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What cognitive function makes you happiest and why?

/DG/

silentigata ano (profile)
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Mar 19, 2009
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Also, post your type.

I'm wondering if it will generally be the same as everyone's dominant function or not.

Mine:
Se. I'm at my happiest when I can just get lost in the moment and be happy where I am right here and now. Unfortunately, I don't do this very often.

Type:
Well, I'm some type of sensor, that's for sure. If you want to talk tests, I tend to score ISTJ, ISTP, ISFJ, and ISFP.
 

Thalassa

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Ne, for sure. I am happiest when I can be spontaneous or procrastinate and just go with the flow and follow my ideas, or explore my world, or live in imaginary land (either of my own making, or by watching movies or reading fiction). I also love to analyze topics of my own choosing (less so for structured things like school or work assignments, though, because deadlines and structure smack of Te/Si) and play with theories about things I'm genuinely interested in.

I also like to tell stories, which apparently is a form of Ne mixing fantasy with the reality of the present moment or something.

Speaking of procrastination and work assignments, I really better stop posting...
 

Chiharu

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Yeah, Ne for me as well. Se sounds nice, but... it's pretty much nonexistent for me...

Excluding my shadow functions,

Ne- makes me feel happy, comfortable, enthusiastic.

Fi- too much bogs me down, but if I settle something through Fi I usually feel like I've accomplished or made progress. Because I don't use it as often, developing my Fi feels productive. :workout:

Te- Annoying and ill-developed. Only shows up when I'm royally pissed off... :steam:

Si- Oh, I suck at using Si. Honestly, I have no idea what to do with it. :shrug: It's the platypus of my cognitive functions.
 

Thalassa

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Yeah, Fi is still a strength for me, I would say, but being in Fi mode makes me feel vulnerable and sometimes embarrassed, and I might experience very bad feelings, or get locked inside myself...not that that's always the case. Sometimes I love to just feel the intensity of my feelings, especially in relation to aesthetics or good memories (inferior Si) ...but it's like a soft spot for me, it's something that can either go very well, or not well at all. Feeling visceral emotional pain in reaction to this or that, or someone else's suffering is not a gift I would trade or get rid of, but it's also not the easiest place for me to be.

Te takes more energy from me I think than I'd like to admit. I began realizing that one of the things that was making me unhappy was trying to cover my Fi up too much with Te, or press Te in some competitive manner. Te is the relief function of ExFPs, which is why I think some ENFPs like to argue or debate, and concern themselves so much with Te-ish things even in their spare time, but the truth is I don't like the way it can drain me or cause other people to be upset. ENFPs who over-rely on Te will find problems in relations with others, which will in turn bother their Fi, leading to misery if the tertiary temptation is too strong. It's important to remember while it's one of my functions, I am not as dextrous with it as I would perhaps like to be at times.

Si is great for nostalgia and aesthetics, but serves no useful purpose, especially when I remember how much I can get bored and frustrated with detail.
 

raminda

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That depends on what you mean by happy. For certain instant gratification, fun and games-happy, Ne is definitely the place to go. Ne-ing off with another N is one of the most entertaining things I can think of. Ti, however, can give me happiness with a sense of purpose and meaning, a sense of doing what I was made to do and doing it well. And for my overall hapiness with my situation in life and who I am, I think I have Si to thank most.

EDIT: Oh, post my type too, you say. INTP, I'm fairly sure, NTP at the least.
 

Red Herring

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+1

Ne is definitely my favorite play thing. Ti insight gives deeper gratification and Si provides cozy nostalgia. Fe allows me to get out of my shell and warm myself in the company of others once in a while.

Judging by the fun my ISFP sister has, having some decent Se would probably be cool too.
 

King sns

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ESFP. This is going to sound strange, but I think Te makes me the happiest. Se it's just kind of taken for granted. Always staying in the moment gets you kind of... lost I guess. Te is what brings me through changes and better positions in life. Fi. I'm still not sure what that does. Ni... I'm not really sure what that does for me either. Offers Te a little assistance, I guess.
 

Serendipity

the Dark Prophet of Kualu
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whenever my mind starts to race outwards and grow planet after planet in a solar system, each planet exploding with life and new cultures form.
That combination of functions.
 

Randomnity

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Se, although mine is not particularly "strong".
 

Elfboy

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Ne- because only people who use it can understand what I'm talking about without me have to become a broken record.
Se- because it's SEXY :smile:
Te- because it's logical and I know that I don't have to talk BS with this person
Ni- it's just bad ass, what can I say
Fi- it's so beautiful and heroic
Ti, Si and (especially) Fe usually bother me
 

/DG/

silentigata ano (profile)
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Ne- because only people who use it can understand what I'm talking about without me have to become a broken record.
Ni- it's just bad ass, what can I say

I really should work on getting to know these more. :biggrin:
 

Such Irony

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Any function can make me happy or not depending on how its used. I guess I'd rank them as follows, with happiest first.

Ne: If I had to pick one function that makes me the most happy overall, this would be it. Ne allows me to make interesting connections between things and thinks of new possibilities. Much of my sense of humor and childlike enthusiasm stems from this function.

Se: I don't really use it that much and its one of my weakest functions but when I allow myself to fully live in the moment and completely immerse myself in my senses, I think to myself, "why don't I do this more often?" I think I feel kind of guilty about just indulging in Se. I usually let other functions override it. I should think more logically. I should think more about the future, etc.

Ti: I really enjoy playing with logical systems in my head and analyzing how it all fits into a whole. I love finding out the why behind things. I guess I rank Ne as making me happier because I think as a Ti dominant, I tend to just take it for granted.

Si: I enjoy this function for the nostalgic effect and reminscing about the past. I enjoy the sensory impressions it sometimes creates. On the downside, my Si can recapture unpleasant past memories and sensations I'd rather just forget.

Te: On the plus side, I feel really good when I've effectively utilized Te to accomplish tasks efficiently and effectively. On the downside, Te seems awfully dry to me at times. It's too mechanical, too procedural.

Ni: I enjoy Ni for the insights it creates and the ability to see multiple perspectives on the same thing. On the other hand, my Ni has a dark side to it, imagining worst case scenarios and I think the source of some of my existential angst comes from here.

Fe: This is a troublesome function for me that causes me undue anxiety at times, especially in the social arena. When in the grip of Fe, I get powerful emotions that are hard to control and hypersensitive about others' feelings towards me. I guess it makes me happy in the sense of having good harmonious relations with others.

Fi: This is probably my most troublesome function aside from Fe and I wouldn't exactly consider it my happy place (is this a common attitude to have towards one's demonic function? For INTPs that is Fi) When I'm really down and depressed about something, that's when my Fi goes into overdrive. On the other hand Fi is good for realizing the times when I should have listened to my heart and to not ignore what I feel deep down. Sometimes Fi is confusing, when values conflict with each other or when doing the 'right thing' seems to conflict with what you personally value.
 

lunalum

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And I thought that Ne and Se were the only happy functions..........

Se is awesome for pure happy, but since most of the time I fail at being in the present moment, Ne is my happy drug of choice.

On a more serious note, I understand the happy that some of the other functions can provide. Like, I still use a whole bunch of Ti, and there can sometimes be that thrill of understanding how things fit together, but most of the stuff leading up to that is a more serious process. But Ne just sort of goes everywhere, is always new...all that stuff.


<--- Ambiverted NTP
 

skylights

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Ne. give me shiny new fun open future exciting connected everything drawing together

Te and Si give me comfort, while Fi gives me satisfaction, though not necessarily happiness.

Ti is also satisfying when i actually get it, Fe is odd but enlightening, Se is exhilarating but also makes it feel like there is no ground under me, and Ni is like flipping my world upside down.
 

INTP

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i cant pick a single function.
Ti is kinda like too casual for me, but when figuring something out with Ti, i can get really happy for a short time.
Ne is hmm, well i like to go with the flow at times(and it can get really fun) and enjoy seeing the big picture of things. also it can get me excited when i see some pattern of something that my Ti can figure out.
Si can give really nice subjective perception about things that are already fun, like greatly enhancing good moments.
Fe is like, it can give me greatest pleasure, but its shy and careful because it can get hurt pretty easily if i invest in it.

when i get to use all of these in a positive way and dont have to be too careful or shy with Fe i get happiest
 
T

ThatGirl

Guest
Idk about happy but the funnest function to use is Ne. I don't use it often with accuracy but in those rare moments I get on a roll...it is exhilerating. I admire people who use that function naturally and effectively.


Si and Fe are my very least favorites to use.
 

Tamske

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Ne is my most optimistic, happy-go-lucky one, but sometimes a source of frustration too. I want to finish my current novel project, not start a new one... But then there's Ti discarding the nonsensical ideas and providing Ne the challenge to come up with very specific ones. I'm super happy if things fit together.
My least favorite is Ni. That one really plays the archetypical nemesis role. This is a good thing, of course, because Ni warns me not to take up too much of those crazy Ne projects, which really helps to finish some of them. But it doesn't make me "happy".
 
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