Finally, A Test Tells How OTHERS Perceive You!

Lots of existing personality tests such as 16Personalities try to understand who you are, but to be honest, I don’t buy it, simply because I am not sure whether a test can truly understand me. I believe every individual is complex and intricate to conclude within a few minutes. But even though I feel skeptical about it, I will still carefully read the result, just for fun~

When I first heard of the Fascinate Test, “Oh great, another personality test,” I thought. However, after watching the TED video by Sally Hogshead — How to Fascinate, this test seems much more fascinating than others. It is not about analyzing who you are; instead, it is about how other people perceive you! How interesting is that, I cannot wait to start.

Here is my archetype- The Veiled Strength

My primary and secondary triggers are Mystique and Power.

Mystique personalities speak the language of LISTENING, which I think is very true of me. I always consider myself / try to be a mindful listener. I love having conversations with people, but I am curious and fascinated about knowing their thoughts first, so I am always on the listening side. After absorbing their ideas, I will selectively choose what to share. I try to conceal my attitudes first and think of what I should talk about. And that is also what I want other people to feel of me! If you have read my first blog (A Good Combination of Introvert and Extrovert), you will know I used to be a very expressive person in high school, but I grew into a more understated and rational communicator by the influence of my college life. I am glad that this test lets me know that other people perceive me this way, but this amazed me the most 🔽

!!!!

When I saw this, I was screaming inside. Only a few inner-circle friends can see me in this way. People who just meet me always think I am a social person, but actually I have a very introverted side. I am impressed that this test can pinpoint it.

Furthermore, Power personalities speak the language of CONFIDENCE. So even though Sally Hogshead frames it as “people naturally respect you,” I think it is more about people’s willingness to trust and follow your lead because you have a clear and strong goal. On the one hand, I am happy to see others think I can lead and not afraid to give out my opinions. On the other hand, I am wondering, is it possible that sometimes I am being too direct, or almost in a commanding way? See, it is actually nice to do some tests from time to time, so you can have the opportunity to reflect on your behavior.

Both of them sound true to me in certain contexts, but here are some thoughts I have that might refine the test:

1. As a foreigner, which English isn’t my first language, I think the structure of the sentence and the selection of the word could be more straightforward. Clarifying the questions can reduce confusion and accordingly increase accuracy. Yes, there is an option for international users to switch languages. However, the translation is ambiguous, and I would rather do the test in English.
2. The Likert Scale only has four options from Not Me to Totally Me, but I feel like I am in the “in-between situation” for many questions. It would be nice to have at least five options, to add on an “in-between” one to indicate my attitude better. By doing so, it will also increase the accuracy of the result.

Harness the natural fascinations

I am glad that I can understand (or sort of understand) how other people perceive me through this test. It actually makes my life easier this way. When I know what my natural fascinations are, I can use them and amplify them and make my personal brand more attractive.

First, I will continue keeping the good advantages of Mystique and Power:

• Stay a mindful listener
• Think more before talking
• Have clear and definite goals
• Delivery effective recommendations

Then, besides leveraging Mystique and Power talents, I also plan to work on my creativity, to add more flavors to my story. Interesting content can keep captivating audiences and make my story more memorable. Nevertheless, I have to admit that cultivating creativity is a challenging thing, which needs time and effort. So far, I guess what I can do is force myself to think outside the box, learn other brilliant ideas as references to stimulate my own idea, and always stay curious.

I strongly recommend you guys take the test, but please remember, it is just a test; it doesn’t mean this is how exactly other people perceive you. It doesn’t represent the whole, fascinating, and lovely YOU! Only you know yourself the best, and the test is just a tool to help you along the way.

Thank you for reading (: