How To Be An Interesting Person In 5 Easy Steps

Ah yes, so very clickbaity. But you did click, so apparently it is a question that some want to know the answer to.
Since I so sneakily lured you into this article, let me be so kind and give you the answer immediately: The key to being an interesting person is to be an interested person.
Elaborate, you say? Well alright.
Think about the most interesting people in history: Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, Simone de Beauvoir, Le Corbusier, Mark Twain, Georgia O’Keeffe, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. And many others, of course, depending on your interests. But what do they all have in common? They were deeply immersed in and frankly quite obsessed with their work. They were experts in their fields and craved knowledge on their subject area. They maintained daily routines to boost their creative flow and approached learning and self development with passion. They were unapologetic about their craft and did things their way.
Sure, that’s all very generalised and vague. But how do we actually achieve all thiiiisss?!?! I hear you. Here it is:
5 ANECDOTAL, NON-SCIENTIFIC WAYS TO BECOME A MORE INTERESTING PERSON
And, in my opinion, a more well-rounded person.
1. Have a hobby
People who can speak confidently and non-arrogantly on a subject — any subject — are absolutely fascinating. To dedicate your (spare) time to botany or Nietzsche or dog breeds or linguistics means to be sincerely passionate about something. Sincerity and passion are two of the main ingredients to the “How to be interesting” formula. Stand by your hobby, defend it when someone tries to attack it, unapologetically dive into it and do what you love.

2. Read like crazy
Generally good advice: Read as much as you can. Read anything you can get your hands on. Read books, especially fiction. Read the Sunday paper. Read things you wouldn’t normally read. Gain knowledge outside your field of interest.
3. Listen
Next to reading about new ideas, also listen to what people are saying. What is their thought process? How do they form the opinion they have? What is their view point? What can they teach? Bonus: Listen to the little voice in your head, that inner monologue: What is your gut telling you?
4. A little mystery
As any French woman will tell you, a little mystery goes a long way. Shroud yourself in an air of je-ne-sais-quoi. Think before you speak, try and formulate your ideas as best as you can. Don’t give too much away, as in don’t put your whole life on display on social media. No one needs to know what you ate for dinner or what movie you saw last Tuesday. If very pressing, these things are best discussed in a face-to-face conversation.
5. Be humble
Finally, I believe the most interesting people are confident enough to express their opinions without being boorish, self-important or mean — with the likely exception of the brilliant Karl Lagerfeld. Arrogance, stubbornness and pretence are incredibly boring and easy to see through.
TL;DR: HOW TO BE AN INTERESTING PERSON IN A NUTSHELL
People are interested in people who are very passionate about things, in people who have something to say. Note how “something to say” is different from talking for the sake of it. Be well informed, read a lot, stay humble and maintain a quiet, mysterious elegance. As Kafka would say,
Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.
