"Dating Only People with Matching MBTI"... CNN Expresses Concern Over Korean MZ Generation's Over-Immersion

Experts Question Accuracy and Utility of MBTI Due to Inconsistent Results...

US CNN highlighted the use of MBTI, which is trending among the Korean MZ generation. Photo by Pixabay

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] CNN reported on the 22nd (local time) that South Korea's MZ generation is using the personality type test MBTI to reduce the time and effort spent finding compatible partners when dating.

University student Yoon said in an interview with CNN, "I don't get along with T (thinking, analytical/logical tendency) types, and I seem to be compatible with ESFP (friendly, playful, and adaptable personality)." He added, "There is no need to invest a lot of time dating types that are not compatible."

Another university student Lee said, "Whenever I meet new people, I first reveal my MBTI type," adding, "When I say I'm an ENFP, everyone understands what kind of person I am, so it saves time."

MBTI is also appearing in recruitment processes. On a job search site, there was even a marketing job posting looking for "passionate and innovative ENFPs."

MBTI is a psychological test theory created by mother and daughter Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers during World War II to help women easily find jobs, based on the theory of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. MBTI categorizes personality into 16 types by combining one from each of four categories: extroversion (E) or introversion (I), sensing (S) or intuition (N), thinking (T) or feeling (F), and judging (J) or perceiving (P).

The popularity of psychological test results like MBTI is not new in Korea. In the early 2000s, "personality traits by blood type" became a huge trend. People believed certain blood types had compatible matches; for example, type O was considered to have an "extroverted personality."

Meanwhile, psychological experts have long warned against over-immersion in MBTI. They point out that MBTI results lack consistency and that trying to confine the diverse personalities of people into a few categories raises questions about the test's accuracy and usefulness.

The MBTI company, Myers-Briggs Company, also cautioned about how MBTI is used in Korea. Camarot Nott, head of Myers-Briggs Company Asia-Pacific, said that while it is "very satisfying" that MBTI is popular in Korea, "using the MBTI test to find a compatible romantic partner is inappropriate."

He continued, "We all know the expression 'opposites attract,'" warning that "excluding potential partners just because their MBTI type doesn't match yours could mean missing out on interesting relationships with wonderful people."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.