make them feel any different. This should come as no surprise, since Sentinels embrace social order and traditional values – exactly the kind of things a national anthem reinforces.
Consuls (ESFJ) (32%) were the personality type most likely to feel moved by the national anthem. Consuls believe in the positive power of high-functioning groups and feed off the energy such groups create. They appreciate all the things the national anthem stands for: wise leadership, a glorious past, and pride in their community. They love situations in which everyone is acting in harmony, and they value things that help stabilize the social order.
Executives (ESTJ) (40%) were also likely to feel emotional during the national anthem. Like Consuls, they believe in the tradition and order that the anthem both represents and reinforces. Their tendency to think rationally instead of being empathetically caught up in the moment may make these personalities a little less likely than Consuls to be swept away by their emotions. But they tend to believe in the things the anthem represents, particularly strong national leadership.
Explorers and Diplomats (49% and 53%)
Explorer personality types (49% agreeing) were split in their response. This could be because their excitable, Observant side tends to connect them to what is happening in their surroundings at the moment, but their Prospecting side resists conforming to a group ritual.
Diplomats were even less likely to be moved by their anthem, with 53% agreeing. Their empathy makes them more inclined to connect with the emotions on display all around them. But their Intuitive nature pushes Diplomat personalities to question the broader meaning behind the symbols and rituals, taking them out of the moment.
Analysts (61%)
Fiercely independent and cerebral, Analysts were the most likely Role to say that they did not feel any different when they heard their national anthem. Whereas Sentinels appreciate the anthem for instilling a sense of patriotism, Analyst personality types are more likely to see this as an attempt at brainwashing. Analysts can acknowledge their country’s strengths but cannot ignore its flaws. For them, patriotism is a complex thing.
Strategies
People Mastery (40% agreeing)
People Masters were the most likely Strategy to say they are affected by their national anthem. They believe in bringing people together around a cause and recognize the value of good communication strategies. As Assertive personalities, People Masters are probably less conflicted in their patriotism than other Strategies. They know their country may not have always lived up to its ideals, but, to them, what’s done is done. Just as they trust themselves to handle challenging situations in the best way possible, they believe their country and its leaders do as well.
Social Engagement and Confident Individualism (49% and 52%)
Social Engagers and Confident Individualists had similar scores, but for opposite reasons. Each Strategy contains two traits that balance each other out.
As Extraverts, Social Engagers may find themselves drawn in by the power of performing a ritual with a huge group of people. But their Turbulent side is less likely to be moved by the anthem, because it represents a nation that, despite all its many good aspects, still has so many glaring imperfections.
Confident Individualists trust more in themselves than in the group. Their Introverted side makes them less responsive to the group experience, but their Assertive identity makes these personality types more open to the emotional impact of the anthem, because they can more easily go with the flow and choose not to question the bigger meaning.
Constant Improvement (57%)
As Introverts, Constant Improvers are more likely to feel uncomfortable in a mass ritual than excited by it. And their Turbulent side means they probably hold their country to the same high standards they hold themselves. How can these personalities celebrate something that is still so far from being perfect?
Types
While the two personality types most likely to be moved by their national anthem were both Sentinels, the three types that were least responsive each represent a different aspect.
Logicians (INTP) (69% agreeing) were the most likely personality type to say that their national anthem does not make them feel any different. These Analysts want harder evidence that their country deserves to have its praises sung. As Introverts, they are uncomfortable in crowds. And as committed nonconformists, most Logicians would be highly unhappy with the idea of letting someone else choose their emotions for them, simply by playing a certain song.
Mediators (INFP) (62%) were also generally unmoved by the anthem. Mediator personalities tend to maintain a small number of highly personal values and to hold them very deeply. These Diplomats are also deeply affected by injustice, cruelty, and indifference, which can (unfortunately) be found in every country on the planet. They are less likely to be nationalistic and don’t necessarily want to express their values in massive public performances.
Virtuosos (ISTP) (62%) are skeptical of abstract dogmas. These Explorers want to see the evidence, and touch it, twist it, and take it apart to see what’s inside. They aren’t attracted to conformity or predictability.
Conclusions
When trying to understand how different personality types respond to their national anthem, it is important to remember that anthems are both an abstract symbol and a concrete experience.
The anthem represents the nation that has adopted it. To some personality types, particularly Sentinels, these abstract ideas – tradition, history, heroism, and stability – are important and very meaningful. At the same time, performing a collective, mass action as part of a group is a physical ritual that induces powerful emotions. The pioneering sociologist Emile Durkheim wrote that participating in a synchronized group activity gives us a special feeling that nothing else can match. He called this feeling “collective effervescence.”
In terms of personality traits, being Extraverted, Observant, and Feeling makes a person more likely to be caught up in the moment, regardless of the symbol – like a song, a flag, or a sports team – that provides the opportunity. People with these traits need to be careful not to get swept up in the passion of a crowd whose values they may not agree with. On the other hand, collective action has led to much good in the world, and the powerful feeling of joining in a righteous cause is something that more Introverted, Intuitive, and Thinking personality types may find themselves missing out on.
How does your national anthem affect you or make you feel? Let us know in the Comments section below!