The Case For Neuroticism

[@greguevarart]

IMPORTANT UPDATE: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5bGnIGCgMZkpZI

[@duncanclarke]

This is why MBTI will always be more popular among regular people. Big 5 fails to serve the key purpose of personality tests: giving you a vague sense of superiority and uniqueness

[@luamfernandez6031]

I think you can get a certain sense of superiority from being extroverted, open and mildly neurotic, those can make someone pretty attractive.

[@blxckberrypie]

for me, mbti usually gives me a sense of belonging like it shows i'm no diferent than any other person because i can see a lot of people think similarly as me

[@mauve9266]

@@blxckberrypie yeah I think as opposed to uniqueness a big part of the charm of MBTI is exactly the opposite- knowing that you’re not rlly unique and there are people who share the traits you possess. But I suppose it depends on the person whether they’re seeking belonging, uniqueness or maybe a bit both

[@Roescoe]

MBTI is superior until big five has another system like the OCEAN system which is not based on statistical models. "I'm 57% open" is a lot harder to understand than "I'm open," and is it even meaningful? Basically the big five is less strict (and therefore more accurate) and this causes it harder to identify with. If there were more stereotypes it would catch on.

[@iliyashapirov7720]

Didn't expect to see you here. Love your philosophy videos

[@v.vivika]

As someone with extremely high openness and neuroticism, I find that neuroticism allows me to stay in balance, or in superposition, between sanity and insanity. I am too aware of the threats, that believing in whatever my openness throws at me might pose, to act impulsively on those thoughts. Sure, being "aware" of everything and open to everything simultaneously is a grim and chaotic way to live, but it truly does maximize the... hm... human experience. Saying that neuroticism can be useful sounds like a cope; but why not cope, then?

[@v.vivika]

@Brave Mal That's a good point. The superposition is being both sane (whatever that means) and insane simultaneously. That which state is perceived to be "true" at any given moment depends on it being observed, whether by yourself or an external observer. Balance might've been a inaccurate word choice, since the two states don't cancel each other out, but rather they combine to form the state that is being observed at the moment. The tendency to open neurosis-inducing Pandora's boxes is more of a passive than an active thing (at least for me personally.) You don't "take" the idea/thought into your head, it just flows or seeps in. But to be fair, openness and neuroticism do seem to accelerate each other, and I'd describe the process as insanity gaining momentum. "Sanity" is something that becomes insanity when taken too far in any direction. It's a spectrum instead of a binary. So in conclusion, yes, you are correct in that high openness combined with high neuroticism will lead to insanity. But it be like that sometimes. That is why I advocate for coping

[@MissPopuri]

Having that curiosity might actually be a trigger for the neuroticism from the openness, it isn't integrated properly to consciously make the choice to avoid something that might be dangerous. Why do we want to look at something because it strikes our fancy? Some people are curious because it gives them a certain amount of power or control over the situation, thinking perhaps, "I'm perfectly fine, I could never end up like that"; others are curious to gawk at and gossip about because there is nothing else to do in their lives. Consciously, I think I described the same thing in two different ways which makes curiosity the opposite of studiousness.

[@quinndepatten4442]

Coping is dealing with something effectively. You know what? That doesn't sound like a problem to me.

[@Iquey]

I'm like this too. 😬🥲 Gotta live laugh love loiter leer look around corners and linger in loneliness and lollygag and LARP.

[@v0id_d3m0n]

@Brave Mal yeah i feel called out by this lol

[@myleswoods8371]

least neurotic pro neuroticism advocate

[@RachelRichards]

I love this! I'm highly neurotic and tend to spiral down, but when I hit my lowest, I suddenly bounce back up. My guilt and shame get so overwhelming, that I start to fight back against it. I do the dishes, clean my house, make those phone calls that stress me out for no good reason - and then I'm happy! For a bit.

[@Alex-zh3dq]

Haha same! It's made my life pretty strange, I get about 1 week of anxiety-fuelled productivity in where the to-do list gets sorted out. Riding that high, I become hopeful that I can accomplish long-term goals, like regularly studying or going to the gym. That feeling is with me for the next few days before I encounter some mild inconvenience which causes me to fall back into a minimal-effort 8 week "life support" mode. Sometimes I think about whether there is some way to remain in that productive mode for longer, or to snap out of life support mode faster. Or maybe the refactory period exists for a purpose, it could be something necessary for recovery after an intense week.

[@v0id_d3m0n]

I'm relating so hard rn

[@tcrijwanachoudhury]

Same here, its exhausting

[@ezzb]

Is precisely for living in this exhausting cicle of functioning for a while and then everything goes to shit again, that I feel like I'm unfitting for life. Like I don't have the proper setup people need to function and go through life. If that makes any sense. It amazes me like other people just live and do things, and I struggle with the most basic rotine. What a fucked up brain

[@tylercummings5490]

That's my life as well

[@v4603]

jokes aside tho, i hope you’re doing well greg - or rather, i hope things improve for you. you have very directly and sincerely made an impact on my life via your content, which might sound dramatic. but i’ve been dealing with extreme levels of neuroticism - health anxiety to the extent that i am too afraid to even leave my room, eat, etc etc. and i stopped living my life in a very real sense, for years now. this isn’t even some strange parasocial plea for validation; diving into your content genuinely filled me with a determination to experience life, be creative, explore, and push myself, in a way that i had buried for so long. your content left me feeling super frustrated - but in a productive way. frustrated that I’m not doing the things that i admire in you and your content, when i want to do them so much and i could, if only i weren’t so scared. your stuff inspires me endlessly. and it’s been one of the things propelling me to finally move forward and hopefully break out of this hell and become who i truly am again, instead of this frightened shell of a being. so uh, anyway, funny wall go brr ((thank u for doing what u do))

[@v4603]

the mortifying(ly cringe) ordeal of being known

[@v4603]

and in relation to the idea of living with neuroticism - this is essentially the treatment for neurosis related issues. reassurance and avoidance are both temporary coping mechanisms, but sitting and letting those thoughts come and go is ultimately the only true way to overcome these issues, which is incredibly uncomfortable, given that sitting with them may also lead to fixation, which leads to all kinds of other problems. so you have to really train yourself to just let the thoughts come, acknowledge them, and wait for them to pass, without fixating, rushing for reassurance, or avoiding.

[@chickenmonger123]

@@v4603 Careful exposure is the only known cure to phobias or anxieties. However what you mention is finding the drive to endure treatment.

[@v4603]

@@chickenmonger123 exposure is the action, but the mental process is enduring the anxious thoughts as described above

[@BlisaBLisa]

@@v4603 yea its like, forcefully carving out new neural pathways because the more often you take a path the deeper embedded it becomes and the easier it is for your brain to jump to it, which works against you with anxious thoughts but works with you if you carve out a new path and force your brain to take that instead, with the more times it takes it the deeper it gets and the easier it is to do. sorry if this sounds weird lol idk how to explain it. i deal w anxious thoughts and have some ocd tendancies and its gotten better over time from doing this often, it gets easier.

[@chickenmonger123]

Yes. Neuroticism is a sensitivity to negative feedback. You might be able to rationalize it like you suggest. It is the reaction to this feedback that causes much of the issue. However… If you get a splinter, is the answer to rationalize and contextualize the fact? Sort of. If you want to prevent mental trauma from the pain, a therapy perspective can aid that sure. However it still exists, and still leaves it’s mark when it’s removed. Getting better at navigating the action of getting splinters constantly, removing the barb, and salving the wound seems harder than integrating the pain afterwords however. In my estimation that is the place of self care. Of keeping yourself healthy. You can’t rationalize that completely. You have to actually do it. I think you are right. That Neuroticism isn’t a total disadvantage. It aids in the ways you say. Plus you tend to empathize to an absurd degree. Which aids in bonding. You tend to know what to do for a given circumstance. Have thought of issues before they manifest wholly. It aides in creative work, because you have a wide spectrum of understanding to draw on. You tend to be unique and raw. It still doesn’t correlate with traditional metrics of success. It’s a lot of extra work to be ok. However correlation is not causation. Perhaps it is that those who are highly neurotic don’t generally prioritize those forms of success, rather than merely failing at them. Perhaps there is a way to satisfy a purpose or role for yourself and those you love that other forms of success don’t. Or in ways that are difficult to measure. That’s my bet personally. My neuroticism leads me to write overly detailed and serious YT comments. However it’s made me a better writer. I’d like to think taking this effort also makes YT comments seem a little more sane. And encourages similar engagement. 🤷‍♂️

[@v.vivika]

good comment, great points!

[@noahve]

I agree, great comment.

[@angrycat4489]

I appreciate you.

[@zumoss]

i love you

[@MissPopuri]

I took a Big 5 Personality Test, and it actually said I was very low in Neuroticism myself at 9%. Maybe it had something to do with Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience being relatively even on the high end in terms of whether I could be Liberal or Conservative, my understanding seems to be based on how curious I am to go look into the bushes if I hear the rustling.

[@mzLaoQ]

True, neuroticism is good because it helps us notice problems, but when you aren't willing or able to solve them it's better to just be ignorant.

[@lordbunbury]

Or capable. Being neurotic also stems from being more in touch with existential problems instead of societal problems. If you’re less neurotic and more capable of focusing on societal hurdles you can do well in society. You’ll still get sick and die, but you will be able to ignore that part more easily, so you will be more successful in society.

[@Danaredlp]

Greg is how hitler would've turned out if he got accepted into art school.

[@Hxllysis]

Very, very disturbing...

[@copiumforthepeople]

this made me laugh way too hard

[@yeontanseyebrows5588]

Jesus😀 That’s one way to,, idk if that’s a compliment, describe a person. I mean to be fair, they are both great public speakers

[@Danaredlp]

@@yeontanseyebrows5588 its just a joke my neighbour

[@elvenbae]

I think its the 'stache.. 😂

[@bubbleflix3641]

it's so hard for me to imagine someone with high openness and low neuroticism. It feels like no one could possibly have such a deep and rich experience of the world if they weren't also in fucking pain all the time. I think that's why I'm in love with my neuroticism. I mean it's like any other part of your personality, it makes you you, you'd be a different person without it. I'm terrified of losing it. I want to hold it near and dear to me. It's the way I've seen the world for so long and I'd rather do anything else than let go. I have episodes where I'm so far away from the depression that it feels like I'll never get it back again, and nothing could make me more terrified, more broken. It's fucked up.

[@friedrice4015]

I feel that. I think a lot of my neuroticism comes from being very bullied as a child, because it’s made me someone who feels very socially on edge. But that the same time, I think those experiences made me a much kinder, more understanding person. Feeling those lows, including that fear, is kinda what enables me to feel everything else.

[@bubbleflix3641]

@@friedrice4015 yeah can definitely relate. I don't know how I could have deep empathy if i didn't know deep pain

[@oblivion_2852]

I have super high openness and low neuroticism. I think I used to be high in neuroticism with boughts of anxiety induced insomnia but at a certain point I just stopped caring as much. Idk what happened to my brain but yeah I'm pretty sure I'm way less neurotic than my peers

[@tcrijwanachoudhury]

True. Opening your mind to the world means embracing what is unknown to you. It makes sense that those who are more open invite more chaos into their lives? Maybe those with low openness are like that because the world feels much more secure when they have a small set a beliefs to help explain it. Thus leading to low neuroticism.

[@JonnyRocketfingers7]

The metaphor of seeing your anxiety or neuroticism as a pet who is misbehaving because of perceived threats rather than an actual threat is actually really good. Thanks for that!

[@benbyler9807]

i’m going to start citing this video in my therapy sessions

[@YehudiNimol]

I'm very high in neuroticism (pretty sure it's my highest attribute in the Big 5) and I very much agree with a lot of your notions. Neuroticism allows you to see problems that other people often miss. A lot of times something will happen and I'll be like "hello? Does nobody see the far-reaching implications of this?" It does place a burden on you though, and gives you more responsibility than most people. That's why I think neurotic (or socially aware) people have the responsibility to call out the problems they see in society. It might just solve major issues before they even start, or before it's too late and they're unsalvageable. One example of this is climate change activism

[@michaelbruh6157]

I do hope there is an answer to high neuroticism. It feels intuitively wrong that there's no good way to 'use' high neuroticism in your life without falling into all stress infuced mental and health problems and maybe letting it in your house would be the first step to tame it, even if it trashes your house for the first few days. At least you don't have to cry at night in fear of it breaking in.

[@uraniumbolt7594]

great comment

[@Primatenate88]

I have generalized anxiety and manageably low neuroticism but it used to be WAY worse. The biggest 3 things that help me cope are 1) Fasting. (short periods) Your body and mind are connected, so when you go hungry, you'll feel like you're dying or going to pass out or in a foul mood for no justifiable reason. Once you start eating regularly again, your body and mind relax in sync. 2) Workout, but specifically hit a punching bag every day. Your body and mind will synchronize and your subconscious will slowly change into a warrior mentality (you might even find yourself eagerly anticipating a fight) 3) Psychedelics (not for everyone, DO YOUR RESEARCH) Our minds are a tool, and if we begin to marvel at its true potential, it becomes easier to release the compartments of our mind that don't matter/self-sabotage

[@ratty81]

this is actually such a helpful video for me. and its kind of a parrot of what my therapist has said to me as well, though just.. different words. i do think youre right. self acceptance is one of the most important things someone can do. beyond any stereotypical message seen in every teen netflix original. like. real acceptance. i got diagnosed with ocd recently and i think one of the best pieces of advice i got was that the true way to beat the rumination on whether or not im "moral" is to learn to be okay with the possibility that i might not be moral, after all. i might be making mistakes but thats okay because im just some guy. i guess the message about running from neuroticism is what resonated with me because that really is what OCD is all about. at least it is in my case. man. a lot of this is also paralleling stuff ive been told about my ptsd. threat detection is there for a reason, regardless of how "based in reality" it seems to others. and any time ive tried to suppress that detection its made me easily 10x more neurotic. its good to feel what you do and its worth listening to yourself, just as you said. listening to yourself doesnt mean agreeing with yourself. just identifying the when and the why. im also rambling but thanks for your thoughts man. i really do think youre right in what you said, unhinged rambling or not. and i think its important to hear.

[@MrDanMaster]

I identify as an ethical immoralist

[@animal_4826]

based in reality? more like cringe in reality ahaha

[@notoast4u]

thanks for sharing :>

[@angrycat4489]

Thank you for writing this comment. It’s helped me feel less alone, especially that I also have OCD and I know exactly what you’re talking about. I agree with your input, it’s similar to my recent conclusions, too.

[@Ppxl88]

neuroticism can motivate you to have more accomplishments though. If you're worried about uncertainty or the future, you work harder. Not that it will make you any happier in the long run

[@KA-pe6sv]

“I haven’t been having a great time this last entire life” same 😭 😂

[@v4603]

i waited a year for a therapy appointment and finally got it today but i’ll let them know next time that jreg says i’m all good

[@v4603]

i’m not joking btw i have such severe health anxiety that i haven’t left the house in years and it sucks, finally getting CBT to hopefully finally curb the stress behaviours

[@cipreste]

@@v4603 not rooting for it to fail but you're probably better off with the other type of CBT

[@v4603]

@@cipreste my comment got autoblocked but i concur

[@v4603]

the audio quality in this video made me 97% more neurotic

[@alexilic3401]

This feels like running into an old classmate that runs a shady delivery service. Love ya grog, never change.

[@evrypixelcounts]

5:30 here me out. OCD is a notable exception, you don't want to listen to the thoughts, because it worsens the symptoms. Engaging with intrusive thoughts turns them into obsessions, which then hijacks your mind, and results in compulsions. The more you give into compulsions, the worse the obsession, it's a spiral. A person's neuroticism very well may be the result of undiagnosed OCD, or some other anxiety disorder. It's better to seek professional insight IMO. They will teach healthy techniques to deal with the thoughts. If you're suffering seek help.

[@nicolasreyes2190]

The running is withdrawal, which is one of the two components of neuroticism. Withdrawal is the tendency to shy away from doing things that make you anxious. Volatility is the other component and it's the tendency to have rapid changes in mood and stress levels, something like that. I wonder if Greg is very high in withdrawal or high in both. I'm 25 and I'm still high in withdrawal but much less than before, changes can be made but it takes a lot of strategizing and then executing. And execution involves failing and then re-strategizing applying what you have learned on those failures. It takes time and effort

[@temporaryname8905]

For me the problem is when I alert the tribe and they ignore me then I scream and they don't understand because they didn't see the bushes rustling. Like when somebody says something that can be taken the wrong way I "choose" to take it the wrong way which isn't fair to them - but sometimes it's clear they meant it the wrong way and so I'm screaming about it and people just don't understand.

[@_hofgodi]

I mean, my issue with my neuroticism is that it and my rational brain don't seem to agree on shit. Like, I've felt like I'm dying for over a year now, and even though my exams say there's nothing with me and rationally it makes no sense to think so, I still do feel like that. I feel it in my bones that something is deeply wrong and that I will die soon.

[@zumoss]

god i feel exactly the same

[@joaogarcia6170]

Do something about it, even if it's wrong, as long as you're not hurting your health, the feeling of doing something about it reduces anxiety to the degree you believe your actions have positive consequences.

[@v0id_d3m0n]

@@communist754 "best"

[@kshjalle2265]

Psychoanalysis my dudes

[@kaleidojess]

Neuroticism is probably one of the reasons I'm able to get into hobbies the way I do so I do like it. It's like a big lion that you gotta tame but once you do it's like a cat 🐈

[@Chocola181]

Can you explain what do you mean by that? like how does it enable you get into hobbies? How is it useful in that regard basically

[@MrSwac31]

my understanding of BIG5 vs Mbti is that they don't use the same definition of personality. For Big 5 personality is a sum of behavioral tendencies. What and how you do things. I easy to measure because it's focused on objective actions and traits. For Mbti (really Jung's typology) personality is about priorities/values/motivation. It's like the introverted cousin of Big 5 and is almost impossible to measure (MBTI being well regarded as a poor test, low consistency). I find that both have their place, like Big5 is a sword and MBTI a shield.

[@Ppxl88]

Id like to think of this way. Mbti is an abstraction of your mental tools, and big 5 is how they manifest. Mbti is like saying you use a hammer, and big 5 is like saying you build tables

[@bleffew99]

Tbf high neuroticism with high conscientiousness is unironically goated for modern society. At least most successful academics / professionals have this combo

[@LazarNaskov]

And high neuroticism with low conscientiousness is very problematic for any real productivity, speaking for a friend of course....

[@menendez6218]

My conscientiousness is 0, I don't know how to live

[@LazarNaskov]

@@menendez6218 I got 22, so basically I'm the best at life stuff

[@menendez6218]

correction* I took the wrong test... It's actually around at 65 out of 120

[@eddiepollau4577]

One of my favorite lyrics comes from “Vacation,” a Still Woozy song that goes, “The peace of mind to render slowly was dulling my sense of time & urgency.” In context, I think it means that Sven, the artist, takes for granted that he’ll have a lot of time to think about & reify his art. But he doesn’t. None of us are guaranteed that. When it comes to art, I think about that line a lot, about how neuroticism is often interpreted/experienced as motivation & can push you to achieve your goals before you die, someone does it before you, etc.

[@Wonderingax]

I agree, most people should care more about everything. I hate this trend of "not caring=cool", we should care for our own collective good. Its the easy way out to not care, its a cowards "solution" and also a lazy "solution", its not a solution tho :/ The morally righteous care, the wicked dont

[@v0id_d3m0n]

Caring is cringe. I don't mean this in a negative way; i mean that people who care about things tend to seem cringy. You risk rejection. It's vulnerable and scary. There are stakes. I understand why one would prefer not to care, though passionate people tend to be pretty awesome.

[@johncasey9544]

the morally righteous are usually assholes

[@zo.yeahhh]

I have tamed my OCD a bit and it helped me get good grades the past semesters instead of just forcing me to take 5 hour long showers. Although I have developed pretty bad academic anxiety too, maybe wild animals really shouldn't be kept as pets.

[@MrLordFireDragon]

Reminder: Myers-Briggs has no basis in science, and no basis in reality. Big 5, at least, has been shown to be consistent across your lifetime and something you can test for. It almost certainly doesn't mean what you think it does, but it is a reasonable, descriptive classification system.

[@soapy9142]

the brightness of this video makes me feel like i just died and greg is talking to me in heaven

[@MrSwac31]

I have this funny idea of a typology based on how attitude toward neuroticism using the "Threee wise monkeys" as categories. You have the majority of the population who is just the "blind monkey": nothing to see here, everything's good let's keep sleeping. You have the centrist/failthfull who is the "deaf monkey", ignoring any negative information and regurgitating the positive filter of the status quo (refuses to reconsider the framework). And then the resigned, ie the "mute monkey", they saw (data) and heard (understanding) but refuse to speak (act). When a problem with someone occurs this type will ghost rather than confront the other party. When an organisation does this they remove the existence of the implicated party (stalin's photos) and will never respond to a direct question on the subject. After those you have the "unwise monkeys": "the compulsive gazer", "the insatiable listener" and the "howling" monkeys. All of them expressing high neuroticism. The gazer: keeps finding new tigers and forgets about them 5 minutes later to run after a new one. The listener is a skizo archetype, retreading information over and over and hyper-fixated on finding new interpretations, implications, etc. (typical Illuminati/repitilian video) in known information/data. Finally, the howler is the High disagreeable + High extraversion + Low conscientious, someone like Alex Jones. With such a theory we could put neuroticism at the center of the Big5, as the function that drives and lead to Hegel's Dialectic.

[@MoonSafariFilms]

The Four Humors Theory is the best personality trait system.

[@tcrijwanachoudhury]

Melancholic, choleric, sanguine etc?

[@lxTxl]

This is one of the most insightful videos I ever watched. The way you put it. So fitting. Thank you very much.

[@jacobb8397]

Man Greg, it's crazy how you did the clown politician thing just as I was about to do something very similar and then release this vid when I am drowning in negativity and trying to turn it into a positive. Sometimes I feel like you hyperatune to people's insecurities and turn it into skits while in reality you are just as complex as the rest of us. Glad to know It's not all an act and there is a real human behind there. It's relatable because there is no cure and I am sorry to disappoint you, but you keeping it real and not giving people false hope DOES make it better!

[@MissPopuri]

The highly neurotic people I've seen talk about high neuroticism seem to have quite a bit in common with the Melancholic temperament in Humor Theory. One of the most prime examples of a Melancholic person is Jacques from As You Like It, his famous soliloquy was quoted in a Rush song called Limelight with the lines "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women are merely players." Some very perfectionist tendencies can come from being hyper aware of filling your head with things and worrying what you are going to do with such knowledge. I generally didn't care about perfection or being on top. My ability in school just put me there without much effort.

[@godzillaeyes]

Timely. I think this is exactly what I've been trying to internalize lately. I've spent so long trying to fight that part of me, only being able to drown it out but not kill it. It's time to befriend it, and accept that it loves me and is trying to protect me. I like the OCEAN model too. I get vastly different answers every time I take MBTI, but I'm basically stable at about O70% C25% E10% A80% N34524398750348698135%

[@brycejohansen7114]

I think as long as: A) You treat the neurotic responses as only "potential" threats rather than "actual" threats first and B) know the limits of your brain being able to 4d chess around reality then it will be okay. Also getting feedback from a friend or a loved one is also another way to help you ground yourself.

[@evedotcom]

I took the test when I was 27 and was super high in openness and neuroticism, and super low in conscientiousness 🤪🤙 I remember Peterson saying that neuroticism tended to lower with age, and conscientiousness increased which gave me hope. Now in my early 30s I’m considerably different. I’d say I’m nearing the moderate window for both now. Understanding this framework probably made a difference, informing how I worked on things. But I am a Gemini so probably an exception to the rule. Will probably be eaten by a bear any day now

[@arspsychologia4401]

If you develop your neuroticism through careful research it is definitely a good thing. It is very self destructive to be improperly adapted to your environment, to assume safety where danger is.

[@LiquidDemocracyNH]

100% this should be on the first channel to get more views

[@LiquidDemocracyNH]

Yeah that's right I liked my own comment deal with it

[@vvhitepriest]

It seems like sensitivity to danger can be very rewarding when you listen to the things that make you feel insecure. When I look in the mirror I see 1000 things I could be improving so the real world doesn’t crush me. (maybe that’s high openness and high neuroticism?) At the same time neuroticism by itself can be a mechanism to stabilize and conserve the default mode network - sort of like how ssris make people “functioning members of society” - as opposed to the psych/schizo state which opens the floodgates of possibility. Curious if ssris block openness in some way because we hear from bipolar artists how these drugs sterilize their creativity. edit: they also extremely dampen the classic effects of psychedelics

[@MsOkayAwesome]

This is great. It REALLY sounds like you're talking about connecting with your unconscious in a serious and meaningful way. I'd recommend reading "Inner Work" by Robert A Johnson (It's not very long!) but I know from your main channel that you don't read books (haha) so instead I'll recommend checking out the "Eternalised" KZbin channel which covers these resources/topics. Specifically the "Active Imagination: Confrontation with the Unconscious" and "Owning Your Own Shadow: The Dark Side of the Psyche" videos. Or not. I'm not like, the police or anything. Just if you're interested. All the best, love your content. Always interesting and thought-provoking.

[@gotchathespider7850]

0:33 You should try looking into OPS, it's like advanced MBTI and doesn't suffer from this same issue imo, it's also much more in-depth and I think explains why people behave the way they do much better than MBTI does.

[@henryayanna9401]

Hell yeah OPS representation!

[@johannpetersen1727]

Thats sooo relatable. Recently I’ve been learning how to look at it head on instead of fleeing from it

[@Thesteadfast]

I was searching to see if anyone else had similar ideas to me on positives for high neuroticism. Besides threat detection I think when well utilized high neuroticism can be good for helping and empathizing with others. I've also found leaning into it and seeing what the alarm is saying before trying to turn it off is key! Relatable and helpful.

[@quinndepatten4442]

I do appreciate the video. I have always had problems with neuroticism being framed as a bad thing. Whether it contributes to achieving a specific result or not is fine, but to assume the results I should want to achieve is not. If something I am doesnt create the results I want and I define myself as "wanting to create results." How could it be something that I want? I wouldn't want it because it doesnt create results. It's a paradox.

[@marcelomagofke1743]

Absolutely same my guy. Glad I have fresh material for my therapist to tell me everything that's wrong with me feeding into our horse blinders about the ACTUAL problem. Unrelatable but also I feel you Mayor of Ottawa.

[@LinuZZz040]

This was a great video and something i think more people would need to hear and understand. Run towards what you fear and you shall find success in what you do.

[@rawbrwoarry6407]

I MISSED YOU SO MUCH OMG I USED TO GO BACK ON KZbin JUST TO CHECK IF YOURE BACK OR NOT SO GLAD YOURE STILL ALIVE MAN

[@adam677]

despite the not-fully-fleshed-out similes, i loved this video. thanks for sharing jreg, keep doing what you do

[@Naranylla]

I really resonated with when you were talking about how some of us tend to run away from the negative or threatening thoughts we have, having neurotic personalities. I was diagnosed with BPD, and so my emotions are very intense. I think this causes me and others with bpd to avoid the negative thoughts, and not deal with them in a healthy manner, causing us to suffer. I would like to get to a point where my neuroticism is useful, and I think I will eventually because therapy has been helping a lot. :)

[@athqna7]

You always give me such good insight to problems though I recognize I have, I treat them with the same mindset of "God why can't my brain shut up for 5 seconds" I don't think any part of a personality it should be considered negative or positive or treated like stats in a videogame as I feel putting such labels on basic pillars of ourselves just gives us an excuse to point fingers to a part of our personality and be like "ha! Its your fault I'm like this!" Even though you know its all of you, not just just that specific part you "need" to purge. Also in my opinion neurotic people make excellent artists so I'm already convinced that its low-key goated

[@MsOkayAwesome]

So interesting to hear you just chat about something like this. Cool to hear a take in favour of what is admittedly, not everyone's favourite trait lol

[@carolynr570]

Everyone should experience life as I do

[@WmJared]

i reckoned the Dune Spacing Guild Navigators were always some of the most neurotic bunch who just figured out how to harness the "what if all the bad things" til they actually found a smol bit of safe spacetime at the crossroads of how to deal

[@-haclong2366]

Neuroticism itself was quite useful in the pre-abudance pre-safety world, but we got rid of basically everything that made it useful keeping only the disadvantages.

[@ffffffffffffffff5840]

There are more metaphorical tigers in metaphorical bushes than we may ever know

[@frrrnixx9012]

Whats up canadian overlord

[@flossdeakin3756]

Bitch!! Yeah! I remember having an entire realisation thing and explaining it to my friend and she was like..? you're telling me you've realised its okay to be yourself? that's the big realisation?

[@SilentShiba]

I feel you on the jet engine thing. So much of what you said is perfectly resonant, i have no choice but to cannel the neurotic tendency, but i can choose the path of the river, not the flow

[@ahem8013]

accepting, integrating, and finally loving the shadow. you have to actually face it though to start the process.

[@saranohmusic57]

I liked the wolf/dog metaphor. J(G)reg I love your art. You never have to apologize for sharing your feelings. You weren't "histrionic".

[@soakupthenoise]

have you ever looked into the enneagram personality types? what you just described is basically type 6 and 7. an attempt to run from the neuroticism.

[@namlem_]

Broke: Big 5 Woke: Magic the Gathering color pie

[@hannahrial2820]

I really like how deeply you contemplate :3

[@lliw4934]

I love your psychology related videos

[@kaleidojess]

Myers Briggs is not that simple. There are plenty of ways the personality types can be toxic or just plain losers but it helps to know what our type is to build on it and improve ourselves. That's how I see it. It's just an indication of where we are in our personality. For instance Hitler was apparently an INFJ. That's not exactly rainbows and butterflies, he's an example of how bad a type can get and what directions in life someone of that type could possibly go, but there are many factors to consider. Anywhoo just saying 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@lil_astrid_adderal]

Only JrEg can win a mayoral election and then release this

[@PinkPulpito]

Its just the DLC to emotions

[@Alorand]

I used to work in Quality Control and Quality Assurance. My high neuroticism was actually helpful in letting me spot possible problems.

[@echotrapta]

i think that everyone needs to be extremely neurotic actually!

[@Amber24426]

This is great and you should totally make more videos on this channel :)

[@bravovince3070]

Fear is pathological, regardless if its about real or imagined threats. SImilarly, a conspiracy theorist will be wrong even if the content of his conspiracies is right, its about form.

[@G.r.e.g.g.l.e.s]

ADHD: I'm VERY high openness, VERY low conscientiousness, Very (but less) high neuroticism. Fun stuff.

[@timthompson6025]

The part about running from your fears was kinda odd cause I legit had that same thought when I read a book about Lucid Dreaming and what happens when you turn around in a nightmare to face the monster chasing you. In most cases you will be able to talk to the monster and it will become your friend, making you into a guy with a monster as an ally >:)

[@yaman9463]

Well that's what the theory says though, all the traits are useful, they wouldn't exist otherwise. But in terms of being happy, high extroversion and low neuroticism are superior.

[@igorschuck7488]

courage is not the absence of fear it is acting in spite of it

[@v.s.4166]

Ever played "adventures with anxiety"? Ya know, that short visual story about a person and a metaphorical manifestation of their worries

[@tsg_frank]

If we take Big 5 as like, assets in a videogame, than neuroticism is like that seemingly useless ability with very little benefit, but that if you were dedicated and thoughtful enough, could use to play the game in a radically different manner. Does that make sense? Not sure. But what i know is that I keep forgetting to pay attention at this channel, and now look what's happening.

[@sqilluy]

nice one .jpeg, you really showed those non-neurotic people who's boss!

[@sinity8068]

Neuroticism is not quite "threat detection", in safety sense. It's more like "threat of failure to reach desired state - detection". It's kinda opposite of Extraversion, which is reward sensitivity - detection of progress. So neurotic introvert is kinda hellish position to be in. From 'Cybernetic Big Five Theory' paper: > Whereas Extraversion is most obviously related to the beginning of the cybernetic cycle, Neuroticism is most obviously related to its end, goal comparison, when the current state is compared to the desired state. This comparison process leads either to a match, indicating goal attainment, or a mismatch, indicating that the goal is not yet attained. > One possibility in the case of mismatch is simply to attempt a different strategy (or even the same strategy again) to continue movement toward the goal. However, **mismatch may mean that a serious problem exists, or even that one is in danger, because the failure to predict an outcome may indicate that the present situation is not sufficiently well understood to be confident in its safety.** > One innate response to mismatch, therefore, is the activation of defensive systems. **Neuroticism, describing individual differences in the tendency to experience negative emotions-anxiety, depression, irritability, anger, shame, etc.-appears to reflect individual differences in the sensitivity and reactivity of those defensive systems.** From the cybernetic perspective, **punishments are any stimuli that signal definite inability to attain a goal, whereas threats, or cues of punishment, signal a decrease in the probability of attaining a goal.** > Punishments cover a wide range of complexity, from stimuli as basic as undesired pain, to social or romantic rejection, to loss of a chess match, failure to achieve promotion, or invalidation of a cherished belief. A punishment is often simultaneously a threat- either a threat of immediate further punishment or, if it represents the thwarting of a subgoal, a threat of inability to reach the superordinate goal. Threats inherently increase uncertainty regarding the completion of a goal. > In the cybernetic framework, uncertainty can be described in terms of psychological entropy. It reflects uncertainty regarding the system’s capacity to move toward its goals. Psychological entropy reflects the number of plausible options or affordances available to the individual for interpretation and for action, at any given time. In other words, **the harder it is to answer the questions, ‘‘What is happening?’’ and ‘‘What should I do?’’ the higher the level of psychological entropy.** > CB5T specifies that **Neuroticism is a function of the parameters that determine whether any increase in psychological entropy triggers a defensive response. People high in Neuroticism tend to experience negative emotion in response to frequent perceptions that they are not in the state they would like to be in.** > At the initial stage of goal activation, high Neuroticism should be associated with activation of avoidance goals, or repulsors. Whereas approach goals, or attractors, involve reducing the discrepancy between the current state and the desired state, avoidance goals involve increasing or maintaining the discrepancy between the current state and some undesired state. The problem with avoidance goals is that they do not inherently specify a concurrent approach goal that could guide behavior-that is, knowing what one wants to avoid does not specify exactly what to do instead. > Approach goals must subsequently be specified, therefore (potentially as subgoals within avoidance strategies), following activation of an avoidance goal. Clearly, then, Neuroticism should also be associated with individual differences in action selection, and it is also likely to interrupt or slow actions as they are carried out and to influence the way that the world is interpreted. People high in Neuroticism show biases toward negative information during processes of categorization and memory.

[@imnotaclownanymore2337]

I'm pretty into personality type and stuff and have watched videos about mbti ect ect (including zodiacs, i know it's fake but still funny af), and this is the most relatable thing ever, from how you describe it, to how you kind of squeeze the air in frustration, to calling the video a "massive cope"...I will do the exact same thing lol. Anyways cool video I feel seen.

[@DarinSane]

You got it, now you just need to start running from the running! :’)

[@davidbean6973]

I think when it comes to public health emergencies like the height of the pandemic, neuroticism is a benefit - I’d rather have people who are cautious and avoid spreading disease than risk-takers who actively flout all the restrictions and say there’s nothing to worry about.

[@nirgunawish]

please do video on Objective Personality variance of mbti

[@maxim_ml]

I do find that the biggest problem is me running away from my bad inner experience, not the experience itself

[@dannyboi_663]

Way too relatable, is this a threat?

[@Alex-zh3dq]

I'm low extraversion, high neuroticism, close to mid everything else. I find that my neuroticism CAN be useful at pointing at potential 21st century tigers (street hustlers, pyramid schemes, phishing emails). But these are threats where the response is obvious: avoid. Deliberating anxiety ahead of a social event, or, God forbid, date? OK, the fuck is it proposing for me to do? Not go? I used to be a Peterson fan (cringe, I know) and believed in his idea of the hero's journey: personal growth lies through the forest where the trees are thickest, and so on. Anxiety being the compass, meaning, if something made me really anxious, it must be worthwhile. It's a really shit compass. Going down that road has caused me days without sleep, nervous breakdowns, it's made me hurt other people. Perhaps there is a way to transform a vague feeling of unease into something actionable, but I did not find it.

[@zumoss]

i just cant stand my paranohia i cant I FUCKING CANT

[@torin8871]

I too run from things Mr Greg its quite cool

[@tantilist1449]

That mustache looking kinda suspect

[@krait6819]

I kind of wish you were a normal person but I like your moustache :D

[@covereye5731]

I used to believe this, but one of my depressed friends said their thoughts were never on their side.

[@phart325]

unironically, this made me a better person, thanky ou greg guebara!

[@furg]

The dog analogy is wonderful Also wow, unironic jreg just kinda sounds like me

[@milkmanswife93696]

all the best greg

[@gondolaFGC]

I'm gonna go check those bushes by myself :)

[@bravovince3070]

Evolution is a regressive process, thats why neuroticism prevales. It is self-defence, but the most noble being that can exist (the child king) would not have to defend itself against anything. We are aiming to create a form of life that cannot fathom the concepts of threat, disease and defence. Of course, copious amounts of neurotics living a lesser life will have to suffer for humanity to get there, but once the ubermensch arrives their suffering will be affirmed and given meaning.