“What blood-type are you?”
You’re bound to be asked this question at some point when living in Japan.
Although not scientifically proven, many Japanese people believe that blood types indicate certain personality traits. Some people go as far as not dating a person because of their blood-type.
If you’re not too informed about this whole blood-type culture, let me give you a quick break down.
There are 4 main blood types — A, B, AB, and O–each having their own distinct traits.
Blood Type A means you’re a perfectionist, somebody who cares about the small details.
Blood Type B means you’re carefree, an “I do what I want, in my way” type of person.
Blood Type AB people are usually known for being unique, or having two sides to them.
Blood Type O is known for being that one chill person in the room, who just goes with the flow.
Many sites online go into much more detail about each blood type, going as far as what blood types are compatible, what their romantic preferences are, and even how they deal with emotions, such as anger. When people compare a blood-type and somebody’s personality, many say that it’s pretty accurate, and this leads to Japanese people further believing this myth.
But on the other hand, there are countless cases where some traits aren’t accurate, depending on the person.
Then why do people care so much about blood-types?
To be honest, nobody really understands why either. It’s not scientifically proven, so there should really be no reason for us to believe any of this. There are some studies on this popular belief but there is no clear answer. Perhaps people want to group themselves into a certain category, longing for a sense of identity. Or maybe by identifying other people’s blood types, it makes you feel like you understand them better as a person.
Who really knows… it could be a mixture of both! In places such as America, the Myer’s-Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI) has become so popular that some people write it in their online dating profiles. Many others also believe in astrological signs as well. What we can get out of all this is that people all over the world are constantly trying to identify themselves, regardless of the method!
Personally, I believe but don’t believe the whole blood-type thing.
(Wow, that was probably the most hypocritical sentence I’ve said all year.)
By that, I mean that I believe this for fun, but I understand that having a certain blood type does not truly reflect a person’s identity. I believe everyone has their own quirks and differences, and having a label doesn’t have to mean you’re a certain way. I’m an A, but I’m most definitely not what you would call a perfectionist.
(If I were one, I wouldn’t need an editor to pretty much rewrite this entire article for me.) But there are some moments where I do relate to some of the traits that A’s are said to have.
Rather than taking this seriously, let’s all enjoy reading up on our blood-types!
Just between you and me, I’ve once looked up the blood-type of the person I utterly despised and boy, was it fun taking time to read countless of paragraphs about their weaknesses.
What blood-type are you? Do you believe in this popular belief of blood-types and personalities? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for more posts!
By Eiko
Student at ICU and summer intern at TalentHub.
?Read more TalentHub blogs: https://talenthub.jp/blog/?lang=en
