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Easy way to tell S or N?

Lily flower

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I know the classic difference between N's and S's, but my husband and I have found that we can almost always tell who is an N or S from only one conversation.

The S's will always talk about things - their cars, football, curtains, decorating, gardening, whatever they fixed last on their house and the N's will talk about people or ideas - politics, theology, who did what on the last family vacation.

Do you find this is true?
 

Jaguar

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So, if you heard me speaking French in Paris you'd assume I was French?
The world is Paris, and I speak French every day.
It's called adapting to your surroundings.

No one would know if I was S or N in a conversation.
I was raised in a SP/SJ house.
I can speak any language I choose.

If I can do it, others can do it as well.
To be fair, you would have to know if a person was speaking in their native tongue, so to speak, or their adaptive tongue.
I spend the majority of my time adapting. Why would I intentionally choose to speak in a manner that would actually impede communication with others?

I choose not to impede. I adapt.
 

Redbone

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I think it may be a little difficult to tell in one conversation. Most of them time, unless I'm talking to specific people, I'll keep it to 'small talk' items. Kids, weather, what was on the news last night, and oh, my gosh! can you believe the price of butter in the grocery store right now. Like Jaguar said, it's adaptation. My ex would do this for me from time to time--get into conversations on theories, ideas, and speculate...it was usually fueled by something he heard on NPR. It's not his natural mode and he can only do it for so long but he can and does do it just like talking about the things he enjoys will wear me out very quickly.

Speaking French makes me tired.
 

Thalassa

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It becomes obvious to me pretty quickly, but I wouldn't go as far to say one coversation. I don't have a "sure-fire" method, but I think I'm pretty good at it, because I've guessed several people's types correctly before they tested IRL, and I'm realistic in my assessment that most people that I know are S.
 

miss fortune

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I couldn't say that I would agree with you there... I'm a Sensor raised in a mixed household and I have 3 degrees in social sciences and listen to NPR on my way into work in the morning! My ISTJ will happily wander off onto Ne-ish tangents wondering "what if I DID get to join the crew of the Enterprise?" and my INFJ sis is quite pleased to chat about prices at the local coffee shops and the fact she got a new car :laugh:
 

Oaky

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The S's will always talk about things - their cars, football, curtains, decorating, gardening, whatever they fixed last on their house and the N's will talk about people or ideas - politics, theology, who did what on the last family vacation.

Do you find this is true?
I would not think so. I've had a look at this at some point before as I was puzzled by the same matter. But I had found both Ns and Ss tend to talk about the same things. What differs is more of how they project what they talk about as well as the way they process information of what it is they are talking about. Both may bear the same interests. Only one tends to process and talk about the ideas, while the other tends to process and talk about the more sensual perceptions and their experiences on the matter.
Of course these processes may influence the person's inclination to like one topic over the other though I wouldn't think it's an underlying factor. There may indeed be a few exceptions.
 

animenagai

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I think you can tell by the way people speak what types they are, however, I don't think this is based merely on topics. Imagine if I went to some crazy, take shots from tits, 21st party, it would be very unnatural for me to talk about philosophy there. Where you can tell what type people are isn't the topics they talk about, but the way in which they talk about them. It's hard to explain, but I think everyone here has realised that different types do tend to have different speech patterns, different ways of expressing/explaining things and different types of humor.
 

INTP

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SP types(or maybe its just ESP) tend to stare one particular spot at the time and switch to other points when viewing their surroundings, they look bit like birds when doing this.
 
R

Riva

Guest
^
Others do this too. But it is easier to notice this in ESPs (especially ESFPs) since they are extremely energetic and charismatic they take the attention of everyone around them. So when an ESP observes and analyzes and is lost in thought, what you said becomes very apparent.
 

KDude

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I was watching the news the other day, and a report came on about wildfires - I immediately got curious on what the cause of wildfires were, and my friend, to his credit, touched on some points about the Santa Ana winds in California.. and before he was finished, I started thinking how interesting that would be on a large scale. I started thinking of Star Trek, where some episodes take a common phenomena, and scale it up as some basis for troublesome planetary conditions or some narrative crisis. Basically, I thought it'd be a good backdrop for a story. Lo and behold, my friend wasn't paying attention (once again). His eyes were glued on the TV and watching a football game. I tried to get him stimulated on it, touching on some random things like the size of geysers on one of Saturn's moons. Wasn't happening. Meh. Who's the S or N? This also begs the question on why I typed as an S once. I guess I wish I was that cool sometimes. :cool:
 

Randomnity

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I know the classic difference between N's and S's, but my husband and I have found that we can almost always tell who is an N or S from only one conversation.

The S's will always talk about things - their cars, football, curtains, decorating, gardening, whatever they fixed last on their house and the N's will talk about people or ideas - politics, theology, who did what on the last family vacation.

Do you find this is true?
All that "always" and so certain! I think there's an element of truth here but it'll be misleading if you rely on it as anything more than a clue. It's true that S's will tend to prefer (and thus talk about) tangible things more often (people are included in this category) but they'll also talk about ideas sometimes and while Ns are more likely to enjoy more abstract ideas, they still may have a significant interest in tangible things. A lot of the time it'll depend on the relationship between the two people, how much each one likes "small talk", the environment, their mood, their interests...Ns definitely talk about everyday things or their hobbies sometimes.

But yes, as a general rule of thumb it's probably a useful clue (not the entire argument).
 

Sunny Ghost

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I know the classic difference between N's and S's, but my husband and I have found that we can almost always tell who is an N or S from only one conversation.

The S's will always talk about things - their cars, football, curtains, decorating, gardening, whatever they fixed last on their house and the N's will talk about people or ideas - politics, theology, who did what on the last family vacation.

Do you find this is true?

i think these are just topics that interest humanity and aren't necessarily only divided up between S and N.
 

highlander

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All that "always" and so certain! I think there's an element of truth here but it'll be misleading if you rely on it as anything more than a clue. It's true that S's will tend to prefer (and thus talk about) tangible things more often (people are included in this category) but they'll also talk about ideas sometimes and while Ns are more likely to enjoy more abstract ideas, they still may have a significant interest in tangible things. A lot of the time it'll depend on the relationship between the two people, how much each one likes "small talk", the environment, their mood, their interests...Ns definitely talk about everyday things or their hobbies sometimes.

But yes, as a general rule of thumb it's probably a useful clue (not the entire argument).

I agree.

Sounds like a good idea :biggrin:
 

Walking Tourist

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No. I will talk about things or people or ideas, depending on who I'm talking to. I am interested in all of that stuff so I will discuss a garden or a football game or diplomatic relations between nations or environmental issues, etc., etc. I just really like the give and take of a conversation.


I know the classic difference between N's and S's, but my husband and I have found that we can almost always tell who is an N or S from only one conversation.

The S's will always talk about things - their cars, football, curtains, decorating, gardening, whatever they fixed last on their house and the N's will talk about people or ideas - politics, theology, who did what on the last family vacation.

Do you find this is true?
 

lunalum

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Throw in an ideological question in a discussion of things. Whoever attacks the question first is more likely to be N, and whoever looks at you like you are insane is more likely to be S ;) The nature of the response and level of enthusiasm are very important to keep in mind too.

But really, to determine S/N preference in one conversation is bound to fail with a lot of people out there. They are just tricky like that.
 
G

Ginkgo

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Wait for them on the side of a doorway with a baseball bat and strike as they step in. If they are knocked unconscious, they're human. If they anticipate and block your blow, or shoot you with a laser rifle, they're probably an extraterrestrial or something.
 

Sunny Ghost

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Throw in an ideological question in a discussion of things. Whoever attacks the question first is more likely to be N, and whoever looks at you like you are insane is more likely to be S ;) .
i disagree. i'm a sensor and wouldn't be turned off by that type of questioning.

i feel as though phrasing it that way, it makes all sensors sound closed minded.
 

lunalum

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i disagree. i'm a sensor and wouldn't be turned off by that type of questioning.

i feel as though phrasing it that way, it makes all sensors sound closed minded.

Totally not closed-minded or turned off, well maybe turned off in people who are very unintuitive... but maybe confused at first.
If you aren't turned off by that questioning, it just needs you need to be analyzed some more, like 99% of people.
If you are the first person who jumps on the idea question and go on about it forever, then you are simply one of those tricky sensors that I said there are many of =P
 

Kasper

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I like football.
 

lunalum

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What do you think football will be like in 500 years, assuming that it is still around?
 
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