Like everybody else, I am surrounded by people of every tpe on a daily basis. And by being the quiet one in the corner observing and analysing people, I noticed some very similar quirks and kinds of behaviour in people of certain (healthy) types and I drew my conclusions. Now, this may not be correct or apply to everyone using these functions, so take it with a grain of salt. (And just on a sidenote, though I’m quite confident in my English, it’s not my native language. So, if some expressions seem odd, or the tenses used are weirdly jumbled and don’t make much sense, I apologise. Feel free to point out any language mistakes to me. Would be very appreciated.)
If you disagree or would like to add something else you noticed, please do.
high Ni: High Ni users tend to be very perceptive people when it comes to certain things. They usually have a piercing stare that might make you uncomfortable because it feels like they are diving deep into your soul and are analysing all your strengths and insecurities. Though I noticed that there is a difference in the stares, depending on the function Ni is accompanied by. Te may have a more penetrant quality to it as they notice the details about you. Fe may rather make it feel like they are intrigued and interested in a sense that they figure you out by analysing your mannerism and body language rather than details such as clothing. Also, high Ni users tend to stare at, or rather through, something when they are thinking. Even then it’s quite intense. To that, high Ni users tend to make little pauses in the middle of a sentence while speaking. They hardly ever fill these short periods of silence with “uhm”. When they talk it’s always like they have prepared this speech for a very long time because it’s well thought out, when in fact, they just came up with it. And they will often avoid eye contact when they are talking. NFJs may watch you closely when you’re the one talking, but the other way round, they won’t be able to focus on what they are saying if they are looking at you at the same time, so their eyes will wander around, avoiding your face.
high Ne: High Ne users, on the other hand, often use fill words like “uhm” frequently, many times in a row. They talk fast, but it’s like they have to bring order to their thought process while speaking, so they have to pull themselves in the direction of a single thought, it seems, which may result in almost stutter-ish words, even though they don’t actually stutter. They just repeat the first sounds at the beginning of a word or phrase. And then they speed up and squish hundreds of uhms in a little sentence. Though I mostly noticed this in auxiliary Ne, escpecially in INTPs when they are extremely excited by something. Ne-doms, especially ENTPs, may look you directly in the eye while talking and won’t break eye contact for half a minute, which is kind of irritating to be honest, but it always feels like you are just an anchor they address when they themselves are focused inwards.
high Se: I don’t know what it is, but high Se users somehow always appear to be exactly where they want to be and like this is exactly where they belong. Even if they’re just standing at a bus stop or going grocery shopping, they are so present. Like they really belong in this world. Fascinates me every time.
high Si: Si is very difficult to notice in people, at least for me. I can’t think of any specific mannerisms. I really only notice high Si in someone when they suddenly say something like my ESFJ friend recently: “It’s three years ago today that we were in London. Do you remember? It was raining and we went in that little cafe and you had a blueberry muffin that looked delicious and there were crumbs all over the table and I loved the red jumper you were wearing. I really miss that moment.” (Just as a side note, I only vaguely remembered that we fled from the rain into a cafe and that I was getting a cold.) Or when they get you a special kind of cookies because they remembered you saying aeons ago that you loved those.
high Ti: High Ti users have this typical “let me think” look when they are, in fact, thinking. Their eyes will wander across the room, but their focus is inwards, they probably don’t even know they’re doing it. Sometimes they do this while talking. Then it’s always like they are thinking out loud or explaining something to themselves, and not directly talking to you. Paired with Ne, especially in INTPs, perhaps because of the inferior Fe, they may start explaining a thought process while they are having it, start at the beginning, pause for a second, and then suddenly jump right to the conclusion, so that you have no idea what the hell they are talking about. Also, let me tell you, as an INFJ, I ususally get a reading on everyone in the room. But IxTPs are a mystery. I can stare at them for hours and still have absolutely no clue what they are thinking about.
high Te: High Te is also a bit difficult to notice just by observing. It’s less visible in body language or speech patterns, but rather in the way they treat people. It’s not necessarily the stereotypical bossing people around, I don’t find that to be true. Just imagine following scenario: You are sitting in a class, let’s say in a tutorial and it’s not this tense teacher-student-atmosphere. You are asking the TA a question, but before the TA can answer you, the Te user sitting next to you suddenly jumps in and answers your question in front of the class. It’s rather that high Te users often naturally resume responsibilty when they think of themselves as competent enough, even if they aren’t the authority figure present.
high Fi: As a high Fe user myself, I’d like to start describing this as the fact that high Fi users actually have emotions. It sounds weird, but for me, it’s a bit irritating that some people actually have such strong emotions and know about them. Like, whether they are grumpy or cheerful or sad, the energy they give off is incredibly strong. They always appear very well composed, but when they feel good or bad, you’ll notice. If they’re happy, it’s like they are invincible and nothing will ever bring them down. Also, there is a significant difference to Fe when it comes to talking about feelings. If you’re close to them, they may tell you what happened and what is going on, but they won’t describe exactly what they’re feeling. They already know. There’s no need to tell you. Concerning morality or ethics, they usually have strong convictions they believe in and if you state something that disagrees with those convictions, they are much more likely to stand up for their principles and fight you without compromise than an Fe user would.
high Fe: High Fe is probably the easiest to notice of all the functions. Just go and talk to them, tell them a story that happened to you and they will go “Aww”, “Oh no!”, “Really? I’m so sorry”, “That’s so cool” or they’ll just nod or laugh at every little joke you say, not because they think it is funny, but because they will do everything to make you feel comfortable in their presence. But there is a slight difference between SFJs and NFJs that I noticed. While NFJs like to go into chamaeleon mode and try to be nice to literally everyone they meet, SFJs are also usually very nice, but their energy seems to be more concentrated on their circle of friends and family and in a stronger way, and less on a more global range as the NFJs. When you’re talking to them, they are likely to solely focus on you and direct their body at you and may even mirror your body language. If they trust you, high Fe users will tell you about their feelings, but much differently compared to Fi users. Fe users will tell you what happened and will then try to describe exactly what it is they are feeling and how this feeling feels.
janainaart
prguitarman
snowghoul
vaporwave
blakekathryn
kianamaiart
titsay
germansingergirl
pixelskylines
