[MBTI General] Which type is the best at reading people?

[Giggly]

The best I've ever seen at this in real life (not online) has been INTJ.

 

[highlander]

i have noticed the same with my INTJ friend, but the thing is that he often goes off by the magnitude of things. like he has weed on the table and im thinking "hmm i wonder if we are going to smoke some" and am like "that would be nice"(but dont say it), he reads me thinking "aaargh i must have weed NOW, cant bear a moment without smoking!!!". he thinks he is reading correctly, even if he later acknowledges that the magnitude was off, i think those two things(what i thought and what he perceived) are different things, he doesent. i have also noticed that he reads people quite selectively, at times not noticing the obvious to everyone else, but at times reading very subtle things that others may not notice

Yeah - I can do that. Over-interpreting or over-analyzing sometimes and at other times noticing subtle things and missing obvious things. The latter point is really related to how much attention I'm paying though and to what extent my mind is pre-occupied with other things.

 

[Reverie]

There are people of many types I'd call good at reading people. The most skilled at predicting an individual's behavior I've met have been ENFJs. They seem to really get a good grasp at a person's emotional make up and then come up with a likely scenario of how they will behave.

I think I'm pretty good at predicting people's behavior too but in a different way. I can pick up on people's emotions too but less so. I can kind of see what I'd consider the most likely scenario of things playing out when it comes to someone and in groups how combined people's goals, needs etc. will affect the interaction and how it is likely to run it's course.
I think what is common with ESTPs is kind of "scanning" for consistency in perception...I think many ESTPs are very good at reading people. That's why many I know are good at sales. They just take in different data I suppose. It's more now orientated. What is likely to have the highest impact if you take all the observed behavioral "data" in right now. The most instantly effective course of action. I think I'm good at seeing likelihoods in the future play out...this is concurrent with MBTI.
I think INFJs and INTJs probably, though dom perceivers, have a very different focus in the process of reading people. I don't know what Ni+Te pays attention to. To me a person has a very distinct emotional flow I can kind of feel when I interact with them. I think it's informative. Sit next to someone and you kind of get the flow of their emotions, is it bitter, angry, sad, hostile etc. or empathic, caring, joyous and let that info meld with your perceptions and I think it's relatively easy to read people in person. That's why when I did customer service when I was young I was given the most angry and pissed off clients. I could "get" why they were pissed off and then explain matters in a way that was more to their own way of understanding the situation, be empathic or just know when to only apologize for the company. I didn't like doing it but I was very good at it.
ENFPs I know (and INFPs I would suspect. I have no close INFP friends so it's hard to tell for me) are very good at sussing out the core character of a person, wether they are a "rotten egg" or a "great guy". They also do predictions on what possible scenarios can come of this core character.

 

[Fluffywolf]

I can be pretty good, but I tend to blow things out of proportions, usually moreso to gauge reactions and mess up my 'first impression' which more often than not tends to be the most accurate impression.

Now, if I could just accept and go with first impressions, but noooo, I have to investigate!

So as far as INTP's go, there might be the possibility perhaps, but in general, I think there's some other types completely trumping us when it comes to reading people.

 

[purple tuesday]

I may be bragging, but I am very good at analyzing personalities. I correctly guessed all of my family members' and friends' types (they confirmed them afterwards). Then one friend described her parents and brothers to me (i had never met them before), i guessed their types, and they were confirmed. That doesn't count as reading people, does it? It's just good puzzle-piecing. But i am good at knowing what a person is like after only a minute.

 

[unityemissions]

XNFP's, or INXJ's.

I've seen "psychic" abilities with all four of these types.

My mom's an INTJ and makes a killing off her ability to read people and situations, but also being several steps ahead of everyone else.

She essentially manipulates the whole organization to flow efficiently and effectively towards common goals.

Still, I think my XNFPness would trump her talents at the poker table.

I play poker and am actually going to give it a run at going pro on my trip to Vegas in a few months.

I first learned the math, which was stupid easy, and now rely heavily on intuition.

I start at the table and get a feel for the overall atmosphere, and of each individual.

I take basic notes of everything, then allow my intuition to guide me through the hands.

Very little is consciously processed these days. The only times I've played for monies so far I've at least doubled up within an hr or two

I'm not sure exactly what's being read. The subtle cues are subconsciously processed, but the general vibe is consciously digested before hand. From there, nothing else really matters. If I see lapses in reason on the table, I know there must be a reason so I figure it out, and act accordingly.

Easy peasy!

 

[jcloudz]

fe users

 

[tommyc]

some combo of N and P I imagine. I'm good at analysing people when I'm given time to reflect, not quite so good in the moment.

 

[Esoteric Wench]

Oooh. What an interesting thread topic. Subscribed.

I think that ENFPs are the best at reading people with ENFJs a close second. IMHO, ENFx's are brilliant at reading people but I think an ENFP's and ENFJ's strengths (and blind spots) are a little different. For example, and ENFJ might be better at predicting specific behavior (a la dominant Fe) that a given person might exhibit. But I think an ENFP would be better at figuring out another person's internal motivations / value system (a la dominant Ne paired with aux Fi).

Also, I think ENFJs are going to be a lot more "judgey" (with their dominant rational function of Fe) than ENFPs (with their dominant perceiving function of Ne). In other words, if an ENFJ has made some bad assumptions about the other person, it's going to be a lot harder for them to change their mind and regroup based on new, more accurate observations of the other person, than if they had been an ENFP. Whereas an ENFP would be far more likely to toss out all their previous assumptions based on new incoming information. <-- This is the beauty (and pain in the ass factor) of having dominant Ne.

 

[RaptorWizard]

ESFP - They have a better grasp of what's hot in pop culture and social rituals than any other type, as well as their keen eye for detail and the feelings of other people. This is partly why I don't like this type!

 

[Elfboy]

ESFP - They have a better grasp of what's hot in pop culture and social rituals than any other type, as well as their keen eye for detail and the feelings of other people. This is partly why I don't like this type!

you've described Fe doms more than ESFPs

 

[EntangledLight]

^
i agree with Elfboy.

what you're saying is that you dislike people who have your inferior as their dominant... pretty normal in some cases.

 

[TenebrousReflection]

I consider myself to be good at two aspects of reading/sensing people.

What are they feeling?
What are their core motivations and/or values? (may have to do with my conversational style and questions I tend to ask, but even with just listening, its what I pick up on first when meeting someone new and listenign to them talkabout themselves)

Those are things that matter to me, so I think it woudl be reasonable to theorize that with any person, the things they value would be the thing they would read/sense/percieve better than others. Overall, I get a "sense" for people, but it is only if i go back and try to anaylze my impressions that "reading" takes place - "ok, why did I get this sense about them?, oh it was because ____ and ____ and ____ that made me think that". To me, the prhase "reading people" implies a conscious effort and that is where I think the T types would be very good at it with training (mentalists and human polygraphs etc).

 

[tommyc]

On reflection, I'd say enfp/infps are the best at reading people. Theres an infp at work who always reads exactly how Im feeling as soon as I turn up. His reasons for my feelings are not always that accurate though. Id say Im better at working out why people are feeling a certain way.

 

[Cellmold]

Im not sure about reading people, but I would happily say im easily read. And for my part I wouldn't have it any other way.

Afterall I have nothing to gain from being insincere and obtuse about my motives. However I will say that motives and intentions can easily be worked out from watching the subtle nuances...the little ticks and tell tale words and terms, the tone, the expression, ( or sometimes lack of), can all contribute to an understanding of a persons mindset and beliefs.

It's a lot easier than people think. Unfortunately as with all untold impressions...any individual you reveal this to reserves the right to proclaim that this is not the case and pretend that you are wrong...or sometimes you are actually wrong.

Some people seem to be offended by the idea that they are 'figured out' ive no idea why. Although anyone who believes they have any one individual completely figured out is arrogant and ignorant.

I suppose it is all to do with the competative nature of humanity...constant comparisons, where does it stop? What is needed is acceptance, not comparison.

 

[Lady_X]

i can't remember if i posted yet but i think nfps are good at it.

the fe doms i know are just usually wrong and sort of paranoid.