Among the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types, INFPs are one of the hardest to distinguish. Many people stereotype INFPs as kind and gentle- crybabies even. But little did they know that INFP’s real character resides within themselves and only a few people will ever know.
INFP personality stands for Introverted-iNtuitive-Feeling-and Prospecting. INFPs are also called Dreamers, Healers, and Mediators because of their idealistic, empathetic, and compassionate traits.
INFP’s dominant cognitive function is Introverted Feeling (Fi) which means they keep ideals within themselves. They are self-reflecting and have distinguished beliefs.
To help distinguish your personality type, here are 47 signs you’re an INFP.
47 Signs You’re an INFP
Some items on the list mention our thought process as INFPs. If you’re an INFP, I’m sure you will relate to these unique traits and behaviors. Here’s how to tell if you’re an INFP:
1. You’re a nonconformist.
INFPs welcome new ideas and respect other people’s beliefs. However, as nonconformists, they don’t easily follow what the majority says. When they have a different plan in mind, they tend to walk through it even when it means they’re going in alone.
2. You highly value morality.
INFPs are all about values and morality. They uphold honesty and loyalty. Walking astray from their values would hurt their whole being. Also, they are the worst liars. Once they did something wrong, it cripples them with guilt.
3. You cry due to overwhelming emotions.
INFPs feel emotions deeply. Feelings like anger, happiness, or gratitude would strongly resonate with an INFP. Crying is like a vent to these emotions.
4. You befriend the less popular ones.
INFPs tend to build friendships among people who are kind-hearted, simple, and compassionate. In short, people with like personalities. Your circle of friends comprises genuinely kind people. On the other hand, they dislike bullies, show-offs, and people who are full of themselves.
5. You know you’re smart.
INFPs are smart. They understand perspectives, ideas, and human subjectivity. Moreover, they observe the patterns people make which helps them predict their future actions. This global perspective also helps them identify whether a plan would succeed or not.
6. Jack-of-all-trades, master of none.
Interest-hopping is quite normal for INFPs. They love doing new activities every other day and experiencing what’s in it for them. One day, they’re writing a novel. The next thing you know, they’re taking video editing lessons. INFPs are so random and want to try everything.
Their interest in a lot of new things helps them gather considerable information and experience. They become a jack-of-all-trades who has knowledge about everything. However, without any focus, they are less likely to master any skill, too.
7. You hate bullies.
Since you’re highly moral, you hate people who take advantage of people and are full of themselves.
8. You need a strong source of motivation.
Your motivation is easily swayed. This ever-changing mood is very INFP. When a new idea pumps you up you start preparing everything to your heart’s content. But once the fire dies down and you see how far you are from the goal, you stop working on it and ta-da! You are back to square one.
9. Perfectionists, but easily demotivated.
INFPs are idealists who can draw a perfect vision for various situations. They have pictured the when, where, and how things are gonna happen. They’re perfectionists and visionaries. However, implementing the ideas is not part of their job. So when their plans don’t reach their expectations, it greatly disappoints them. Unmet expectations demotivate INFPs.
10. You’re an old soul.
You are self-reflecting on every situation you’re in. You understand a situation better than the people around you. You tend to be wiser and more mature than people your age.
11. You don’t like being bossed around.
Many INFPs don’t last long in their jobs because they dislike the management, the toxic environment, and being bossed around. Truth be told, every INFP’s dream is to work in a job they’re passionate about, with flexible hours, and no toxic co-workers. But that work setup is so rare if they’re working in corporate jobs.
12. You always reflect on something.
When a stranger talks to you, you contemplate the importance of human connections. When your phone rings 3 times in a row, you start reflecting on the negative aspects of technology. INFPs will always have to extract some lessons in just anything.
13. You silently judge people.
From people’s point of view, you’re kind and gentle – which is true. But little did they know, INFPs are low-key judging people’s actions based on their moral standards. Judging people’s beliefs, actions, and reactions is every INFP’s pastime.
14. People see you as an independent.
People rarely see you having problems. Not because you don’t have one, but because you’re good at keeping them to yourself. When INFPs have problems, they rely mostly on themselves for advice.
15. You daydream a lot.
This is another strong sign you’re an INFP. You’re a daydreamer. Sometimes, you catch yourself re-reading the same paragraph over and over again because you keep on spacing out.
16. You can picture what success looks like, but you’re too lazy to make it happen.
You’re ambitious and always see yourself succeeding. However, procrastination comes in the way. Partnered with the love for instant gratification, INFPs may find it hard to realize their ideals.
17. You dislike leaving people behind.
You want everyone to have fair and non-discriminatory treatment. If one of your friends can’t receive the same privileges as yours, you feel guilty about it.
18. Social interaction tires you out.
INFPs are introverts. Although you love observing human behavior and relationships, you get tired of too much social interaction and small talk.
19. You contradict yourself.
No one knows you’re so doubtful about yourself. Even though you’re successes are evident, you still feel like you got everything out of luck and you don’t deserve it. INFPs have tendencies to suffer from impostor syndrome. Aside from that, some INFPs, like me, also have to deal with excessive self-consciousness.
20. You love writing and other creative activities.
Writing allows you to put your imaginations into reality. Aside from that, it’s a platform to completely express yourself without the fear of public speaking.
21. People see you as cute.
Many people say that INFPs are cute. Just imagine a smart and compassionate guy/girl who wants to deliver a huge idea but too timid to express it. Yeah, for others, that’s cute.
22. You’re an emotion reader.
You’re highly sensitive to the choice of words, gestures, and tone. You interpret other people’s intentions through their actions. This way, it’s easy for you to tell if you can either trust or stay away from a person. It also makes you an empath where you can live in other people’s shoes.
23. When pushed to a rut, the optimistic INFP goes to the dark side.
Don’t push INFPs to their limit. INFPs are patient and forgiving people, but the last stage of their anger can turn ugly. They can throw punches or pop car tires if they are pushed to their limit.
Related post: The Dark Side of INFP Personality
24. You see a plan’s flaws way ahead of others.
Since INFPs are idealists and perfectionists, they set up what-if scenarios. “What if the panelists ask about the product’s durability? The safety? Affordability?” By asking these questions in advance, INFPs identify where a plan is lacking.
25. Project starters, but not finishers
Did you ever write a story and haven’t finished it? Or a painting you have now forgotten? INFPs are project starters. But because their motivation is spontaneous and revolves around a sudden burst of passion, they usually leave projects unfinished. They only finish projects when there’s a strong reason to finish them like deadlines and nagging bosses.
26. You love connecting the dots.
INFPs are voracious readers and researchers so they are knowledgeable people. They keep on researching until the information makes more sense to them and to the world. They even create a whole new philosophy out of everything they have read.
27. You are so earthy.
You love nature and the simplicity of life. You love rainy weather and handcrafted gifts or displays. This is a tell-tale on how to know if you’re an INFP.
You may be interested: 13 Best INFP Gift Ideas According to Survey
28. You monologue a lot.
INFPs monologue about what they could’ve said in a past situation, or they practice how to express an idea in case someone asks them in the future.
29. You leave toxicity right away.
No one will breach your peace of mind. If someone constantly throws rocks at you, it’s easy for you to ignore them like they don’t exist at all.
30. You filter your words.
One thing INFPs dislike the most- offending people. They will do their best to filter their terms to make sure even the worst news doesn’t hurt much. Oh wait, INFPs dislike delivering the bad news.
31. You have a small circle of friends.
INFPs are cautious as to whom enters their circle. They are picky with their friends and keep a small number of them. Regardless, when an INFP considers you a real friend, it will last long-term, a lifetime even.
32. You rewatch impressive movie scenes over and over again.
I’ve watched Beauty and the Beast a hundred times when I was younger. Harry Potter, too. If you’re an INFP, I’m sure you’re obsessed with some stunning and thought-provoking videos, too, that you repeat it an unfathomable number of times.
33. You cultivate deeper meaning in everything.
You see a rock in the middle of a park. Now, you’re contemplating how beautiful life is to have someone strong enough to carry a rock and put it in the middle of the road. It’s not an exaggeration. INFPs just love to interpret everything with deeper meaning.
34. Your beliefs often change.
You are changing a lot. When presented with a new but strong perspective, you accept it and it changes your ways. Change isn’t a bad thing. It means you learned something today that instigated you to change your perspective.
35. You’re the master of emotions and often, you act it out.
Since you feel emotions deeply, you are capable of pretending or acting out. INFPs can become good actors and actresses, too.
36. You take relationships seriously.
INFPs are attracted by talent, skill, and personality. However, these are not enough reasons for an INFP to get into a relationship. INFPs consider mutual and genuine feelings before deciding to enter a relationship. They don’t participate in sexual intimacies with someone they have no feelings for.
You may also like: 10 Reasons Why Introvert-Introvert Relationships Work
37. You don’t follow the trend.
You won’t buy the most trending products on Amazon. Instead, you go on with life without having a care. But maybe you’ll buy that product after 2-3 years when the hype dies down.
38. You forgive but don’t forget.
You get disappointed sometimes, but clinging to anger is hard for you. You easily forgive people. However, for you, it’s a lesson about who to trust. You become more cautious.
39. INFPs are all about passion.
We tend to give up everything else if we’re not genuinely happy about it. For example, job. If our job doesn’t cultivate our talents and passion, we feel like we’re on the wrong path and get frustrated.
40. Criticisms are hard pills to swallow.
You understand perfection. But the fact that you can’t materialize it tends to be disappointing. You tend to take it personally and blame yourself for incompetence. Also, you sometimes take comments as a way to embarrass you even when they’re not.
41. Home is the best place to be.
You don’t spend your weekends at parties. You spend it at home while in your pajamas. INFPs are introverts who need their alone time.
You may also like: 5 Signs Introverts Need Alone Time
42. Plans get canceled at the last minute.
You love initiating get-aways, parties, and games. However, when the scheduled day comes, you cancel them at the last minute because you don’t feel motivated to go it anymore. Since you’re not motivated any longer, it opposes your belief about genuine happiness. Like, seriously. We have issues here.
43. Next to novels, you’re a self-help book enthusiast.
You are a self-improvement enthusiast since you’re so connected with your idealization. You’re intrapersonally smart-knowledge about one’s self – so you love reading about how to improve yourself more.
44. You hate routine jobs.
Sometimes, routine jobs suck the passion out of you. Many INFPs can’t stand 9-5 jobs.
45. You’re nostalgic.
You are easily moved as you remember memories from a song, a scent, or a place.
46. You’re often initially mistaken as dumb.
Because you’re gentle, people usually don’t ask for your opinions. Not until you have proven them in terms of accomplishments, creativity, or academic scores. After they’ve seen it, you earn their respect.
You may also like: What makes INFPs smart? Why are they Mistaken as Dumb?
47. You see through fake people.
Since you understand human subjectivity, you also contemplate people’s motives and goals on why they do things. That said, it’s easy for you to recognize fake people.
There you go! If you can relate to almost everything on the list, then that’s a sure sign you’re an INFP!
Are you an INFP dealing with procrastination? Grab your copy of the “Not Lazy, Just INFP” e-book. 🙂
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