Being Limbic SUCKS.

[mrcockburn]

There's absolutely nothing positive about being Limbic (on the Big 5, aka "Emotional Stability" or lack thereof). Is it possible to fix it?

Here are the problematic symptoms - and how you can tell if you're limbic, too:

- Get stressed out sometimes (I don't show it IRL, but I get migraine headaches from it sometimes)
- Sometimes irritable (sometimes I turn into the worst "I" possible - wishing there was some kind of aerial spray to exterminate all the fucking humans in crowds, who get in my way when I'm in a rush)
- Get overly immersed in beautiful music/art. I don't like being affected by external things, but beautiful music puts me in an other-world trance, and there have been times when, alone, I nearly got teary eyed - just because it resonated too strongly.
- Constantly questioning own competence.

Additionally, it seems as though everyone here lists themselves as "Calm" rather than "Limbic." It doesn't seem right to me, because most people I know are total spazz cases. And not just with me, so it's not like I have some special talent for making people high-strung.

Back to my original question, is it possible to correct this? Don't suggest meditation, because my stepfather forced me to do that growing up, so now the idea freaks me out.

Also, is it really possible for me to be a T and limbic? Because all the issues associated with....limbicity...is why I call myself ESFP rather than ESTP, despite being more Ti/Fe than Fi/Te.

Thanks.

 

[Savage Idealist]

In order to correct the mistake that being Limbic is essentially bad, it is imperative to establish the negative end to being Calm, and from there establish its opposite, aka, the positive side of being Limbic.

'What's so great about being calm anyway(?)' one may ask; aren't those that are placid more likely to be lazy and cold as well? Those that are calm lack the inner fire or passionate drive necessary to accomplish certain things, or embrace strong feelings and act off of them. As often as I have seen spazzy heated emo ranters on message boards, so to have I seen cold-hearted, uncaring, and mechanical individuals with little in the way of emotion.

Therefore, the opposite of one who is an icy and indifferent robot is one who is passionate and exciting, one whom rivels in their enthusiam and nervous energy. The positive Limbic doesn't sit around idly by as an injustice is committed or an urgency in need; rather they act off their gut response with a ferocity towards solcing the problem at hand. Their zeal is of truly great value to society, in art, politics, and various other fields.

 

[Thalassa]

I R LIMBIC.

I have been limbic since I was a child, my mother recalls it in vivid detail, so it's not like something "happened to me." My grandparents actually gave me a very stable first six years.

I also scored very high on Sensitivity on Mindframes.

I have what is called an "artistic temperament."

I think meditation can help, and being tooooo limbic can be neurotic, just as being too calm could be schizoid.

I think there's a prejudice against sensitive people in our society at the moment. One of my friends says she thinks some people are just sensitive and emotional and everybody should stop saying that they're damaged or crazy.

The U.S. is very TJ.

 

[mrcockburn]

In order to correct the mistake that being Limbic is essentially bad, it is imperative to establish the negative end to being Calm, and from there establish its opposite, aka, the positive side of being Limbic.

'What's so great about being calm anyway(?)' one may ask; aren't those that are placid more likely to be lazy and cold as well? Those that are calm lack the inner fire or passionate drive necessary to accomplish certain things, or embrace strong feelings and act off of them. As often as I have seen spazzy heated emo ranters on message boards, so to have I seen cold-hearted, uncaring, and mechanical individuals with little in the way of emotion.

Therefore, the opposite of one who is an icy and indifferent robot is one who is passionate and exciting, one whom rivels in their enthusiam and nervous energy. The positive Limbic doesn't sit around idly by as an injustice is committed or an urgency in need; rather they act off their gut response with a ferocity towards solcing the problem at hand. Their zeal is of truly great value to society, in art, politics, and various other fields.

Great point. I definitely have a fiery, passionate inner drive to achieve (hence, why I'm here at work - albeit, taking a quick break ) that's not something I'd ever want to lose. Wonder if it's possible to custom-trim the Limbic to keep only that and just delete all the problems associated with Limbic-ness.

 

[mrcockburn]

I R LIMBIC.

I have been limbic since I was a child, my mother recalls it in vivid detail, so it's not like something "happened to me." My grandparents actually gave me a very stable first six years.

I also scored very high on Sensitivity on Mindframes.

I have what is called an "artistic temperament."

I think meditation can help, and being tooooo limbic can be neurotic, just as being too calm could be schizoid.

I think there's a prejudice against sensitive people in our society at the moment. One of my friends says she thinks some people are just sensitive and emotional and everybody should stop saying that they're damaged or crazy.

The U.S. is very TJ.

Luckily, I'm only 50-60% Limbic, so it could be worse. I don't see the U.S. as TJ at all though - if anything, it's annoyingly FJ.

 

[Thalassa]

Luckily, I'm only 50-60% Limbic, so it could be worse. I don't see the U.S. as TJ at all though - if anything, it's annoyingly FJ.

It's pretty systematic and achievement oriented which strikes me as much more ESTJ and many people have agreed that's it's becoming more ENTJ.

Capitalism doesn't strike me as especially FJ, much more TJ though the subculture of being liberal and politically correct and academic may seem more NFJ, I'm not sure that's mainstream American culture at all.

 

[Savage Idealist]

Great point. I definitely have a fiery, passionate inner drive to achieve (hence, why I'm here at work - albeit, taking a quick break ) that's not something I'd ever want to lose. Wonder if it's possible to custom-trim the Limbic to keep only that and just delete all the problems associated with Limbic-ness.

Well, like any personality type, it has its best and worst traits; niether can be completely disregarded, but individuals can vary in how many traits they possess.

 

[chickpea]

i don't like big 5 because i feel like the descriptions are really biased towards one end of the spectrum in each category. like scoai is the ideal and rluen are the 'bad' traits.

i'd rather be limbic though, i feel like being calm and unfazed all the time would get really fucking boring. a little bit of dramatics keeps things exciting .

 

[Thalassa]

i don't like big 5 because i feel like the descriptions are really biased towards one end of the spectrum in each category. like scoai is the ideal and rluen are the 'bad' traits.

i'd rather be limbic though, i feel like being calm and unfazed all the time would get really fucking boring. a little bit of dramatics keeps things exciting .

Yeah me no likey the Big 5 either..it's like..the ideal is to be an ENFJ? Good to know.

And it doesn't really tell you anything about the person beyond superficial behaviors either.

Hmm...okay, this person is messy, social, and inquisitive...so what does that mean?

This other person is reserved, calm, and organized. GOOD TO KNOW!

They are things average people can see it's not even like you have to study psychology to observe those things. It's called the stranger test they're things even an older child could plainly see.

 

[Viridian]

i don't like big 5 because i feel like the descriptions are really biased towards one end of the spectrum in each category. like scoai is the ideal and rluen are the 'bad' traits.

i'd rather be limbic though, i feel like being calm and unfazed all the time would get really fucking boring. a little bit of dramatics keeps things exciting .

I kinda agree with you. That's what turns me off about the Big Five - what's the point of a typology system where there's a "right" or "better" type to be?

 

[Such Irony]

There's absolutely nothing positive about being Limbic (on the Big 5, aka "Emotional Stability" or lack thereof). Is it possible to fix it?

Here are the problematic symptoms - and how you can tell if you're limbic, too:

- Get stressed out sometimes (I don't show it IRL, but I get migraine headaches from it sometimes)
- Sometimes irritable (sometimes I turn into the worst "I" possible - wishing there was some kind of aerial spray to exterminate all the fucking humans in crowds, who get in my way when I'm in a rush)
- Get overly immersed in beautiful music/art. I don't like being affected by external things, but beautiful music puts me in an other-world trance, and there have been times when, alone, I nearly got teary eyed - just because it resonated too strongly.
- Constantly questioning own competence.

Additionally, it seems as though everyone here lists themselves as "Calm" rather than "Limbic." It doesn't seem right to me, because most people I know are total spazz cases. And not just with me, so it's not like I have some special talent for making people high-strung.

Back to my original question, is it possible to correct this? Don't suggest meditation, because my stepfather forced me to do that growing up, so now the idea freaks me out.

Also, is it really possible for me to be a T and limbic? Because all the issues associated with....limbicity...is why I call myself ESFP rather than ESTP, despite being more Ti/Fe than Fi/Te.

Thanks.

I think I fall slightly on the limbic side of the limbic/calm scale and I'm a T. I think I read somewhere that the T/F correlation between calm and limbic is small. Fs are somewhat more likely to be limbic than Ts but its not uncommon to have a limbic T or a calm F.

Like you, I identify with all the limbic qualities you mentioned. Most people would probably see me as a calm type. It's only the people I know really well in real life and sometimes on forums like this where I allow my more emotionally intense side to show.

In order to correct the mistake that being Limbic is essentially bad, it is imperative to establish the negative end to being Calm, and from there establish its opposite, aka, the positive side of being Limbic.

'What's so great about being calm anyway(?)' one may ask; aren't those that are placid more likely to be lazy and cold as well? Those that are calm lack the inner fire or passionate drive necessary to accomplish certain things, or embrace strong feelings and act off of them. As often as I have seen spazzy heated emo ranters on message boards, so to have I seen cold-hearted, uncaring, and mechanical individuals with little in the way of emotion.

Therefore, the opposite of one who is an icy and indifferent robot is one who is passionate and exciting, one whom rivels in their enthusiam and nervous energy. The positive Limbic doesn't sit around idly by as an injustice is committed or an urgency in need; rather they act off their gut response with a ferocity towards solcing the problem at hand. Their zeal is of truly great value to society, in art, politics, and various other fields.

There are pluses and minuses to every trait. Unfortunately the people who make the big five tests seem to emphasize the positives of calm and the negatives of limbic.

I think though if you're at either extreme, that could be problematic. A balance is good. Imagine being so calm that there is a real problem or crisis and there is no emotional reaction whatsoever or you are unfazed by it and do nothing to resolve it.

 

[OrangeAppled]

I always score high on limbic. I've read a few articles which mentioned some positives to being limbic (even though the vast majority do make it sound terrible), but I'd have to dig them up again to recall what they were. I'll be back with them if I find them....

My own ideas are that being limbic is similar to highly sensitive people, who are often artistic &/or creative due to their high sensitivity, and that it also can amount to a person who functions well under stress & in the midst of chaos, since limbic people tend to have high & low moods, but less "inbetween".


EDIT:
Here we go....two possible positives, at least

Some scientists have suggested that Neuroticism was beneficial in evolutionary terms. Early man may have found it advantageous to live in a population where certain individuals had a high sensitivity to threats to the group's survival.

There is evidence to suggest that Neuroticism, when combined with high scores in personality traits such as Conscientiousness, can result in a powerful work ethic and a will to succeed.

The idea of combinations here is interesting....I would consider that very relevant to how a trait manifests & whether it proves negative or positive for a person.


As a side note, this critique of the Big5 is interesting: http://www.nickyee.com/ponder/big5.html
I also feel like the test, much moreso than MBTI, has right & wrong answers, so that scoring a certain way is less descriptive of who you are than condemning or approving it.

 

[guesswho]

Yes, it's by definition shitty.

 

[mrcockburn]

Are there any actual solutions to the problem of limbic-ity, or is it like mental retardation, where nothing can be done, only accomodated.

"Accept/love yourself" is not acceptable.

 

[Southern Kross]

Does anyone know the stats on the general population regarding this? What result is considered average or above average?

 

[Seymour]

Does anyone know the stats on the general population regarding this? What result is considered average or above average?

The Big Five traits follow a normal distribution and the instruments are calibrated so that most people fall in the middle of the scale.

The median score and standard deviation is available for most of the official tests (if you google around), so you can get an idea of where you fall.

 

[Savage Idealist]

There are pluses and minuses to every trait. Unfortunately the people who make the big five tests seem to emphasize the positives of calm and the negatives of limbic.

I think though if you're at either extreme, that could be problematic. A balance is good. Imagine being so calm that there is a real problem or crisis and there is no emotional reaction whatsoever or you are unfazed by it and do nothing to resolve it.

Indeed, the Big 5 in general is so damn biased that it actually makes horoscopes sound more appealing. Also, true that on the notion of balance; it's often better to be balanced more so than on one extreme or another.

 

[mrcockburn]

Does anyone know the stats on the general population regarding this? What result is considered average or above average?

I'd classify probably 90% of people around me as limbic. Basically they FREAK OUT over nothing.

So I find it hard to believe that most people here list themselves calm...

 

[Southern Kross]

The Big Five traits follow a normal distribution and the instruments are calibrated so that most people fall in the middle of the scale.

The median score and standard deviation is available for most of the official tests (if you google around), so you can get an idea of where you fall.

Well, that's what I thought but then I had a look at the one I have on my Facebook (I have a score of 50% neuroticism, although I will score as much as 60% on other tests) and it says I score 66% higher than others who took the test. But this is probably just a reflection of the bias toward calm

I'd classify probably 90% of people around me as limbic. Basically they FREAK OUT over nothing.

So I find it hard to believe that most people here list themselves calm...

I think people get it into their head that being limbic means running round in circles, hysterically screaming like a banshee, whenever anything starts to go wrong - and they think "I'm not like that". Then they pat themselves on the back for being such a calm and collected person.

I did had trouble with questions that relate to it because when I'm stressed I don't always react in the typical way. Often I'm just stressed on the inside, feeling immense tension, without expressing it. Also I suppose I can be rather moody and irritable. I should probably take the test again, rethink such questions and perhaps be a little more honest with myself.

 

[KDude]

Keep in mind that the guy who writes for similar minds seemingly doesn't know shit. In the end you have as much say in saying what limbic is.

I mean, just about everything is negative there except being some outgoing, rich, absolutely plain joe/jane dumbass with no sense of worry or stress about anything except being awesome.

I don't know everything about life, but that's not realistic.