The INFP Mind: 6 Best INFP Traits and Hidden Behaviors

INFP are individuals who spend most of their time in their dreamlands. What makes them unique is not only their innate creativity but also the hint of mistifying peculiarity swirling around them.

INFPs are called the Mediators because of their peace-revering personality. It’s one of the rarest personalities among the 16 Myers-Briggs Personalities comprising only 4% of the general population. INFP is an abbreviation for 4 personality aspects which means Introverted-iNtuitive-Feeling-Prospecting.

While INFPs are compassionate, talented, and uphold morality, there are other traits that amplify this personality. There’s more than what meets the eye. Since INFPs “stay” more in the dreamland rather than reality, then people ask what really is circling inside an INFP’s mind? What do they think of their surroundings?

As an INFP myself, I will elaborate on the unseen behaviors of an INFP. May these traits help other people understand us more, like, can you please, stop calling us cute? And things like that.

6 Best INFP Traits

Digging deeper, here’s an INFP traits list to further understand how the INFP mind works.

1. INFPs can get close to predicting the future.

Are INFPs clairvoyant? Oops. I need to put an important disclaimer here.

Disclaimer: Clairvoyance isn’t an innate skill among INFPs. We aren’t fortune-tellers, either.

However, INFPs have their way to predict someone’s course of actions. In an INFP’s perspective, their Extraverted Intuition (their secondary cognitive function), allows them to consume information from their surroundings and evaluate them from what they already know and see. We love connecting the dots.

Say, we can see either potential or destruction in a co-worker’s straightforward nature. We then decide for ourselves if we want to involve ourselves with him or not.

INFPs judge people. Not to mention but on a daily basis. You may have thought we’re the goody friend who absorbs your negative emotions (partly true), but alongside that, we digest your actions, come up with conclusions, and evaluate its rightness and wrongness based on our moral standards.

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In the long run, INFPs can distinguish a weak-hearted from a strong-willed person, if he’s real or being pretentious. We notice fake laughs and agitation.

INFPs are highly sensitive and notice slight changes in a person’s behavior (which is a good characteristic for empaths). But when an INFP gets too caught up with these observations, it may lead to our own paralysis, INFP overthinking, and the fear to interact.

Because we did the critical observations beforehand, by the time a person asks for our opinion, we’re already aware of what’s going on and provide quality advice.

But here’s what INFPs must remember: INFP observations and hunches may often be right. But we’re not perfect and can get wrong, too. However, since INFPs are loyal to their ideals and observations,  they need sufficient proof to change their minds.

2. INFPs value morality and their beliefs above all.

INFPs dislike conforming. When an idea opposes what they believe in, they are easy to walk away from it.

I couldn’t count the many times I have to walk away from an event, a plan, work, or a social trend just because it doesn’t fit my values and beliefs.

When a workplace is toxic, I’m out. It’s quite difficult to leave, but I definitely would leave. And when society pushes a new trend, INFPs often pay no heed to it.

Fashion? Uhm… maybe? How many of you have fashion sense? I don’t. Ugh. But I’m working on it!

INFPs are drawn to seek meaning. They follow what’s true within themselves instead of conforming. Heck, I don’t even clap on ideas that don’t resonate with me.

But on the other hand, when an INFP truly finds a concept plausible, it pumps them up with a fiery rush of both passion and awe.

INFPs value authenticity.

Losing authenticity means losing their character – which is a big issue as to why many INFPs today feel lost.

Because they try to fit in society – finding 9-5 jobs, working under strict policies – many INFPs feel restricted and feel like they’re losing themselves.

3. INFPs are empaths.

INFPs can wear other people’s shoes. They feel the distress of losing a loved one, feel other people’s bleeding wound, and someone else’s heartbreak.

INFPs swim into a pool of emotions and easily empathize with people. We cry because we feel emotions deeply (and it even manifests physically like faster  heartbeats or a boulder on our chest.)

Because of INFP’s keenness to human behavior and body language, they effortlessly identify unusual patterns. They recognize when a person’s quieter than usual. They may have no idea about the root problem, but they sense something’s off.

INFPs are compassionate because of deep empathy. They’re drawn to look after the less fortunate, or the bullied.

I found myself drawn to people who are at the corner of the room, those eating lunch alone, and teaching my former classmates who had it hard in our classes.

INFPs group and find solace with the “quiet or less popular ones” instead of befriending people who desire superiority.

4. INFPs are smart people.

Many INFPs are initially mistaken as dumb. Don’t you agree? Dang.

It’s excruciating because INFP’s true nature lies in analyzing and seeking meaning out of the world. It’s not a dumb thought process at all. INFPs always catch a thought like a puzzle piece and seek its place in the big picture. 

Albert Einstein quoted, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

INFPs live on such a quote. When an INFP acquires knowledge, they correlate it with everything they have learned to come up with a new philosophy, idea, or a new perspective.

As an educator, I always read a number of references, get to the bottom of it all, and deliver my knowledge to students in the easiest, most comprehensible way possible. I’d correlate technology topics with their real-life essence and impact.

INFPs just love reaching the roots of everything. My best reward was receiving feedback about how a supposed boring technical topic inspired my students. So fulfilling.

Bloom’s Taxonomy states that creating, analyzing, and evaluating information are the highest forms of thinking. And honestly, INFPs do these consistently as they always try to seek meaning in anything.

Furthermore, INFPs always think about what’s ideal – ’cause they’re idealists. They comprehend a better work schedule, efficient work distribution, and ways to manage problems.

Since INFPs are focused on painting the big picture, confident INFPs lay out a plan that can benefit the system.

5. Jack-of-all-trades

INFPs are easy to jump from one interest to another. They love diving into new ideas. A huge collection of interests easily pique an INFP, however, they may end up mastering none. 

On the downside, as we grow into adults,  interest-hopping becomes problematic for INFPs. We often find ourselves leaving and finding jobs in a cycle. We become indecisive on what skill or career to focus on. 

As an INFP who also underwent the same frustrations, I’d tell this: Having too many interests is still a blessing as we experience many aspects of life. As we step on the different interests, we get to learn which works for us and which doesn’t.

Moreover, if you have problems hopping from one job to another, just please, don’t succumb to society’s norm. Make your own path if you can’t fit in with society’s structured and hierarchical system.

Related post: How I Cope with Ridiculous Interest-hopping by me, of course, published on Medium

6. They are good writers and authors.

Not many INFPs are good speakers, although it can be learned. But while they aren’t speakers, their minds are rich with imagination, meaning, and visions.

Many INFPs find joy in expressing these in terms of art – commonly in words. Many INFPs are good writers, poets, and authors and find joy in materializing their imagination into the physical world.

9 INFP Hidden Behaviors

Here are some hidden behaviors that INFPs are guilty of.

Wait, let me share one quick story. Recently, I talked to my ENFJ best friend and I told her I was writing about introversion. She materialized a high-pitched tone saying, “WHAT? YOU’RE AN INTROVERT?”  Lol. So, she didn’t know. Anyway, wonder what these hidden behaviors are? Read the list below:

1. INFPs ignore the person they romantically like.

Oh, come one. If this isn’t too real. I lived my life doing this.

Yes, INFPs ignore the person they like in fear that the other person would know. Maybe they want to keep the friendship, avoid concocted responses, plainly dislike looking vulnerable, or it’s the desire to keep the perfect image of the person they like.

They want them to stay like that instead of acquiring awkwardness that ruins an INFP’s perfect idealization.

I don’t know if this is just me. But when the guy discovers I like him, it turns me off. Hmm. Have you experienced this, too?

Interesting Read: 5 Signs INFP Likes You Romantically Without Them Admitting it

2. INFPs can get physical when they’re angry.

When an INFP is angry, they tend to be silent. They’re avoidant of who or what made them angry.

But what people didn’t know, when INFPs reach their breaking point, an INFP can come to you head-on, and become physical. Yep, I mean punching, shouting, and throwing whatever.

But this doesn’t mean that INFPs have anger management issues. INFPs are tranquil people who resort to walking away from conflict.

So when an INFP bursts from anger, it’s probably because of the series of accumulated stress that a person rubs onto them. INFPs can only take enough of a person’s bull. They have their limits.

Many people think that INFPs are incapable of fighting. Little did they know that the last stage of an INFP’s anger can turn really ugly.

3. INFPs like recognition and being credited.

One of the worse things you can do to an INFP is to take their credit. INFPs dislike people who steal their work and the credits. For them, it’s unethical to feed on other people’s efforts. Give them what’s theirs!

But on the other hand, INFPs dislike recognition when they think they don’t deserve it. They give it to the rightful person. That’s just how INFPs think – people should get what they deserve.

4. INFPs choose their friends

I’ve heard INFPs struggle with making friends. While this is partly true, I’d say that oftentimes, it’s also because INFPs are very picky – I mean really – on who they open up to. They’re highly selective on friends.

There might be people who approach them, but since INFPs judge a person based on their values, they tend to choose whether to let a person in or out of their circle.

If an INFP likes you, she will approach you regularly. If she doesn’t, then being acquaintances is the closest you can get.

5. INFPs don’t like people who abuse their kindness.

INFPs are kind people and drawn to help the needy. They’re compassionate and can cry to either little sadness or a streak of happiness. However, INFPs don’t feel comfortable when people abuse their kindness.

Truth is, INFPs aren’t as selfless as people think. In comparison with other personality types, INFPs are even more self-centered because of their Introverted Feeling (Fi) function. Before they help other people, they evaluate if the other person is even qualified for their help.

They hate people who take advantage of them and won’t always offer a helping hand with such people.

But on the other hand, they can go out of their way to help those who are really in need. They help without you asking. Without attachments, credits, or anything in exchange – an INFP will always help the people who genuinely need it.

6. They constantly find ways to cancel a meeting or event.

The Prospecting aspect makes INFPs spontaneous. What they want today doesn’t necessarily mean it’s what they want tomorrow. They are prone to last-minute changes.

Since they value authenticity, they often cancel a set schedule because they just feel their hearts are not 100% into it anymore. If they’re half-hearted about it, they might as well just don’t do it. That’s twisted authenticity for you. Lol.

However, in these situations, many INFPs might be wrong. Since they’re quite indecisive and spontaneous, INFPs may have been losing a lot of opportunities and experiences.

7. INFPs also ignore the person they DISLIKE.

When an INFP dislikes someone,  they don’t confront them. They just ignore.

It’s tiresome to dislike someone and soak with negative emotions. So for INFPs, they just wrap the person they dislike with an invisibility cloak. Poof – you’re invisible to me.

Once an INFP becomes too irritated with you, you won’t get the responses you want. An INFP won’t even laugh at your jokes. Furthermore, they just leave when you’re around. You’re basically alienated.

8. INFPs easily forgive but they don’t easily forget.

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

INFPs forgive but don’t easily forget. If you’re a friend or a good acquaintance who wronged them, they may forgive you and act like it didn’t happen. But at the back of their minds, INFPs would never forget and they will be forever cautious about it. 

That said, never pull hurtful pranks on INFPs. They would take them personally. They may laugh at your jokes at first, but in the long run, it will easily accumulate distrust which will lead an INFP to walk away from you.

Related Post: INFP Forgiveness: How to Regain INFP Trust?

9. INFPs don’t need advice when they’re under the weather

When they’re under the weather, one way to cheer up INFPs is to just listen. Truth is, they don’t necessarily need to be advised or corrected because they have things figured out (well, unless they ask.)

Other people rubbing lectures on us would not help. We don’t need advice like “you should’ve done this or that”.  We have already done that part.

We already analyzed and contemplated what went wrong and we just want to release the emotions.

INFPs only need a person to be there to listen.

Conclusion

INFPs are unique and artistic individuals.  They often build their own dreamland, however, these ideals, with proper execution can be brought out to reality.

I believe that INFPs hold a special role in the world to provide a better vision and pathway to society. Once an INFP channels how to properly use their wisdom, philosophies, and visions, they are powerful enough to make a significant change in the world.

Are you an INFP dealing with procrastination? Grab your copy of the “Not Lazy, Just INFP” e-book. 🙂

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• How Do You Get an INFP to Fall in Love With You?