Knowing who you are at a genetic level

I have spent countless hours reading books, taking quizzes and talking myself into trying new things to see if I like them or not. The goal is for me to know myself better. Every time I learn something new about myself, I am a little happier because making long-term decisions about my life just became a little easier.

While I enjoy reading about human nature and psychology, I always believed in the back of my mind that there would eventually be a way for us to know who we are with a simple test result. I always pictured it as a scene from a Sci-Fi movie: Someone walks into a scanner and moments later gets a piece of paper with their personality traits listed on it and ideal job and love interest.

Well, of course, it doesn't really work like that but it is getting closer: DNA tests can now confirm parts of your personality that are hard-wired. These are less "is rude to service workers" and more "is not a morning person" results, but it is still amazing.

And also a little...boring. 

One of the benefits of my hours learning about different personality types is that I am learning about the people around me in addition to myself. If I want to communicate effectively with the people around me, then I need to know what message they will listen to; if I want to get along with others, then I need to understand their values. If I am solely focused on my own personality type, I will become frustrated by all the people who don't see the world my way.

As my son has gotten older, I've started to let him take some of the personality quizzes to see where he falls. While I believe those results may change as he gets older, I think it is a great way to teach him that knowing yourself will serve you well as you make decisions in life.

What do you think your genes would reveal about your personality? Share with me in the comments.