# Are NT's socially intelligent?



## ninjahitsawall (Feb 1, 2013)

Inspired by the Autism Spectrum test poll here. Sometimes NT's are stereotyped as lacking in social and/or emotional intelligence. I took the "Mind in the Eyes" test in a course in college called "Hormones and Behavior" when we were talking about autism as an "extreme male brain" condition. I overanalyzed it too much and did really badly (like in autism range). When I've taken it since then I get above average. 

I have read up on this a bit: While below average scores are a tendency in people on the autism spectrum (and teens below at least 16 or so, because this is designed for adults) above-average scores are associated with number of years of education.

https://www.questionwritertracker.com/quiz/61/Z4MK3TKB.html

Note: There are some flaws in this test, and it may have been revised again since the version on this site (I don't know), this is the one that seems to be all over the internet, though.


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## Murkury (Oct 10, 2011)

Unknown: 32/36 

Interested to see the results of different types


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## MisterPerfect (Nov 20, 2015)

ninjahitsawall said:


> Inspired by the Autism Spectrum test poll here. Sometimes NT's are stereotyped as lacking in social and/or emotional intelligence. I took the "Mind in the Eyes" test in a course in college called "Hormones and Behavior" when we were talking about autism as an "extreme male brain" condition. I overanalyzed it too much and did really badly (like in autism range). When I've taken it since then I get above average.
> 
> I have read up on this a bit: While below average scores are a tendency in people on the autism spectrum (and teens below at least 16 or so, because this is designed for adults) above-average scores are associated with number of years of education.
> 
> ...


I am a sociol Chameleon and learned how to climb the sociol ladder, how to munipulate people, how to read people, how to shift my personality and behavior to fit certien situations and people, how to make sad people feel better, and how to anylyze various personalities. Since I am often speaking in higher speach patterns using bigger words I often have to dumb down my speech to appease my audience. Even when my speach patterns are more limited then what I thinking to begin with. I was always told "No you are bad" as a child so instead of learning auctual sociol skills I studied human behavior and shifted my behavior and approach according to situation and person. I am more sympathetic of the mentally ill than most people are or ever would be. I learned not to get kicked out of places all you got to do is befreind the boss. I have done that before in order to stay in places since I knew I could not make freinds with the general population which standards I could not figure out. 

What would you call that? I cant tell if that makes me bad or good.I have come to realize something though. While I can be the head making the rules and keeping the peace I despise being the head person in charge. I would rather following another more compitent leader and support them in thier goals. Sociolizing is not normal for me, climbing the sociol ladder is not either, I have a very controlling orderly personality and I like keeping things together but generally I dont like bieng the boss. Even though its clear I make a very good one. Id rather have a boss calling the shots who said "Here is the task, complete it, this is your time period, you are free to work as you wish but finish it as said". The only time I feel the need to take over is when someone is clearly less compitent or not giving me respect but I start breaking down mentally when I am the one controlling everything.


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## Grandalf (Jun 7, 2014)

Do not fall for the stereotype. NTs (even INTs) can be just as if not more socially intelligent than their S and F counterparts.


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## dani mckay (Nov 28, 2015)

I couldn't help but pick the last one on the poll. Especially the "this is dumb" part. I spent a good portion of the test just thinking that it was odd to be able to tell emotions through eyes alone. I mean, I guess it makes sense... but it's just one of those things I guess I'll always find a bit strange.

Anyway
I got a 27/36. Kind of surprised by my level of success.


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## Another Lost Cause (Oct 6, 2015)

28/36


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## MisterPerfect (Nov 20, 2015)

dani mckay said:


> I couldn't help but pick the last one on the poll. Especially the "this is dumb" part. I spent a good portion of the test just thinking that it was odd to be able to tell emotions through eyes alone. I mean, I guess it makes sense... but it's just one of those things I guess I'll always find a bit strange.
> 
> Anyway
> I got a 27/36. Kind of surprised by my level of success.


I dont get why people say its written on your eyes. Eyes can convey some hints as to what a person is feeling like stress, fear, sadness but I dont think you can detect stuff like Love, truth, lust. With Cats this is a different story. With cats thier pupils enlarge, shrink, dielate, and change shape everytime they have a different emotion. Its very easy to tell what a cat is feeling from eyes alone but people are not so clear.


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## peter pettishrooms (Apr 20, 2015)

I'm not very good at reading people, but I can be very social even around people I've just met. If I automatically feel that we have a connection, just a small trait we have in common will do, then I have the potential to not stop talking. 

Manipulating people is easy if I know them well. However, I see no use for it for I see it to be dishonest and I hate lying just to get what I want. I have way too much integrity for that. If I want something from someone, I automatically just confront them about it, even if I know that my chances of obtaining what I want/need are slim. I have a high respect for people's boundaries.


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## Spiren (May 12, 2016)

I took this before and got 22/36.

Facial expressions can be difficult for me to read, I usually consider what is being said too.

As for the thread question: It depends on the NT, I'd think ENTJs (with the tertiary Se) and ENTPs (with the tertiary Fe) would score better being extroverts. It would also depend upon exposure and experience, of course.


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## katemess (Oct 21, 2015)

Entp 32.


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## Marshy (Apr 10, 2016)

Well got a 20/embarassing , I just turned 20 so I guess its fitting.


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## Wolf (Mar 20, 2016)

26/36 intj


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## ninjahitsawall (Feb 1, 2013)

MisterPerfect said:


> I dont get why people say its written on your eyes. Eyes can convey some hints as to what a person is feeling like stress, fear, sadness but I dont think you can detect stuff like Love, truth, lust. With Cats this is a different story. With cats thier pupils enlarge, shrink, dielate, and change shape everytime they have a different emotion. Its very easy to tell what a cat is feeling from eyes alone but people are not so clear.


Humans' pupils do the same thing. They're just not as obvious as cats'. 

https://www.rt.com/news/174180-love-sex-eye-movement/

Eckhard Hess, Biopsychologist, Expert On Eye Pupil Reflexes - tribunedigital-chicagotribune

There is quite a bit of research on lying, but that is more about facial expressions as a whole. The show "Lie To Me" was based on that type of work.


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## MisterPerfect (Nov 20, 2015)

ninjahitsawall said:


> Humans' pupils do the same thing. They're just not as obvious as cats'.
> 
> https://www.rt.com/news/174180-love-sex-eye-movement/
> 
> ...


Auctully lies can be detected better in language since not all people changed expression when lying and some people who naturually get nervous will always seem like they are lying. Since nervous people tend to have a lot of the same twitches and behavior as a lying person.


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## Grandalf (Jun 7, 2014)

25/36 

The score range for the poll is too broad. Should have been broken up into groups of 4.


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## Katalyst (Mar 28, 2015)

33 out of 36, INTJ.


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## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

move over nfs, 31, intp


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## west0rn (Mar 21, 2016)

Entj 29


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## CatMoon (Mar 21, 2016)

28 INTJ. I'm surprised I did that well.


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## Parrot (Feb 22, 2015)

Holy shit, 32/36.


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## HAL (May 10, 2014)

INTP 33/36

I think I'm actually very good at reading someone's mood and/or facial expressions. Even in text messaging I tend to notice very subtle differences in the way a person is presenting themselves. Given my tendency to keep my own real emotions under lock and key, this ability of mine often surprises people.


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## ninjahitsawall (Feb 1, 2013)

HAL said:


> INTP 33/36
> 
> I think I'm actually very good at reading someone's mood and/or facial expressions. Even in text messaging I tend to notice very subtle differences in the way a person is presenting themselves. Given my tendency to keep my own real emotions under lock and key, this ability of mine often surprises people.


Same. I think you are seen as emotionally intelligent when you are emotionally expressive and if you express yourself more "logically", you're assumed to be "book smart" and lacking "street smarts" :dry:


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## Aladdin Sane (May 10, 2016)

INTJ 33. 

I'm very good at reading people's emotions and reactions. I always know what people are thinking tbh.


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## EMWUZX (Oct 2, 2014)

34/36

One that I missed was a real puzzler, but I feel like I would've gotten the other if I would've thought about it a bit more; both were young women. I used a mix of process of elimination, photo/movie stereotypes and actual emotion. I'm thinking the test was a bit too easy due to the lack of a time limit, but I didn't spend more than 10-15 seconds on each photo in any case.

Edit: I would also like to note that I do read people for fun a lot of the time. It is kind of funny how thinkers are just assumed to be unemotional heaps, absolutely incapable of reading people. In reality, people display in patterns, just like nearly everything else. If you can read the patterns, you can read the people.


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## Alrweesm (Apr 12, 2013)

I remember scoring high in that test. However, i think i only developed this intelligence when i was under extreme stress for a good while ( around 2 years ) which made me more introverted, observant and more of a feeling type !! 

I was very annoyed and frustrated cuz i couldn't project my true self in social and work meetings ( ENTJ 3w2 ).

But it turned out that this extreme stress was one of the best events of my life, I learned a lot, and could see more behind the faces and situations. Many opened up and i was able to see patterns more clearly.


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## The Proof (Aug 5, 2009)

26 out of 36

Keanu Reeves, Claudia Schiffer, you'd think they'd update the pictures already...


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## MisterPerfect (Nov 20, 2015)

Is there a distiction between Sociolly intelligent vs Emotionally intelligent? Since I believe I would fit the first and not the second one. I understand sociolizing and situations, I not very good at emotional awareness. I think generally ENFP are emotionally intelligent but sociolly can be pretty stupid. Not that they all are sociolly stupid. 

Like Empathy vs Sympathy 

Empathy-You are sad, and that makes me sad and I know how to make you feel better 

vs 

Sympathy-I understand why that is upsetting, I do not share your misery, I will attempt to make you feel better by what I know works for most people.


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## ninjahitsawall (Feb 1, 2013)

MisterPerfect said:


> Is there a distiction between Sociolly intelligent vs Emotionally intelligent? Since I believe I would fit the first and not the second one. I understand sociolizing and situations, I not very good at emotional awareness. I think generally ENFP are emotionally intelligent but sociolly can be pretty stupid. Not that they all are sociolly stupid.
> 
> Like Empathy vs Sympathy
> 
> ...


I think they are different but probably very closely connected. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_intelligence



> M Babu defines social intelligence as "the ability to deal efficiently and thoughtfully, keeping one’s own identity, employing apposite social inputs with a wider understanding of social environment; considering empathetic co-operation as a base of social acquaintance."
> More recently, popular science writer Daniel Goleman has drawn on social neuroscience research to propose that social intelligence is made up of social awareness (including empathy, attunement, empathic accuracy, and social cognition) and social facility (including synchrony, self-presentation, influence, and concern).


INT*'s might have an easier time recognizing someone's emotions than knowing what to do about it or how to address it (in a non-cerebral way).

There's also emotional empathy and cognitive empathy. INTJ's are likely better at the latter. 
Emotional Empathy and Cognitive Empathy | Blog – Teleos Leadership Institute


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## MisterPerfect (Nov 20, 2015)

ninjahitsawall said:


> I think they are different but probably very closely connected.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_intelligence
> 
> ...


I did not realize there had been a distiguish made.


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## SimplyRivers (Sep 5, 2015)

INTP-28

I'm not great socializer, but I think I can usually see what they are thinking.


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## ninjahitsawall (Feb 1, 2013)

MisterPerfect said:


> I did not realize there had been a distiguish made.


In types of empathy? 

I didn't really realize either until I saw this video, then I looked it up. 






I was like "oh yeah that's me, I can understand, but actually caring and feeling for them is a whole other thing"


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## Static Void (May 28, 2016)

I got 22. That seems really low but I don't feel the score accurately reflects my social acumen.

Just the other day I went outside and a fellow human being was passing by. It looked in my direction and said "Heya". I was perplexed, but fortunately I had my smartphone handy so I looked up the word and found out it is an informal greeting. I was thus able to respond in kind to the human while it was still in earshot. I'd say I'm pretty good socially.


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## Clyme (Jul 17, 2014)

25/36

It seems as though I frequently confused "interested" for "affectionate" or something to that extent.


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## voron (Jan 19, 2015)

21/36

I didn't know some of the words since I'm ESL but I think I would have a score around 22-24.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

I was cruising right along about 6 in when I realized I just didn't care enough to do 30 more. I don't just use eyes to determine mood. I use the whole person. Interaction, eyes, tone of voice, posture, etc.


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## Miharu (Apr 1, 2015)

I scored *21/36*. 

Huh. Sometimes my answers weren't even in the choices! That was quite frustrating as I had completely different answers to most of the photos.

But I'm not surprised, I'm pretty bad at reading expressions since I don't even really look at people intently when I'm talking to them. I am most likely zoning off or thinking while looking at them, so I'm not really "seeing" them sometimes.


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## starwars (Sep 5, 2014)

35/36 I wonder who did better, introverts or extroverts?


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## AlwaysQuestionLife (Apr 17, 2013)

32/36 - I didn't see that I could enlarge the eyes until like 6 in. I only missed two after that.

I don't know, but this seemed too easy. Real life doesn't come in multiple choice with unlimited time to study the expression. Also, this seemed based on more stereotypical and maybe even culturally biased expressions. I think real-time expressions are a little more complex, especially because there's usually multiple emotions involved.

That being said, I do think I'm usually capable of reading the emotions of people or the temperature of a room. I usually just either don't know what to do about it or don't care enough to let it affect me or what I'm saying.

About the experiment, though, I hypothesize the xNTP's Fe will serve them better in this than the xNTJ's Fi. It'll probably depend more on how much social experience a person has, though, so I don't imagine it's truly a MBTI thing.


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## maybird (Jan 22, 2016)

33/36

This seemed pretty easy. I think I'm good at reading people--their motives and intentions--and my social awkwardness comes with me not giving off the right cues and trying to figure out what message I want to send. I often wish I could be invisible and just watch the conversations of people that interest me so that I don't have to come with a face for them, since the despondent neutral face that comes to me naturally seems to be off-putting to most people. I also find myself wondering while talking to people what my face actually looks like and whether its making the right shapes for what I'm trying to convey.


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## maybird (Jan 22, 2016)

I think the reason we associate this kind of stuff with NFs is just because usually they are emotionally invested in other people and that shows, somehow, in how they converse with others--making them seem much more adept at social interaction. Removing one's own emotion from a conversation makes NTs sound like robots and I think that's what freaks other types out occasionally and earns us the robot trophy.


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## MisterPerfect (Nov 20, 2015)

This test also requires you have a decent vocobulary. I not complaining just being observant. I knew most of these words, but most people would not know what these words meant if you used them in a sentence.


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## Aridela (Mar 14, 2015)

I got 27 and I have high functioning autism.

Well pleased; however, like others said before me I doubt the validity of the test. Eyes can be expressive but some people have poker faces (or can be blind etc). 

The test is made from neurotypical people for neurotypical people. I'd be slightly offended but been too indifferent to.


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## GotLostAgain (May 1, 2016)

*I..I scored a 35...YES! I usually watch people...alot...almost too much.*


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## Catwalk (Aug 12, 2015)

I have taken this test (3)+ times over a span of (2) weeks in different moods // stages (&) locations - [or as long as this thread has been present] - to compare // contrast + eliminate (&) analyze my said accuracy and conclusions.

All my results stay the same at 23/24 - but then again; I am not really one to ''pay attention'' to ones facial expression(s); much. I do not notice these details at all. They do not _register_ + occur to me to think about.

I also suspect some of the expressions [pictures] presented are flawed; for instance - many of them I felt did not match any of the word(s) presented. The test became slightly easier for myself when I started [visualizing] the _entire_ face. I suspect my score would've increased (via) the entire face being _shown_.

_On that cue;
_
What the _hoot_ are they looking at .. (?)


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## MizuPsi (Jan 5, 2014)

Many of these were models, so weren't feeling much of anything. However, the genuine faces threw me. But I went from getting very few right to getting my last 20 correct in a row. There's a pattern to the questions and you can see through to the mind of the test taker. I spent most of the test realising that I have no idea how to read people. My roommate has commented on this often, talking about how I misread so often.


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