What "weird" habits do INTJs have?

[HousesOfApollo]

The purpose of this thread is to try and establish what weird habits we may or may not share. First, I will describe a few behavioral quirks of my own, and then perhaps others will share stories about their own habits. Afterwards, I hope, a conversation will occur.

Here are a few of my own weird habits: ▪ Sequential consumption of multi-course meals. Say if I were to order a meal consisting of steamed carrots, mashed potatoes and meatloaf, the first thing I would do would be to determine the logical order of consumption. Then I would concentrate on one course at a time. Usually, this is done in order of hardest to softest. I can't stand watching others eat by arbitrarily "nibbling" on different foods. [This stems from another habit I have: the inability to make arbitrary decisions. There must be a clear-cut rational reason for me to do something or else I'm just dumbfounded. For example, I can't pick a favorite color; I see all colors as equal, and do not choose sides.]

▪ Taking larger chunks of food and then slicing them into perfect cubes. Oddly-shaped food is not appealing. Intermixed food is not appealing either; when I was a young child I would only eat off of divider plates because I couldn't tolerate the random intermingling of different foods. If a pea were to roll over into the carrots' territory, I would scream.

▪ Walking from place-to-place by way of the most direct route possible. Say, for example, I'm in a department store--which I absolutely loathe--and I need to get to a specific department. I won't walk down the main pathways to reach my destination. Instead, I'll cut through other departments. Whenever I am being followed by someone his or her consternation is obvious. "Why are you cutting through Lingerie?" is the typical response; more often than not, though, you can save an awful lot of time by cutting through Lingerie. Whenever I'm walking or riding a mountain bike I'll visualize my own mental maps and determine the most efficient routes (I'd probably do this if I drove a car, too). If I am in an unfamiliar location, I will consult a map. Sometimes I get the impression that I'm viewing myself from above.

• Fast shopping. It seems to me that the average person spends far too much time in retail centers, especially when you consider the fact that most of the time they should only purchase what they need. When I go through a store I walk down the main aisles and move my eyes back and forth. By doing this, I look down every minor aisle and determine the items that are on the shelves, and make split-second decisions based purely upon necessity. "Do I need this?" is the only criterion I apply, as I have little need for commerce beyond the purchase of necessary goods and services. The people I see while I look down the aisles seem to be in slow motion; like grazing animals. I am a predator; I know what I want and how to get it. I hunt down Q-tips and toilet paper as if they were wild gazelle. [Optional question: do you see people moving in slow motion sometimes?]
Now, I'm sure I'm pretty much alone in having these habits since I'm horrendously bored most of the time. Everyone else seems to think that I'm crazy and obsessive for acting as weirdly as I do, but they don't understand how much I enjoy over-analyzing the mundane aspects of everyday life. Even brushing my teeth involves an ordered process. There are probably a few hundred more habits that I could mention; however, they're probably unconscious. These all add up, however, and I am generally seen as a neurotic person. People often mistake my habitual nature for empty ritual--they do not understand that I put a lot of effort into determining the most effective way of doing something. Were I to reject these methods, I would be choosing to do something in an inefficient way.

Enough about my own weirdness, though. What habits do you guys have?

[And yes, I did search for threads with the word "habit" in them, and found nothing. If I am repeating the themes of a similar thread, I apologize. Also, I have posted this thread in General Psychology because Behavior is one of the accepted topics.]

[And I also know about the "mundane systems" thread. That is one search term I neglected to enter. I'm used to writing blogs and journals--this forum thing is a little alien to me since I've never found one that I actually liked.]

[searcher]

I have a very rigid morning system. Everything has to be the same every morning as what I planned the night before or I freak. A couple of days ago I had made my timetable and set my alarm clock so that I would have time to pack my books for moving. I woke up five minutes late because we'd had a power cut and someone had set my clock wrong. Needless to say, I paniced and ended up skipping breakfast to get my timetable back up to date.

I also wake up at three every morning and check that my alarm clock is actually set. I don't know how I do this but it happens every day.

[HousesOfApollo]

I have a very rigid morning system. Everything has to be the same every morning as what I planned the night before or I freak. A couple of days ago I had made my timetable and set my alarm clock so that I would have time to pack my books for moving. I woke up five minutes late because we'd had a power cut and someone had set my clock wrong. Needless to say, I paniced and ended up skipping breakfast to get my timetable back up to date.

I also wake up at three every morning and check that my alarm clock is actually set. I don't know how I do this but it happens every day.

I'm sort of the same way, except I tend to value the sequence itself. For example, I must drink my coffee first, then eat. If I eat before drinking the coffee I get upset stomach. Then in the evening it's the opposite; I must eat first, then drink my coffee. Whenever this gets interrupted, I am very upset.

I ought to get on a schedule, though. Even if that does mean I get less sleep.

[nemo]

I study as well as work in a mathematics department, so I'm engulfed in INTx types all day.

One thing I've been meaning to ask you guys:

Of the two people I know who've tested INTJ (yay for free MBTI in the career center), one thing they share that definitely sets them apart from INTPs is that they have compulsions towards mysticism and... well I can't explain it; I was going to say "studying their own consciousness". One of them, for example, is very into transcendental meditation. The other is *obsessed* with Jung's concept of active imagination (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.).

Is this typical of you guys too? Is it an Ni thing, or just a coincidence?

[Rowan]

Sequential consumption of multi-course meals. Say if I were to order a meal consisting of steamed carrots, mashed potatoes and meatloaf, the first thing I would do would be to determine the logical order of consumption. Then I would concentrate on one course at a time. Usually, this is done in order of hardest to softest. I can't stand watching others eat by arbitrarily "nibbling" on different foods.

I do this, but instead of hardest to softest, which makes no sense, I order consumption by taste; from worst to best. That way I eat the best foods at the end and acquire the most pleasant aftertaste. The problem with this is that when people see me saving something for last they assume I dislike it and, in the future, will give me less or none of that particular food.

Walking from place-to-place by way of the most direct route possible. Say, for example, I'm in a department store--which I absolutely loathe--and I need to get to a specific department. I won't walk down the main pathways to reach my destination. Instead, I'll cut through other departments.

Again, ditto.

Fast shopping. It seems to me that the average person spends far too much time in retail centers, especially when you consider the fact that most of the time they should only purchase what they need.

I differ here; I prefer to systematically browse even if it takes me an excessive amount of time. It annoys me to have to leave a store before I am finished. However, I prefer to avoid this entirely and buy online.

Enough about my own weirdness, though. What habits do you guys have?

Too many to list; I’ll just give one more. I habitually collect things to the extent that, if I buy something that belongs to a collection (like one book in a folio society set or a single DVD from a trilogy of films) it seriously bugs me if I don’t purchase the other parts of the collection.

I think most people have these kinds of habit quirks in some form, although perhaps it is more pronounced with INTJs.

[HousesOfApollo]

I study as well as work in a mathematics department, so I'm engulfed in INTx types all day.

One thing I've been meaning to ask you guys:

Of the two people I know who've tested INTJ (yay for free MBTI in the career center), one thing they share that definitely sets them apart from INTPs is that they have compulsions towards mysticism and... well I can't explain it; I was going to say "studying their own consciousness". One of them, for example, is very into transcendental meditation. The other is *obsessed* with Jung's concept of active imagination (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.).

Is this typical of you guys too? Is it an Ni thing, or just a coincidence?

I've had compulsions towards mysticism, and I sometimes still do. I attribute it to just over-thinking about life in general. This seems to be the driving force behind every writing project of mine.

I do this, but instead of hardest to softest, which makes no sense, I order consumption by taste; from worst to best. That way I eat the best foods at the end and acquire the most pleasant aftertaste. The problem with this is that when people see me saving something for last they assume I dislike it and, in the future, will give me less or none of that particular food.

...

Too many to list; I’ll just give one more. I habitually collect things to the extent that, if I buy something that belongs to a collection (like one book in a folio society set or a single DVD from a trilogy of films) it seriously bugs me if I don’t purchase the other parts of the collection.

I think most people have these kinds of habit quirks in some form, although perhaps it is more pronounced with INTJs.

Hardest to softest is what I do with grisly food. If there's a bunch of soft food moving over the teeth it can sweep away some of the gristle from the teeth. If I eat the harder foods last, there's more food left in your teeth. At least this is what I've discovered. So there is sense to it, even if it's not sense you agree with. [Why am I arguing this?]

Most of the time, if I have a lot of food, I'll eat the most expensive foods first and then eat the cheaper foods. So that if for some reason I cannot eat the entire meal, at least I would have eaten a higher dollar's worth of food. So if it's shrimp and rice, I'll eat the shrimp first because shrimp has a higher value per pound. It is an adaptive strategy that I use. Not all multi-course meals are the same; therefore, it is not wise to expect any one strategy to work in all cases.

[Rowan]

Hardest to softest is what I do with grisly food. If there's a bunch of soft food moving over the teeth it can sweep away some of the gristle from the teeth. If you harder foods last, there's more left in your teeth. At least that's what I've discovered.

That makes sense. However, when I finish one type of food I always wash it down with whatever drink is at hand and thereby dispose of any annoying gristle – I also avoid gristly food. What is more, yes, it appears we have both entered a whole new level of insanity and are debating the best order of multi-course meal food consumption.

Most of the time, if I have a lot of food, I'll eat the most expensive foods first and then eat the cheaper foods.

I’m more concerned about maximising my overall enjoyment than minimising my wastefulness; once you have purchased the meal the money is gone, you may as well be pragmatic and aim to get the most out of the meal regardless of how much is wasted.

Not all multi-course meals are the same; therefore, it is not wise to expect any one strategy to work in all cases.

True.

[HousesOfApollo]

That makes sense. However, when I finish one type of food I always wash it down with whatever drink is at hand and thereby dispose of any annoying gristle – I also avoid gristly food. What is more, yes, it appears we have both entered a whole new level of insanity and are debating the best order of multi-course meal food consumption.

Drinks are fantastic; especially hot ones. Whenever I'm in an oriental restaurant I invariably order a pot of green tea. Tea has a natural cleansing effect, I've found, and it helps to digest the food. Cold drinks, however, hurt my teeth and often do not feel "clean" to me like hot tea does.

If a suitable drink is available, then the hard-to-soft strategy is not absolutely necessary. Though it doesn't hurt to maximize your gristle-removing potential.

I’m more concerned about maximising my overall enjoyment than minimising my wastefulness; once you have purchased the meal the money is gone, you may as well be pragmatic and aim to get the most out of the meal regardless of how much is wasted.

Ah, but the more expensive foods tend to have more nutrition. Maximizing enjoyment is a meaningless emotion-based appeal; I appreciate nutrition more than anything. Expensive foods like fish and seafood often contain essential fatty acids. Perhaps a more efficient means of ordering your food is on the basis of nutritional content.

One could argue that deriving the maximum amount of nutrition from a meal is getting "the most" out of it. [The next level of absurdity is upon us!]

[Rowan]

Drinks are fantastic; especially hot ones. Whenever I'm in an oriental restaurant I invariably order a pot of green tea. Tea has a natural cleansing effect, I've found, and it helps to digest the food. Cold drinks, however, hurt my teeth and often do not feel "clean" to me like hot tea does.

No argument here.

Ah, but the more expensive foods tend to have more nutrition. Maximizing enjoyment is a meaningless emotion-based appeal; I appreciate nutrition more than anything. Expensive foods like fish and seafood often contain essential fatty acids. Perhaps a more efficient means of ordering your food is on the basis of nutritional content.

You definitely have a good point and I do, indeed, try to eat healthily. However, I do not consider enjoyment meaningless; in my opinion (and I might be wrong) the INTJ type doesn’t forgo enjoyment by prioritising logical efficiency, which I would consider a false dichotomy, but rather attains enjoyment rationally and therefore differently to many other types. Remember logic and efficiency are tools, useful means to more important ends; if you prioritise them above everything else you risk having no ends and living pointlessly.

Though it doesn't hurt to maximize your gristle-removing potential.

I’ll have to think about this and thereby enter yet another level of insanity.

[HousesOfApollo]

You definitely have a good point and I do, indeed, try to eat healthily. However, I do not consider enjoyment meaningless; in my opinion (and I might be wrong) the INTJ type doesn’t forgo enjoyment by prioritising logical efficiency, which I would consider a false dichotomy, but rather attains enjoyment rationally and therefore differently to many other types. Remember logic and efficiency are tools, useful means to more important ends; if you prioritise them above everything else you risk having no ends and living pointlessly.

But if you do derive enjoyment rationally, then wouldn't doing the most rational thing be its own reward? If one is satisfied in knowing that one has derived the maximum nutritional benefit from any given meal, that satisfaction should outweigh pure hedonism. The source of the satisfaction is different.

For example, a few years ago I was on medication for depression. This medication made me feel happier most of the time; however, it dulled my mental awareness. The most rational thing to do, then, was to quit the drugs. Now that I've quit these medications, I experience less pure in-the-moment sensual pleasure, but I also experience those "rational" rewards that INTJs value. So, perhaps it's a question of how much "rational" pleasure you experience.

[Rowan]

But if you do derive enjoyment rationally, then wouldn't doing the most rational thing be its own reward? If one is satisfied in knowing that one has derived the maximum nutritional benefit from any given meal, that satisfaction should outweigh pure hedonism. The source of the satisfaction is different.

We are definitely within the realms of Epicurean hedonism here, which makes more sense to me than Stoicism. I would say that I generally agree with you. However, rationally, I think it is possible to sacrifice a small amount of nutrition to gain something as enjoyable as an incredibly delicious item of food. Otherwise you would end up living like an absurdly fanatical ascetic, which doesn’t appeal to me at all.

So perhaps a balance of the two options is best. Also, I have realised that this whole debate could be said to be ridiculously academic as I usually prefer the flavour of nutritional, expensive foods.

So, perhaps it's a question of how much "rational" pleasure you experience.

I think you’re right.

[Flamethrower]

Here are a few of my own weird habits:▪ Sequential consumption of multi-course meals.

▪ ...Intermixed food is not appealing...
Enough about my own weirdness, though. What habits do you guys have?


Ah well I seem to share these habits to some extent with you and Rowan. In fact exactly as Rowan portrayed I like to eat items in my meals from the thing I like the least to the thing I like the most (ie saving up the most enjoyable foods until last!). People also frequently ask me if I dislike the foods I am saving up too since they don't realise I am waiting to the end to enjoy them.

I also have a thing about mixing food together. For example I really like nuts of all types.... until they are on or in other things! I can't stand nuts on icecream, in cakes etc and peanut butter on toast I think is absolutely disgusting. But I'll eat peanuts on their own until they come out my ears. The same applies to cheese, passionfruit, tomatoes and most things with bread added to them (hence I hate sandwiches).

I also have to have a glass of water (or some sort of drink) when I eat. But don't like milk on cereal.

I wake up at three every morning and check that my alarm clock is actually set. I don't know how I do this but it happens every day.

I went through a phase of waking up every morning at 3am to turn my alarm clock off! :cool: I don't know how it happens either!

[Zilal]

I also eat the things I dislike first.

I tend to do things on the hour, or at least the half- or quarter- hour... I won't go to bed at 9:48, I'll wait until 10:00. If I miss 10:00, I'll wait until 10:15.

I study as well as work in a mathematics department, so I'm engulfed in INTx types all day.

One thing I've been meaning to ask you guys:

Of the two people I know who've tested INTJ (yay for free MBTI in the career center), one thing they share that definitely sets them apart from INTPs is that they have compulsions towards mysticism and... well I can't explain it; I was going to say "studying their own consciousness". One of them, for example, is very into transcendental meditation. The other is *obsessed* with Jung's concept of active imagination (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.).

Is this typical of you guys too? Is it an Ni thing, or just a coincidence?

I do have "compulsions toward mysticism."

[Haphazard]

Oh lordy, if we're talking about food, where do I start?

Okay... I hate food with a pudding-like consistency. I can't eat it. It's neither entirely solid nor entirely liquid. I won't eat it. This may be from an inherited gag reflex, though, as opposed to anything due to typology. Bananas are on the borderline -- I do like the taste of ripe bananas, but I can usually only eat about 3/4ths of them until I feel the urge to throw up.

If I eat something with a lot of food on my plate at once, I'll try to consume each item at an even rate. It keeps me from getting sick of the taste. I also make sure to keep the bottom of any beverage for the end of the meal to make sure that I can wash the taste out of my mouth. No matter how good the food was, I don't want any taste lingering in my mouth.

I don't mind food touching so much as long as it's not food that 'leaks' -- like tomatoes or pickles, which make whatever they touch taste like themselves. I try to avoid these kinds of food, anyway. If there's sauce, I don't want it touching the food, even the food that it's meant to be on -- especially with ketchup on fries, because if you put ketchup directly on top of fries, there will always be a few fries that don't have adequate space to pick up without getting ketchup all over your fingers, so keeping the ketchup separated and away from the fries is always the cleanest way to do it.

If I get a mixed bowl of something, I'll end up eating everything individually, piece by piece. Also, I eat sandwiches by tearing them apart and eating them one piece at a time. That's why good bread is essential for sandwiches...

And that's all I can think of at the moment, but there's likely more.

[elfece]

Uhm... there's a really weird mania I've had since always, I've never talked about it with anybody so I don't know if it is common at all, and I'll try to bring it down to words: I have a strange need for "equilibrium" when it comes to caressing things :stunned:.

I'll explain it: If I see someone passing his/her hand over anything (specially if it's over a "soft" or "fluffy" velvet-like surface), I experience a strong need of going there and caressing it back on the opposite way, "undoing" the movement. And I feel really uncomfortable if I can't do it... I often see a child passing his/her hand over something going constantly in the same direction... and it really brings out the psycho I have inside ;D

Or sometimes when I do certain thing with one hand, I feel the need to repeat it with the other hand to keep that equilibrium I kinda lost when doing it with the first hand... Sometimes I move something on a table by sliding it, and I have to slide it back to its original position, lift it and move it to the place I wanna move it without touching the table surface.

When I'm not able to restore that equilibrium, it is usually enough to imagine myself doing so. I just have a "feeling" that makes me feel "asymmetrically bad", and a "counter-feeling" that takes me back to equilibrium, and I can vividly imagine both of them...

Also, It only happens with dry things, for example if I have the hands really dry I almost cannot touch anything without feeling uncomfortable, but when I have them wet I don't get any bad feeling at all.


Does anybody relate to that, or am I just plainly crazy?:huh:

Does it even have a name?

[Rowan]

Does anybody relate to that, or am I just plainly crazy?:huh:

Does it even have a name?

I’m not sure if this has a name and I can’t relate to it directly, but I do have an aesthetic need for equilibrium and constantly arrange and rearrange my work and living spaces to satisfy this. Also, I dislike it when someone points out something that is asymmetrical, like an out of place book or a slanted TV remote. I think this is hardwired in everyone; people are naturally attracted to symmetrical faces and bodies because, or so I’ve heard, it is a sign of good health – also examine abstract designs, the way rooms are decorated, cutlery is placed, etc. It is usually symmetrical. Perhaps some people (like you and to a much lesser extent me) just take this normal appreciation of symmetry to an atypical extreme. I would be interested in a more informed take on the matter.

Also, you’re probably not crazy.

[Vicimdhar]

Uhm... there's a really weird mania I've had since always, I've never talked about it with anybody so I don't know if it is common at all, and I'll try to bring it down to words: I have a strange need for "equilibrium" when it comes to caressing things :stunned:.

(...)

Does anybody relate to that, or am I just plainly crazy?:huh:

Does it even have a name?
...

I've never given it much thought, but this sounds very familiar! I don't think I have it with other people though. But yeah, when I stroke something in one direction I also have to stroke it the other way, otherwise it feels 'unbalanced'. With velvet, certainly. When I do such a thing with one hand, I need to do it with the other as well etc. The same thing with fingers of one hand. I think it is less for me than in the past though. I'll try to pay some attention to it.

So, you're probably not just plainly crazy.

[Richard0612]

Uhm... there's a really weird mania I've had since always, I've never talked about it with anybody so I don't know if it is common at all, and I'll try to bring it down to words: I have a strange need for "equilibrium" when it comes to caressing things :stunned:.

I'll explain it: If I see someone passing his/her hand over anything (specially if it's over a "soft" or "fluffy" velvet-like surface), I experience a strong need of going there and caressing it back on the opposite way, "undoing" the movement. And I feel really uncomfortable if I can't do it... I often see a child passing his/her hand over something going constantly in the same direction... and it really brings out the psycho I have inside ;D

Or sometimes when I do certain thing with one hand, I feel the need to repeat it with the other hand to keep that equilibrium I kinda lost when doing it with the first hand... Sometimes I move something on a table by sliding it, and I have to slide it back to its original position, lift it and move it to the place I wanna move it without touching the table surface.

When I'm not able to restore that equilibrium, it is usually enough to imagine myself doing so. I just have a "feeling" that makes me feel "asymmetrically bad", and a "counter-feeling" that takes me back to equilibrium, and I can vividly imagine both of them...

Also, It only happens with dry things, for example if I have the hands really dry I almost cannot touch anything without feeling uncomfortable, but when I have them wet I don't get any bad feeling at all.
?

Almost 100% me! And I thought it was just me with these psycho tendencies. I'm slightly different though:
If I step on a crack in the pavement with one foot, I feel the need to do the same with the other, etc.

[HousesOfApollo]

We are definitely within the realms of Epicurean hedonism here, which makes more sense to me than Stoicism. I would say that I generally agree with you. However, rationally, I think it is possible to sacrifice a small amount of nutrition to gain something as enjoyable as an incredibly delicious item of food. Otherwise you would end up living like an absurdly fanatical ascetic, which doesn’t appeal to me at all.

I decided some time ago that hedonism, of any kind, was a futile endeavor, for every pleasure in life seems to dull with experience. So if I eat food for enjoyment, that enjoyment will eventually fade. All that is left, then, after you've reached the absolute logical conclusion of a life of wanton hedonism, is simply the food as it is. One does not have to live like a fanatical ascetic to be an ascetic--I consider myself to be a moderate ascetic. Perhaps this just stems from my natural aloofness and disconnect from the physical world.

Growing up America, I was surrounded by people who eat too much for pleasure, watch too much TV for pleasure, and entirely overindulge in life. This experience has instilled in me a deep sense of utilitarianism. Though I suppose you're right, if the food is expensive it is probably also nutritious. Unless of course we're talking about expensive deserts, which contain very little nutritious content; if your rampant, hedonistic lifestyle leads you to the enjoyment of deserts, it's only a matter of time before you're completely ruined.

I also have a thing about mixing food together. For example I really like nuts of all types.... until they are on or in other things! I can't stand nuts on icecream, in cakes etc and peanut butter on toast I think is absolutely disgusting. But I'll eat peanuts on their own until they come out my ears. The same applies to cheese, passionfruit, tomatoes and most things with bread added to them (hence I hate sandwiches).

I, too, sometimes have issues with sandwiches, especially when there are slices of tomatoes on the sandwich. Though I usually can overcome my apprehension by reasoning that a good sandwich is more like one, single gestalt; it works as a solid, coherent whole. I visualize it in my mind as a system, and each food is simply a part of that system.

Okay... I hate food with a pudding-like consistency. I can't eat it. It's neither entirely solid nor entirely liquid. I won't eat it. This may be from an inherited gag reflex, though, as opposed to anything due to typology. Bananas are on the borderline -- I do like the taste of ripe bananas, but I can usually only eat about 3/4ths of them until I feel the urge to throw up.

If I eat something with a lot of food on my plate at once, I'll try to consume each item at an even rate. It keeps me from getting sick of the taste. I also make sure to keep the bottom of any beverage for the end of the meal to make sure that I can wash the taste out of my mouth. No matter how good the food was, I don't want any taste lingering in my mouth.

I don't mind food touching so much as long as it's not food that 'leaks' -- like tomatoes or pickles, which make whatever they touch taste like themselves. I try to avoid these kinds of food, anyway. If there's sauce, I don't want it touching the food, even the food that it's meant to be on -- especially with ketchup on fries, because if you put ketchup directly on top of fries, there will always be a few fries that don't have adequate space to pick up without getting ketchup all over your fingers, so keeping the ketchup separated and away from the fries is always the cleanest way to do it.

Leaky food is probably the root cause of my original "food mingling" childhood trauma. I especially hate ketchup when it's squirted on fries--this practice usually just results in soggy fries. The best way to eat fries is with a fork, while dipping them gently into the ketchup, and then rotating 45 degrees. Perhaps chopsticks would work well for fries, if you don't mind being exceeding strange.

I have difficulty eating bananas raw. There's just something too ape-like about it for me. As a human, I desire to separate myself from the "animals," as futile as that endeavor may be. Every time I see a fruit salad I think about monkeys in the zoo, and the indignation is too much. Fruit salad looks like something zoo-keepers would feed their animals. Fruit, therefore, must be processed.

I'll explain it: If I see someone passing his/her hand over anything (specially if it's over a "soft" or "fluffy" velvet-like surface), I experience a strong need of going there and caressing it back on the opposite way, "undoing" the movement. And I feel really uncomfortable if I can't do it... I often see a child passing his/her hand over something going constantly in the same direction... and it really brings out the psycho I have inside

Or sometimes when I do certain thing with one hand, I feel the need to repeat it with the other hand to keep that equilibrium I kinda lost when doing it with the first hand... Sometimes I move something on a table by sliding it, and I have to slide it back to its original position, lift it and move it to the place I wanna move it without touching the table surface.

When I'm not able to restore that equilibrium, it is usually enough to imagine myself doing so. I just have a "feeling" that makes me feel "asymmetrically bad", and a "counter-feeling" that takes me back to equilibrium, and I can vividly imagine both of them...

Also, It only happens with dry things, for example if I have the hands really dry I almost cannot touch anything without feeling uncomfortable, but when I have them wet I don't get any bad feeling at all.


Does anybody relate to that, or am I just plainly crazy?

Does it even have a name?

When I was a child, I was obsessed with symmetry; everything had to be symmetrical. For example, motorcycles with passenger cars are probably the ugliest thing in the world to me. Unless you could balance the bike out with another passenger car on the other side, don't bother.

I also hate it when fuzzy surfaces are disrupted in a hap-hazard fashion.

And no, there is not such thing and "plainly crazy." Crazy defies that adverb. There is a name for this tendency, though: it's called being anal retentive.

I’m not sure if this has a name and I can’t relate to it directly, but I do have an aesthetic need for equilibrium and constantly arrange and rearrange my work and living spaces to satisfy this. Also, I dislike it when someone points out something that is asymmetrical, like an out of place book or a slanted TV remote. I think this is hardwired in everyone; people are naturally attracted to symmetrical faces and bodies because, or so I’ve heard, it is a sign of good health – also examine abstract designs, the way rooms are decorated, cutlery is placed, etc. It is usually symmetrical. Perhaps some people (like you and to a much lesser extent me) just take this normal appreciation of symmetry to an atypical extreme. I would be interested in a more informed take on the matter.

Also, you’re probably not crazy.

One of the obsessions I have is the tilt of the television screen. Sometimes the image will look a little slanted, and then I'll try to correct this, and then another image comes on and that image is now slanted because of the correction I applied to the last image.

Almost 100% me! And I thought it was just me with these psycho tendencies. I'm slightly different though:
If I step on a crack in the pavement with one foot, I feel the need to do the same with the other, etc.

I get the urge to step on each side of the crack an even number of times. For example, if I walk eight steps I must make sure to walk four steps on each side of the divide. Then sometimes there are tiles that are arranged like a chess board, black and white pattern, and if that's the case I have to move my feet in legal chess moves. Usually the easiest way to get around is to pretend my two feet are knights. Sometimes it gets a little awkward when I pretend that they're bishops. [Yes, I know there's an easy way to get over this--but that's too easy for me. I have to be one of the regular pieces most of the time.]

We're a neurotic lot, we NT types. I wouldn't want it any other way, though. I wonder what NT type is the most neurotic, and if we could even find that out.

It's google time.

[Rowan]

I decided some time ago that hedonism, of any kind, was a futile endeavor, for every pleasure in life seems to dull with experience. So if I eat food for enjoyment, that enjoyment will eventually fade. All that is left, then, after you've reached the absolute logical conclusion of a life of wanton hedonism, is simply the food as it is. One does not have to live like a fanatical ascetic to be an ascetic--I consider myself to be a moderate ascetic. Perhaps this just stems from my natural aloofness and disconnect from the physical world.

Growing up America, I was surrounded by people who eat too much for pleasure, watch too much TV for pleasure, and entirely overindulge in life. This experience has instilled in me a deep sense of utilitarianism. Though I suppose you're right, if the food is expensive it is probably also nutritious. Unless of course we're talking about expensive deserts, which contain very little nutritious content; if your rampant, hedonistic lifestyle leads you to the enjoyment of deserts, it's only a matter of time before you're completely ruined.

I wouldn’t describe Epicurean hedonism as rampant; to quote wikipedia:

For Epicurus, the highest pleasure (tranquillity and freedom from fear) was obtained by knowledge, friendship, and living a virtuous and temperate life.

It’s essentially the ‘all things in moderation’ doctrine – only even more severe. Incidentally, the only thing triter than that ‘moderation’ cliché is pointing out that it is self-refuting. Generally, however, Epicurus made a lot of sense; particularly in his historical philosophical context. Pleasure only dulls in excess, but denying short term pleasure (e.g. massive food consumption) for longer term pleasure (a healthy life interspersed with good quality food) is just as rooted in hedonism as sacrificing the long term for the short.

My problem with asceticism is that it seems, particularly at its most extremes, to be rooted in a denial of life; it has that Nietzschean/Kunderaian unbearable lightness of being edge – although I am forced to concede that this is better than fulfilling the self-destructive fat American stereotype. Nonetheless, in my opinion the logical conclusion of any life is an eternity of nothing; so, as the Epicurean Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus said, Carpe Diem.

[geonerd]

My weirdnesses:

1) Food
- I don't like to eat meals that are all one color. Ex: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn.
- I have an aversion to white foods, so most dairy grosses me out.
- I meticulously dissect certain foods when I eat them. Ex: Peanut M&Ms, celery, carrots, or pretty much anything layered.
- I'm not a big food mixer, but I won't get upset if a pea rolls into the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving dinner.
- if eating little things (like M&Ms), i have to eat two on one side, then two on the other, repeat...
- Taste can be irrelevant if the texture of the food is acceptable, which brings me to...

2) Textures
- not a fan of gritty things. They "make my teeth hurt". Sandpaper, chalk, some fabrics, some types of dishes, etc.
- I have to pick all the lint out of my socks before I put them on...I can't stand stuff between my toes. But I will wear flip flops...

3) Miscellany
- I twist my hair obsessively. it kinda pisses me off, but I can't stop.
- I chew the skin around my fingers.
- I shop at night, when there are no people.
- Stuff in the grocery cart is rung up in the following order: boxed/expensive center-of-the-store stuff, meat/eggs, the dairy that I force myself to eat, produce.
- I'm a big fan of symmetry, patterns, "lining things up", etc.
- I also cut thru departments in an effort to follow the most efficient path.
- I wear unmatching clothes on the weekends. Right now I am wearing pink sweatpants, orange sandals with socks, a navy t-shirt, and a turquoise fleece. Did I mention it is 70 degrees outside? I would totally run to 7-11 or Hell-Mart in this outfit (and I certainly wouldn't walk out without my red sunglasses!).

there are many more weirdnesses, but those are a few for your reading enjoyment.





geonerd added to this post, 3 minutes and 31 seconds later...

oh, i have the dry hands (and feet) discomfort/imbalance too. Lotion goes on feet and hands before bed.

[Taberculosis]

I enjoy alphabetizing, categorizing and making lists (about anything) I arrange things by color or size, sometimes both.

I'm like a clock. I always know what time it is. If I go to sleep at night and think, "I need to wake up at 7:00," I can. Usually it's like, 6:58. I don't need an alarm clock but I set an alarm just in case.

Also, it seems that I never EVER stop thinking. Even when I'm sleeping. In a dream I could be getting chased by a vampire and suddenly I'd just start thinking "did I do everything that needed to be done for tomorrow?" So I start going through my classes. "What did we do in history, what about stats, did I get everything done for sociology, are there any upcoming tests or papers due?" It's like there are two people in my head at once. The person being chased and the me thinking about stupid crap. Eventually I realize the stupidity of being chased by a vampire and then usually the dream ends and I change it to another dream. I'll be like... "stupid vampire, I'm gonna dream about money and a yacht... where would I go in that Yacht? South of France, what about Miami? Who would be with me? I know I wouldn't invite Staci. Maybe just so I could stop somehwere and accidently "forget" here there. Well, I might get in trouble so I'd have to make sure no one would know she was with me. Id' have to get everyone to think she was somewhere else so it couldn't get traced back to me.... and IT NEVER STOPS!

lol it's kinda fun to be able to control my dreams like that. Always being in control of everything is probably another INTJ trait....

I love maps. My boyfriend used to work at a gas station and I would sit with him for hours just reading and memorizing the maps and making imaginary routes from place to place. (just in case I ever need to know where something is, I know how to get there because in essence, I've "already done it").

I count when I walk. Usually in 8 counts. (maybe that is because I used to dance and everything was always "5-6-7-8 go 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8") Or sometimes I just count till I eventually forget that I was counting and start over again.

If the toilet paper is on backwards I go insane. I only know my mothers side, but I am the only INTJ out of 14 grandchildren (aka the black sheep) and no one in any household realizes the ..... I can't even think of the word to describe toilet paper backwards. Stupid maybe?

...Not to mention my oral fixation

[eclecticjoker]

Some of this sounds a bit like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I guess if it doesn't effect your enjoyment of life it isn't a disorder, though. So it's just obsessive and compulsive.

I guess one of my only things that I do that can qualify as "weird" is that sometimes I'll do a binary pattern on my leg or something with the fingers of my right hand. It is something my class learned in fifth grade and I always just found it fun. It's an okay way to keep time because if I do one number per second, two times is one minute. Well, sixty-two seconds. (Five digits only goes up to 31 in binary.)

But I do that binary thing really rarely, and it isn't a compulsion, it's just something amusing to do that other people won't necessarily notice that I'm doing.

Maybe I'm just unaware of my tics.

[Alstroemeria]

I don't know how but I've developed a habit for ice chewing (I'm not anemic). My favorite kind of ice is the crescent-shaped kind home refrigerators make; it breaks up nicely. I love snow too. After a snow storm I like to get up early when no one's up yet and eat the really soft snow off the top of mailboxes and stuff.

Whenever I walk, my brain automatically goes "left" whenever I put my left foot down on the ground. I can't stand it if the person next to me is walking arrhythmically; both of us have to have synchronized footing.

[vad1981]

To houseofapollo...this is one of the most hilarious things I have read in a while...although I guess I too have some weird habits.





vad1981 added to this post, 7 minutes and 25 seconds later...

When i was a kid I used to only eat cookies/slices of bread that were #2, 4, 6, 8 from the front of the package, the odd ones had a "negative energy" also I used to not step on any cracks around my house even though I did not think it would "break my mother's back" I thoguht it was something that someone from above was just telling me to do. Also I used to carry what I would now call amulets that were special to me ... a piece of quartz, a roll of copper wire, etc.

My weird habit now: when I get home I must eat...even if I ate just a few minutes before that somewhere else. It's a hard to resist impulse...

[Darkmist]

I must have my coffee and then my tea and then a glass of ice water. Every morning. Before the tea, I am compelled to brush my teeth because though morning breath does not interfere with coffee, it ruins the flavor of tea. The water rids me of the last vestiges of sleep in my body.

I hate gristle and fat and always take great pains to cut off every portion before I cook if possible. If not, I cut it away afterwards. Chewing either ruins a meal for me.

A list, in order, and in and out is my prefered way of shopping. I am the shopping plow and can't stand distruption, such as chatterers stopped in my way in the isle. I weave around them and speed on my way.

Mushy foods are gross. Strawberry shortcake I ended up devising my own recipe for to keep the sogginess factor out. Ick to stuffing/dressing, dessert trifles and gravy on sandiches. And soggy cereal. Ditto for soggy tomato sandwiches. Blech! (and yet I love gravy, with ketchup on my fries, much to the disgust of everyone except my daughter. Go figure.)

At the checkout, I too place everything according to category and get annoyed when the clerk doesn't continue my process. Hello, I did that for a reason! Easier to unpack and put away.

I chew the skin around my fingers, can't stand hang-nails (one of those out of place things) and hate walking barefoot in the house and touching even a trace of spilled salt, sugar, sand or dirt. If I walk barefoot outside none of that bothers me.

I can never cease thinking either, night or day. (I understand the dream waking. I tend to dream and say to myself hey, I've dreamt this before, wake up or this is too freaky, wake up. I can switch my dreams too.)

And I am a walking clock, forever checking my watch.

Double checking is another thing. Was that 4 pm on my watch or 5 pm? Am I sure I have my keys and so on.

Backwards toilet paper screws me up too. I have to correct the malfunction. When I'm bored, I count, whether walking or listening to someone I want to run from.

I chew ice as well and worry that I'll swallow a whole cube and choke to death and then wonder if an ice cube will dissolve from body heat in time to prevent choking to death but ultimately I continue. Sigh.

I copy accents and mannerisms and will call something or someone by many names even though I know the correct one.

Mysticism, I love to dabble in the various aspects of, though personally rather than in those group formats so common nowadays.

[acyckowski]

Staying on the main topics.....

Food. Nope. I eat freestyle. Doesn't really matter. The only exception, possibly, is that I will save my salad for last....but I think that's just simple procrastination about something I don't want to do. As for the hard/soft thing....I dunno, maybe it's a strong carnivorous tendency, but I tend to wolf it too fast for anything to get stuck. Worst case, that's what the toothpicks are for.

Morning ritual. I don't feel upset or disoriented if I don't follow a routine, but I am noticeably more efficient if I establish and stick to a routine way of doing things.

Point A to B. Sometimes I'll cut through, most of the time I'll find the biggest, widest path and go that way. It might be because I have to sacrifice stride length to squeeze through small aisles, clothing racks in particular. However, if I do come up behind the "grazing herd," so to speak, I'll get around them as quickly as possible.

Predatory shopping. Yep, if I'm there, it's all business. I stalk, scan, and keep moving towards my target, only slowing down to scope hot chicks, and even then not much.

Mysticism: I don't know if "compulsion" is the right word, but the way my brain works, a lot of those far-out religions and philosophies are intriguing to study. Same with UFOs, the paranormal, etc.

[Darkmist]

The main topic was, if you refer to the Op, what weird habits do INTJ's have, not which habits coincide with his or hers. Just a clarification. If I wasn't the reference point, dismiss this.

[HousesOfApollo]

I wouldn’t describe Epicurean hedonism as rampant; to quote wikipedia:

I referred to it as "rampant hedonism" only in jest. Because I'm so anhedonic myself it would seem, relatively, that any hedonism would be rampant.

My main point is that we need self-control, and if we do not have self-control we had better live an ascetic lifestyle. It's sort of the same thing as a recovering alcoholic never being able to have a casual glass of wine, lest he start down that slippery slope of alcoholism again. Some people cannot control their own addictions, and for them any indulgence whatsoever could easily be described as "rampant."

The "fat American" stereotype, to me, carries the connotation that we may not, statistically, as a people, be able to control our own addictions. As for myself, I just can't enjoy simple pleasures enough to get addicted; but if you can, I won't hold it against you. Just so long as you're not spiraling out of control in the midst of a wanton snack-fest the likes of which the world has never see. :irked:.



oh, i have the dry hands (and feet) discomfort/imbalance too. Lotion goes on feet and hands before bed.

Had to cut your quote short because of the word number restriction. I too dislike rough things. The only kind of socks that I ever wear are Gold Toes, as the seams do not rub against my toes. Other kinds of socks give me blisters.

I hate having dry hands, and if I forget to apply lotion my skin starts cracking and bleeding.

Also, it seems that I never EVER stop thinking. Even when I'm sleeping. In a dream I could be getting chased by a vampire and suddenly I'd just start thinking "did I do everything that needed to be done for tomorrow?" So I start going through my classes. "What did we do in history, what about stats, did I get everything done for sociology, are there any upcoming tests or papers due?" It's like there are two people in my head at once. The person being chased and the me thinking about stupid crap.

This happens to me, but I never take control of the dream. Usually, I don't even dream. I just wake up in the middle of a train of thought. Sometimes I dream that I'm doing things that I need to do the next day. I never stop thinking, even in the deepest sleep.

I do not remember my dreams very often, and I often wish that I had better recall.

Some of this sounds a bit like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I guess if it doesn't effect your enjoyment of life it isn't a disorder, though. So it's just obsessive and compulsive.

I supposedly have OCD, and the difference between my habits and my obsessions is that my obsessions cannot be changed or modified in light of new information; my habits often do change. Whenever I'm forced to face one of my obsessions, it's not merely uncomfortable for me; it's debilitating. When the compulsions come on full force, there's no stopping them. When I tell others that there some things that I just can't do, they rarely understand.

I don't know how but I've developed a habit for ice chewing (I'm not anemic). My favorite kind of ice is the crescent-shaped kind home refrigerators make; it breaks up nicely. I love snow too. After a snow storm I like to get up early when no one's up yet and eat the really soft snow off the top of mailboxes and stuff.

Whenever I walk, my brain automatically goes "left" whenever I put my left foot down on the ground. I can't stand it if the person next to me is walking arrhythmically; both of us have to have synchronized footing.

I love chewing ice.

Whenever I walk next to someone I must adjust my pace so that we're walking in perfect synch, like we're marching soldiers.

To houseofapollo...this is one of the most hilarious things I have read in a while...although I guess I too have some weird habits.

When i was a kid I used to only eat cookies/slices of bread that were #2, 4, 6, 8 from the front of the package, the odd ones had a "negative energy" also I used to not step on any cracks around my house even though I did not think it would "break my mother's back" I thoguht it was something that someone from above was just telling me to do. Also I used to carry what I would now call amulets that were special to me ... a piece of quartz, a roll of copper wire, etc.

My weird habit now: when I get home I must eat...even if I ate just a few minutes before that somewhere else. It's a hard to resist impulse...

I hated the saying, "don't step on a crack or you'll break your mother's back." Though, I never believed it, as no causal connection could be established between the two events. The only superstition that really sacred me was saying "Bloody Mary" into a mirror three times. If a black cat were to cross my path, I would simply consider the fact that there are probably millions of black cats in the world, and it's not particularly unusual for one to to happen across my path.

I chew the skin around my fingers, can't stand hang-nails (one of those out of place things) and hate walking barefoot in the house and touching even a trace of spilled salt, sugar, sand or dirt. If I walk barefoot outside none of that bothers me.

I can never cease thinking either, night or day. (I understand the dream waking. I tend to dream and say to myself hey, I've dreamt this before, wake up or this is too freaky, wake up. I can switch my dreams too.)

And I am a walking clock, forever checking my watch.

Double checking is another thing. Was that 4 pm on my watch or 5 pm? Am I sure I have my keys and so on.

Backwards toilet paper screws me up too. I have to correct the malfunction. When I'm bored, I count, whether walking or listening to someone I want to run from.

I chew ice as well and worry that I'll swallow a whole cube and choke to death and then wonder if an ice cube will dissolve from body heat in time to prevent choking to death but ultimately I continue. Sigh.

You mentioned thinking about the ice melting before it can choke you; I've had the exact same thought. Once, I had actually got a chunk of ice stuck in my throat--I wasn't choking, but it was very uncomfortable. The ice melted quickly, and I soon felt a lot better.

Mysticism: I don't know if "compulsion" is the right word, but the way my brain works, a lot of those far-out religions and philosophies are intriguing to study. Same with UFOs, the paranormal, etc.

Haha! That's exactly what I do. I have this weird obsession with UFO's and alien abductions. Now, I don't believe in any of that stuff--at least not now--but that doesn't make it any less interesting to me. That which interests me most are those things that reside on the very boundaries of human existence; the weird, the bizarre. One of my favorite hypothetical scenarios is, "what if I saw something truly strange?" I suppose it comes from just being so bored with life all the time.

Weird religions and philosophies are quite interesting, as well.

The main topic was, if you refer to the Op, what weird habits do INTJ's have, not which habits coincide with his or hers. Just a clarification. If I wasn't the reference point, dismiss this.

The main purpose of this thread is to compare our habits so that I might discover an inherent pattern. So far, I've discovered that most habits seem to center around order and sequencing--which is what I suspected all along. Now, each individual quirk usually varies, but the pattern seems to be what one would expect from people who are stuck in "thinking mode" all their lives. In some sense, these habits are like personality side effects.

[notoppings]

House, like the new look by the way. I have several of the same food habits that geonerd does. For me though my worst habit is memorizing numbers I can't go anywhere without seeing numbers and they just stick. The only way I can get them out is to memorize a new one and the cycle continues pretty much until I can get home to a book or movie. I do not have anything displayed in my house that has numbers, (alpha numeric) like digital clocks or calenders. I also can't sleep no matter how tired until I have read something, anything.

[Jane]

I have that too--- just in another way.

Say if someone hi-fived me on my right hand, I need to hit my left hand for it to have the 'same treatment'---else I would feel uncomfortable for the entire day. This obsession goes on in every part of my life---if I close the window using my right hand, I need to close it with my left hand too and when I type, I have to occassionally brush the fingers of my left hand across the keyboard because I type more with my right hand.

Same goes for hot and cold objects.

- When I carry a backpack, I never stop fiddling with the length of the straps to balance the load.

I guess I need that 'balance'.

- I use a lot of ---- long dashes and (brackets). I can't put myself across without them.

- I was into photography (amateur) and during the course of that 6 months, I've had 6 pictures with the same name (Light) as well as "Reach out", "White".

- Also, my hobbies (or what you call them) are really short-lived. I'm 15 this year. When I was 13, I was crazy about philosophy and when I was close to 14, I was into writing plays, I dropped that in my early 14s for poetry. Then I went on to photography (;ast august) which I dropped this feb/march for short stories.

- I wasn't INTJ all along. When I was into philo, I was INTJ, when I was writing plays and poetry, INFJ, photography, INFP/J, transition, INFP, transition, INTP, then back to now, INTJ. These also coincided with my depression and anorexia-- accounts for the crazy changes.





Jane added to this post, 2 minutes and 18 seconds later...

I was speaking in response to this

Uhm... there's a really weird mania I've had since always, I've never talked about it with anybody so I don't know if it is common at all, and I'll try to bring it down to words: I have a strange need for "equilibrium" when it comes to caressing things :stunned:.

I'll explain it: If I see someone passing his/her hand over anything (specially if it's over a "soft" or "fluffy" velvet-like surface), I experience a strong need of going there and caressing it back on the opposite way, "undoing" the movement. And I feel really uncomfortable if I can't do it... I often see a child passing his/her hand over something going constantly in the same direction... and it really brings out the psycho I have inside ;D

Or sometimes when I do certain thing with one hand, I feel the need to repeat it with the other hand to keep that equilibrium I kinda lost when doing it with the first hand... Sometimes I move something on a table by sliding it, and I have to slide it back to its original position, lift it and move it to the place I wanna move it without touching the table surface.

When I'm not able to restore that equilibrium, it is usually enough to imagine myself doing so. I just have a "feeling" that makes me feel "asymmetrically bad", and a "counter-feeling" that takes me back to equilibrium, and I can vividly imagine both of them...

Also, It only happens with dry things, for example if I have the hands really dry I almost cannot touch anything without feeling uncomfortable, but when I have them wet I don't get any bad feeling at all.


Does anybody relate to that, or am I just plainly crazy?:huh:

Does it even have a name?

[acyckowski]

The main topic was, if you refer to the Op, what weird habits do INTJ's have, not which habits coincide with his or hers. Just a clarification. If I wasn't the reference point, dismiss this.

Perhaps I should have said, "recurring topics."

[blue tie]

If I eat something with a lot of food on my plate at once, I'll try to consume each item at an even rate. It keeps me from getting sick of the taste. I also make sure to keep the bottom of any beverage for the end of the meal to make sure that I can wash the taste out of my mouth. No matter how good the food was, I don't want any taste lingering in my mouth.

With regards to food, this is like me. When I'm at a restaurant and I run out of whatever (I'm a bit of a water fiend), I will most likely stop eating. I can't eat much food without having something there to wash it down with, preferably water. Beer or soda usually doesn't count (not a beer drinker). Or I would need water to wash out the soda. I always like to start and end up with a clean palette.

The other one is rate of consumption. I was out with a cousin of mine and I noticed that his plate was arranged in a particular fashion. He caught me staring and was like, "Yeah, you probably think I'm weird. I like to finish half my potatoes and half my vegetables when I finish half my steak. And if there's too much of one, I have to catch up!" I just laughed because that's exactly how I consume food. It's like a rotation. And the last bite, ideally, should still be visiting each of the unique food items.

You people and your one and a time eating... Crazy! ;D

Oh and this wasn't isn't so much a behavior as it is my view on life, but I think it's pretty odd nonetheless. I'm a very "everything in a set is equal and special" kind of guy. Which is why I'm very weary of things like Pokemon (because I'm overwhelmed by the shear volume of elements). Let's say there's a really popular and powerful Pokemon (Mewtwo?) and a really weak one (Goldeen?). I will defend that Goldeen is just as important as Mewtwo, by virtue that they are merely elements in a well defined set.

This clearly doesn't work sometimes because either the sets are poorly defined or the elements themselves have weak stats that make them difficult to cheer for (Bowser in Smash, Goldeen, etc). But whenever I notice that something makes up a clearly defined set, I see the elements doing a little dance in my head and I get all combinatorial and what not... It's to the point where I want to make a website dedicated to listing sets and their attributes.

Earth, fire, wind, water... Yin, yang. Democrats, republicans. North, south, east, west. And so on.

[Kaethus]

Wow, I'm the opposite when it comes to eating. This may gross you out, but at Thanksgiving, I mix everything (turkey, stuffing, green beans, macaroni and cheese) in the same bowl. They are all dinner foods so they go together. But I will not mix cranberry sauce or yams in there. Consequently, I don't eat them at all because they don't go with anything. But that's the only time I mix items. At all other times, I don't bother worrying about anything that touches, because I won't allow any disharmonious foods on my plate.

While at work, I do everything the same way, everytime. If I add up my balance sheet with the second number first (even though since I'm adding all the numbers the order doesn't matter) I throw it out and start over. And I tend to be the first to attack a new shipment of office supplies.

I also talk to myself. I find that I have the answers to all of my questions if i just ask Me. And yes, I am into mysticism. My last google search was on crop circles that correspond to my birthdate. But all the news articles on them were archived and required a Visa/Mastercard to access the data. And since I would not be able to acuratly access their importance, I didn't pay for it.

I can't sleep in socks, unless it's ridiculously cold in the room, at which point I would probably be wearing pants as well.

I have to stack my dinner plates by color and size in the cabinet. I hate when my roommate mixes the big and little forks and spoons together in the tray in the drawer. I also don't like when people use sponges and don't ring out the sponge when they are done. I don't want to touch your wet, dirty crap... :( tsk tsk

I like dots (........) If I could respond to a post with only dots, I would. I've noticed that my 3 dots espress disapproval, while 4 dots mean etc.

I don't like working more than 50 hrs/week because I ALWAYS go home and dream that I'm still there working, only to wake up and go to work. It's horrible.

I think too much, so I've been told (many, many, many, many times).

I don't like editing my posts because I don't want anyone else to know that I know what I did wrong (what if I miss something else?). I would rather delete them entirely, recompose them and then post it.

i would rather type all my posts in the same case, rather than upper and lower.

I'm rather longwinded.

[True Rune]

Very few of these I do, but some indeed, mostly everything not concerning food.

[HousesOfApollo]

House, like the new look by the way. I have several of the same food habits that geonerd does. For me though my worst habit is memorizing numbers I can't go anywhere without seeing numbers and they just stick. The only way I can get them out is to memorize a new one and the cycle continues pretty much until I can get home to a book or movie. I do not have anything displayed in my house that has numbers, (alpha numeric) like digital clocks or calenders. I also can't sleep no matter how tired until I have read something, anything.

I am the same way with words and phrases. This is probably because I spend so much time reading or writing; words are my most natural form of expression. If I were better at remembering numbers, I would probably obsess over them, too.

The new avatar is from Voivod's classic Progressive Metal album The Outer Limits. Somehow it struck me as a more appropriate avatar image than the obscure symbol I had before. I'm very proud of the nerdy stuff I get into.



- When I carry a backpack, I never stop fiddling with the length of the straps to balance the load.

I guess I need that 'balance'.

- I use a lot of ---- long dashes and (brackets). I can't put myself across without them.

- I was into photography (amateur) and during the course of that 6 months, I've had 6 pictures with the same name (Light) as well as "Reach out", "White".

- Also, my hobbies (or what you call them) are really short-lived. I'm 15 this year. When I was 13, I was crazy about philosophy and when I was close to 14, I was into writing plays, I dropped that in my early 14s for poetry. Then I went on to photography (;ast august) which I dropped this feb/march for short stories.

- I wasn't INTJ all along. When I was into philo, I was INTJ, when I was writing plays and poetry, INFJ, photography, INFP/J, transition, INFP, transition, INTP, then back to now, INTJ. These also coincided with my depression and anorexia-- accounts for the crazy changes.

Carrying a backpack in that manner is the most rational way to do it, though. Otherwise you could cause yourself an awful lot of skeletal discomfort. I do this with my CamelBak (brand name) all the time. Also, I hate putting heavy things in one pocket and then having them pull my pants down in one direction or another.

Had I taken the test four years ago, I would probably have scored as an INFJ, simply because I was enduring an awful lot of emotional trauma. I wasn't emotional as the result of any one event--I was miserable simply because I had gone off my medication, literally (I know I talk about this a lot--it's too relevant to these personality-based discussions for me to do otherwise).

Time passed, and I eventually re-formed into who I am today, which is as close to who I think I'm supposed to be as I'll probably ever get. I needed that complete emotional breakdown for my mind to have had the chance take control.


Earth, fire, wind, water... Yin, yang. Democrats, republicans. North, south, east, west. And so on.

Hey, don't make the mistake of seeing Democrats and Republicans as opposites. I tend to see them as opposing elements of one particularly narrow worldview--that of the American political spectrum. They're more like Northeast and Northwest. Watery wind and windy water.

I'm just doing my part to help discredit the false left-right political dichotomy which constricts the thought processes of otherwise rational people. Another pet peeve of mine. Not that I'm trying to start a political argument--I'm off the map politically. I tend to break down political issues as if they were engineering problems and then move on from there.

It drives people crazy, and I am getting off-topic.

Wow, I'm the opposite when it comes to eating. This may gross you out, but at Thanksgiving, I mix everything (turkey, stuffing, green beans, macaroni and cheese) in the same bowl. They are all dinner foods so they go together. But I will not mix cranberry sauce or yams in there. Consequently, I don't eat them at all because they don't go with anything. But that's the only time I mix items. At all other times, I don't bother worrying about anything that touches, because I won't allow any disharmonious foods on my plate.

Oh my God, you animal! That's unspeakable. I shall not speak of it. :yuck:.

I don't like working more than 50 hrs/week because I ALWAYS go home and dream that I'm still there working, only to wake up and go to work. It's horrible.

Haha. Too bad that you aren't getting paid for those hours of dreaming.

I think too much, so I've been told (many, many, many, many times).

It is a sad sign that anti-intellectualism has progress too far when someone can "think too much." Does anyone get chastised for "thinking too little"? No! Because to so is politically incorrect. "You, sir, are thinking too little!" ought to be the legitimate criticism.

I don't like editing my posts because I don't want anyone else to know that I know what I did wrong (what if I miss something else?). I would rather delete them entirely, recompose them and then post it.

Just fill in the "Reason for Editing" field with "Just felt that I needed to say more."

[mkay]

This is an interesting thread. I thought my INTJ husband was just weirdly rigid. Like if the house were on fire, he'd still be trying to eat breakfast before calling the fire department so he could keep to his schedule.

I don't have routines. Outside of work, I basically do whatever I feel like at any given moment. I don't like to make appointments or dates, because I generally don't feel like going when time comes around. I often eat dessert first because I prefer to end a meal on a savory note.

[rvi]

Like if the house were on fire, he'd still be trying to eat breakfast before calling the fire department so he could keep to his schedule.

That's way too funny.

I have a nervous habit of biting my cuticles. It's so unsanitary. It's kind of a contradiction to how I normally live my life. I am not a hypochondriac, but I am acutely aware of germs and the chain of infection, maybe because I have worked in the medical field, and hope to continue in it.

And I hate ice in my drinks.

[capricornintj]

Must have a morning ritual. I am a night owl by nature, so I am completely useless in the morning. Godzilla could be trampling my apartment and I wouldn't notice. I have a set routine that I perform on autopilot: toilet, shower, shave, brush teeth, comb hair, apply deodorant, get dressed. If I get interrupted I will forget a step. I've lost count of the number of times I've managed to get dressed, check myself in the mirror, and then get within a mile of my office to discover that I hadn't shaved, combed my hair, or applied deodorant. At least I always remember to brush my teeth and get dressed. Well, mostly, I frequently forget a belt, or end up with a black sock and a blue one. Left important papers and my laptop behind because they weren't put where they needed to be the night before.

Fast Shopping: Totally onboard with being a predator for clothes & groceries. Get in and get out. Can't stand the crowds and slow people. [minor rant: why do young girls have to walk four across? A two-by-two configuration would be more efficient for conversation, and it would allow us of impatient persuation to get around their slow asses.] The exceptions to this are book stores and hardware stores. I'll take time to explore in both, so much so that I typically have to be dragged out.

Food oddities: when I make a sandwich, I will not use the three slices of bread on either end of the loaf. I will not drink milk, or consume anything else for that matter, that expires within three days. I sort M&Ms by color and eat them in sequence from darkest to lightest, except for reds, which are always eaten last. If I am invited to dinner at someone's home, I cannot watch them prepare the meal--if i catch one glimpse of inappropriate food handling, the entire meal is ruined for me (ignorance is bliss). If I see a roach at a restaurant, I can never go back. Even if it has changed names/brands and owners multiple times since.

Other habits: I have the internal clock thing (wake up at ___am), but it only works when I am not exhausted. I do the binary counting thing on my left hand. People always get offended when I get to #4. :) (That's a joke. If you don't get it, ask a geek). I sleep on my couch and use my bed as a staging area for laundry to be folded, the current week's project, whatever.

[HazMathew]

Staying on the main topics.....

Food. Nope. I eat freestyle. Doesn't really matter. The only exception, possibly, is that I will save my salad for last....but I think that's just simple procrastination about something I don't want to do. As for the hard/soft thing....I dunno, maybe it's a strong carnivorous tendency, but I tend to wolf it too fast for anything to get stuck. Worst case, that's what the toothpicks are for.

Morning ritual. I don't feel upset or disoriented if I don't follow a routine, but I am noticeably more efficient if I establish and stick to a routine way of doing things.

Point A to B. Sometimes I'll cut through, most of the time I'll find the biggest, widest path and go that way. It might be because I have to sacrifice stride length to squeeze through small aisles, clothing racks in particular. However, if I do come up behind the "grazing herd," so to speak, I'll get around them as quickly as possible.

Predatory shopping. Yep, if I'm there, it's all business. I stalk, scan, and keep moving towards my target, only slowing down to scope hot chicks, and even then not much.

Mysticism: I don't know if "compulsion" is the right word, but the way my brain works, a lot of those far-out religions and philosophies are intriguing to study. Same with UFOs, the paranormal, etc.

I'm like the exact same. Sometimes I mix food together if they taste good like corn and mashed potatoes and stuffing and mashed potatoes.

I can't stand slow people aka "grazing herd". If I don't have more pressing matters sometimes I will slow down, take everything in and "smell the roses".

[Fuchikoma]

I dont have schedule-type habits. Not at all. Just the necessary (hygiene, and dressing =P). Every day i make things in different order, eat at different hours, skip breakfast, skip lunch, etc.

I have a waking margin of 1,5 hour (i can wake at any time between 6:00 and 7:30 AM, it doesnt matter). Also, some days i take a nap in the afternoon, sometimes i go to bed at 10:00 PM, sometimes at 3:00 AM, its random.

Concerning eating itself, i can eat anything, as long as it is not complicated to eat, like having to take apart some parts, peeling or things that you have to chew too much, i even dislike having to eat a hot things or drinks. i hate having to eat artichokes, pomegranates or shellfishes). when i need to eat i usually mean RIGHT NOW!.

Aside from that, i tend to *crack my knuckes* about 30/40 times a day, i need to be chewing a piece of paper/plastic (or i will start biting the interior of my mouth), and i walk about 10 km/week.

edit: i should add that i´ve been told that i walk weird when i am hurry, and that sometimes i suddendly remember something funny and laugh alone.

oh got another one (hehe) when im doing some project involving manuality o electronics i talk to myself

[ssrprotege]

Well, some of my weirdnesses:

- I must eat breakfast. I don't like having morning routine interrupted.
- I love patterns and symmetry.
- I make up a new word by myself, and I do this when I am taking a shower. I can't simply stop it
- I start from the last question and finish in the middle.
- I don't eat cooled food that used to be hot.
- I twist and pull my hair.
- In iPod, when I play music in random, I compulsively wish that the first track comes first and the last track of the album comes last. I just love it. Organized shuffle, kind of thing?!
- I say something to people, and I repeat that to myself. Looks like I am talking to other people and to my inner Self. Kinda weird, but I cannot stop. I think it's called echolalia.
- In the physics classroom there were some books, three of which are the same kind. I put two of them in the top and bottom and the other one in the exactly middle so that it looks like a Big Mac. Again, I cannot stop. My point is, I organize books in a certain but weird way.
- I frequently flip my binder, notes, pencil case, paper, etc. And my friends' too.
- I need to grab more than one candy (such as Skittles or M&M, etc). Amazingly, I grab four. A reason not that I know of.
- I somehow love the squeaking sound of my chair.
- I organize CD's according to the companies, such as EMI, DG, Warner, etc.
- I put my hands in my pocket frequently to constantly check my cell phone, even when I don't bring it with me.
- I keep writing something in a distorted handwriting.
- I always correct someone saying "different than" and "me and James..." Incorrect grammar and word usage (but not making words up) are my pet peeves, but only these two I explicitly correct people.
- When I see numbers, I try to find the significance behind it and try to find pattern. Pattern-finding function in the brain automatically turns on. And I get hyperactive and excited when I see mathematical equations for no reason. Just stimulating.
- when I used only one hand and I find that I need to wash only one hand, I wash one hand, but I feel queer to feel the presence of water in one hand and without it in the other hand. Before clearing my hands, I should put my other hand into water so that both hands get wet. My hand-washing process involves two steps.

I also talk to myself. I find that I have the answers to all of my questions if i just ask Me. And yes, I am into mysticism. My last google search was on crop circles that correspond to my birthdate. But all the news articles on them were archived and required a Visa/Mastercard to access the data. And since I would not be able to acuratly access their importance, I didn't pay for it.

Same here. I am talking to myself. you are like me in that sense. I am into mysticism too. I don't know if numerology is part of it, but I am into it. I am into psychology, mathematics and philosophy.

I have to stack my dinner plates by color and size in the cabinet. I hate when my roommate mixes the big and little forks and spoons together in the tray in the drawer. I also don't like when people use sponges and don't ring out the sponge when they are done. I don't want to touch your wet, dirty crap... :( tsk tsk

Understandable. I compulsively stack the plates according to size. Maybe I don't care much about colour because the plates in my house are mostly white...Anyhow, if there were some "varieties" in colours, maybe I think I will behave like you.

I think too much, so I've been told (many, many, many, many times).

As a result, in a boring class, I zone out quite frequently and am into the fantasy mode.

I don't like editing my posts because I don't want anyone else to know that I know what I did wrong (what if I miss something else?). I would rather delete them entirely, recompose them and then post it.


I occasionally edit posts in case a new stuff comes up to my mind, but I never edit my lab report....





ssrprotege added to this post, 7 minutes and 32 seconds later...

- Also, my hobbies (or what you call them) are really short-lived. I'm 15 this year. When I was 13, I was crazy about philosophy and when I was close to 14, I was into writing plays, I dropped that in my early 14s for poetry. Then I went on to photography (;ast august) which I dropped this feb/march for short stories.

My interests are rather short-lived, too. I was into conducting, then math contest questions, back to conducting, MBTI, business, and then back to math, and nowadays Platonism and cryptology. I think it's just the way we find interests - and find what we really want to do as a profession. I don't think that's weird.

[alone]

I spend a very long time in the shower. First, I turn on the tap and sit down in front of it, and run the water through my hands at a nice temperature. Then I cup my hands and guide the water to flow over my arms and knees for a while. After maybe 10 or 15 minutes, I turn the shower knob enough to cause it to drip out the cold water remaining in the pipes, carefully avoiding the drips, until warm water is coming out. Then I turn on the shower and sit under it for a while, switching between sitting and squatting with my head leaning forward against the wall or the tap. Eventually my depressive thoughts subside enough that I can stand up and finish my shower normally. When I am feeling confident, I sometimes turn the shower completely to cold after my hot shower for a minute or so, to psyche up and invigorate myself and clear my mind.

I pull out my facial hairs or nose hair sometimes. I also sort of tug on my hair when I am thinking. I rock back and forth or tap/bounce my feet too, when I'm into something.

When I get coffee cake at starbucks or elsewhere, I slightly fold the bag and eat it over the bag, catching the crumbs. Then I fold the bag in on itself with the crumbs inside, so as not to drop any.

Like earlier posters, I forget things all the time, so I have belts and other things at work just in case.

I cannot wake up in the morning for the life of me. It is a serious problem. I have a company in India call me on my cell and tell me to get out of bed and walk out of the bedroom, but it only works sometimes. My wife hates me when she has to wake me up, or when I don't get up.

I drink coffee all day and all night. When I make it at work, we have these flavia machines with packets. I choose espresso and put in the packet and put the cup in the machine. To save time, I open the cream just slightly while the coffee is being made, carefully tip the cup while the coffee is pouring into it, under the machine, and slip in the cream. By the time the coffee is done, the cream is already in it and I have saved 4 seconds. Then I waste 3 hours surfing the web.

I write chinese characters and other orthographies incessantly during meetings.

I close my eyes when explaining a particularly complex point.

Hmmm. There are probably more, but I have never tried to think of them, so I am probably missing a bunch.

[tp6626]

I always have to have two reasons for doing something (for example, I can't just go for a walk if I fancy it, I'd have to go to the shops or library as well, in order to bring something back).

And while walking, weirdly I try to avoid taking the same route back. I have to complete a 'circuit' on any journey, not two linear journeys on the same path. Think its because I have a disliking for repeating things, or or going backwards, or down the same route twice.

Quite irrational really, for a supposedly rational person!

[brettsnyder]

1. I always plan what what I am going to do the whole day, and sometimes the next day, down to relatively miniscule details
2. My walking normal pace is as fast as many people jog, and my steps are very long
3. I will stare into space when I am thinking about something, and when this is coupled with my fast pace, I have been told that I have both a sense of determination and absent-mindedness when walking down the street or down a hallway
5. When people catch me off guard with a question I will many times reply with the equivalent of "what?" in various foreign languages
6. When taking notes in class I use a very odd mixture of English and Russian
7. I will sometimes mix different foods together on my plate then eat it
8. I have a very well defined system for what food I eat first from my plate
9. With some exceptions, I will never do the same thing twice in one day
10. I will repeat a song I currently find interesting dozens of times on end when listening to my iPod or on the computer (this being the main exception to the previous statement)
11. I have all the pictures on my computer ordered in an extremely neat system, like a visual encyclopedia

[changos]

I ended up cleaning the table and ordering the dishes just as if I was the waitress. I eat freely but in order, clean. And after that you might want to take a picture of my side of the table. Girls seem to value this.

My worst habit is predicting and saying what the other person is saying... anticipating and completing their sentences. It is a sign of poor patience.

[capricornintj]

My worst habit is predicting and saying what the other person is saying... anticipating and completing their sentences. It is a sign of poor patience.

I do that too. Is it impatience, or an overwhelming desire for the conversation to end quickly? I can't stand idle chit chat, and I think finish other people's sentences to make the conversation more efficient. Regardless of intent, it does really piss them off.

[Lilo]

Food

- The portions of different foods on the same plate can never be touching each other.
- Can not start the day without coffee.

Sleeping

- I always sleep on the side of the bed closest to the door.
- I can never sleep in my clothes.

[airshiplogic]

I'm a wee bit paranoid about time and will wake up before the alarm clock rings. I set my watches fast and make plans to reach a location before the stipulated time. The calculated time needed to get to a place is usually for the worst case scenario. Needlessly to say, I can end up at a place 1 hour early, making everyone else late. That annoys me a whole lot.

[Chisos]

I study as well as work in a mathematics department, so I'm engulfed in INTx types all day.

One thing I've been meaning to ask you guys:

Of the two people I know who've tested INTJ (yay for free MBTI in the career center), one thing they share that definitely sets them apart from INTPs is that they have compulsions towards mysticism and... well I can't explain it; I was going to say "studying their own consciousness". One of them, for example, is very into transcendental meditation. The other is *obsessed* with Jung's concept of active imagination (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.).

Is this typical of you guys too? Is it an Ni thing, or just a coincidence?

For me personally, yes--as to both. And I'm not a mathematician. Definitely prefer writing. Challenged, if anything, by mathematics For whatever that is worth.

[IFearAManOf1Book]

Oh the "weird" habits to list... Does anyone else eat their M&M's by color? I do the same thing with skittles. I eat my food categorically, by what is least appealing to most appealing, and I cannot talk and eat at the same time. I have this weird obsession with even amounts of things... if i walk a certain number of steps in a concrete block on the sidewalk, I have to walk the same amount in all of the boxes. Or when tapping my fingers on a surface, I need to tap each finger the same amount of times as every other finger. Is this just me?

[onlyparallel]

Food habits
I have to eat everything evenly
I don't seem to ever get thirsty, I don't think I would ever drink if I didn't see the tap every evening.
I have to have breakfast, I will be late to wherever I am going bafore I will skip breakfast.

Sleep habits
No matter how late I stay up I always wake up an hour before my alarm, and if I manage to fall back asleep I still wake up every ten minutes thereafter.
I have constant nightmares, not so much a weird habit as a fact. But, I often think about these nightmares for a long time afterward, which is kinda weird.
I cannot sleep with socks. But I can sleep in jeans.

Other stuff
Spelling mistakes really annoy me. I HAVE to fix them. I HAVE to correct someone when they make a grammar mistake. It pisses them off. :)

[youngblooded]

I have the habit of touching something with both hands. For example, if I were to go into a CD shop and touched a CD with my left hand, I would have to touch it with my right hand. Sounds kind of weird but I guess its a result of my strong belief in balance

[wolf]

I eat so methodically that some sensors notice it. It's a pattern, though it is based on a method, and it varies by the type of food.

For instance, if I'm eating enchiladas, I'll eat the lettuce first, then the enchiladas, then some beans, and top it off with the rice until I'm full. I usually leave some behind. In the end it looks like a pie chart with some rice and/or beans in a wedge at one edge.

[catd]

I have the habit of touching something with both hands. For example, if I were to go into a CD shop and touched a CD with my left hand, I would have to touch it with my right hand. Sounds kind of weird but I guess its a result of my strong belief in balance


I have that balance thing with chewing my food - have to chew using both sides of my mouth. Funny huh?

I also need a different prescription for my reading glasses but still buy glasses off the shelf because I want both eyes to be "even". I had a pair of prescription glasses but it just bothered me too much to wear them. BTW - I realize this one is stupid ;D

AND -
Hate being touched by people I don't want to touch me, which is almost everyone.......

[knock7]

I have so many weird quirks. The interesting thing is how aware of them I am and that I could stop them, but chose not to. Here are just a few.

I don't like to be photographed or on video. I will cover my face with my hand to avoid it. I saw a guy do it in a movie once and thought it would be interesting to avoid being caught on camera and it had an odd appeal for me.

I don't like to be touched or touch other people outside a few select people.

When I create a plan, I find it hard to deviate unless there is a very good reason.

I have a compulsive need to be on time and I am frustrated when I am not.

I usually check all four doors on my car to be sure they are locked before I can leave it.

I check my desk every night with the haunting thought that I forgot something.

I can't be in a crowd of people for more than about an hour before I have to leave and be alone.

[quest ion]

This is one of my many weird habits:
Once I noticed the gas stove was switched on by accident. I was kind of shocked. So from then I've always checked the switch whenever I return home or go to the kitchen. I guess it scares me too much that my house might just blow up should the event repeats itself. It sucks to be so obsessive about something so 'minor' but I can't help it.

I wash my hands with soap countless times a day when I'm stressed. I cannot stand having unclean hands. I also can't stand having oily hair.
"When under a great deal of stress, the INTJ may become obsessed with mindless repetitive, Sensate activities, such as over-drinking. They may also tend to become absorbed with minutia and details that they would not normally consider important to their overall goal. "
I guess this is accurate enough.

[universalis]

I use my foot to flush the toilet and lift the seat.

[alphawolf]

Whenever I enter an unfamiliar city, I am constantly scanning for the key infrastructure points. Looking left to right, high and low, back and forth.

Taking a mental note of radio network base station controllers, power grid components, fuel pipelines, water mains, location of fire departments, etc.

Key escape routes are also imprinted.

[jadefalcon]

Dirty, yet organized. My books are all nicely tucked away under my desk along with my video games. The video games are sorted by system and box color (as to make the "flow" more pleasing". I "know" where everything is.... except I ALWAYS forget where my wallet, keys or phone are at any one point.


Clingy to things. My dog died almost a year ago now and I keep the leesh inside of a box I am working on finishing and decorating. The collar is in there too. Someone who was a guest in my room told me that was weird and I nearly freaked on them.


Over-stimulation. The answer to decorating one's dorm room? Print-out posters. These small anime posters are colorful and pleasing to the eye.


Mr. Savings- I tend to save things. Not just money- containers chemicals came in, model boxes, sprue, etc to re-use them in another application.


Showering- I like to shower on odd-numbered days (SMWF)


Bio-Man- My biological clock is good to plus or minus 7 minutes, exactly.


- When I carry a backpack, I never stop fiddling with the length of the straps to balance the load.

Same odd quirk- I will adjust the straps or change shoulders to make sure my "left" shoulder does some of the work for my right to relax, thus both eventually lifted the same load.

[Algol]

Wow, so many of the comments ring true for me that I am unable to decide on which to comment, so I will just add one of my own.

- I cannot sit with both my feet on the ground, I just can't. Either I cross one leg, sit cross legged, or put my feet up on the desk or some other platform. (Who said it had to be related to being an INTJ?)

[rflki3]

i also have a strange need for equilibrium, and i arrange everything by size or in alphabetical order...im glad its not just me

[taintedkitty]

I eat my food categorically, by what is least appealing to most appealing

Oh yes. I do that too.
I used to eat sandwiches every weekday and the order is:
1 (optional) Put sandwich (wrapped in cling wrap) under shirt to warm it up a wee bit. The cheese is usually still hard and cold
2. Pull salad out and eat it all. Mostly in one giant bite.
3. Eat crust in a clockwise direction
4. Eat rest

I do my best to cut up a steak before I sit down and really eat it.
I eat the tomatoes out of hamburgers first. Also, pineapple and beetroot if there is any.
I use dip starting from one end of the flat, cylindrical tub and try to use my chips/cracker to cut it evenly.
I have an ideal meat:rice/bread ratio which I attempt to keep to.

My rationale for all this: trying my best not to spoil the food's niceness.
Although, I realised a while ago doing it this way makes me not-ravenous before I actually get to the good part.

Also, I'm fastidious in maintaining neat bookwork. Can't stand messy writing, unparallel lines, unperpendicular lines, crumpled pages etc

[Stone]

I cannot stand wasting time in shops or looking things that I haven't planned to look. I enter, find what I am out for, decide if I like it, then leave.

I have to be on time otherwise I get upset and nervous if I am late. Or if others are late. Sometimes, while waiting for someone who is late, I curse.

I always visit the toilet before leaving my home.

I dislike surprises such as going somewhere spontaneously (unplanned places or routes). I usually plan my routes in advance.

Currently, I am single, but when I had a girlfriend, I used to plan what I will talk about on our date, especially things that will make her smile.

While eating, I like to match my bread with the other food, so there will be no unused bread, which I find annoying. I achieve this by choosing appropriate slices and adjusting my bites.
I always cut the ends of the wursts.
If I have ice cream, I usually divide it so to have for later, for example, to use it after the dinner tomorrow, after eating specific meal.

After waking up, I prefer going out for a walk before eating. If I eat before the walk, I don't feel good - my stomach is heavy. I hate going out after a meal.

I hate finding opened pens after someone has used them, so I close them.

I dislike opened doors.

Showering - only on Saturday or Sunday.

Typing mistakes - I hate them and frequently point them out.

If outside temperature is below 15 (Celsius), I wear a hat.

Mysticism and mystics - one of my interests, yes.

[ProgFusionRoman]

When stressed I always follow a similar pattern.

I search the internet for a whole bunch of things until I feel tired.

I then feel physically weak. My movements become similar to those a weak sick person might have: I walk with soft steps. I do this while alone only.





ProgFusionRoman added to this post, 1114 minutes and 8 seconds later...

I forgot to mention these also:
- fast shopping - I am so fast my wife is often stunned. Shop assistants/register operators also. I walk in like a man on a mission of national importance. I ask the assistant "Where are the items located?. Go straight there. Pick up item without breaking stride go straight out to register. Due to efficient speedy movement get ahead of 3 or 4 other people (or groups) heading to the same register. I do not search or keep change but hand over the smallest note that meets requirements. Never check change just throw it in my pocket. Throw away receipt in bin without breaking stride.

There is a line in Count Zero by William Gibson (Neuromancer fame) that applies to me: where the guy who was blown up by a hellhound and stitched back together in Chiba is walking briskly through the airport and a chunck of his memory suddenly hits him and he throws up in a bin and continues without breaking stride.

Once in Japan. I was on the last train that would get me to work on time with 30 seconds to spare and the next one was 30 minutes away (not city). I had a hangover. Doors opened at last stop before....I walked out....threw up...got back in just as doors were closing. Mission accomplished.

[Frag]

I kinda forget how to walk... it becomes extremely awkward, and I feel like a robot making squared movements.

Avoiding cracks/gaps in the pavement... and not stepping on the "wrong" colored tiles...

[Deliberator]

I don't have that many weird habits but I do have the compulsion to always take the most direct route, even if it means crossing through "rougher" terrain.

[Vagrant]

I don't have that many weird habits but I do have the compulsion to always take the most direct route, even if it means crossing through "rougher" terrain.

I do that too.


I always have everything organized -- but there's no real rhyme or reason anybody can identify but my closest friends. It looks like a mess half the time, but the mess never actually gets worse or better. It's simply because I locate everything in the most convenient spot -- where it's least in the way, and where it's easy to find if I use it frequently.

And I know it seems strange, but my only real compulsion is that I need to masturbate before I go to bed. Helps me get to sleep.

[Moondyn]

My habits are as follows:
1. I am overly aware of time and it drives me crazy when I waste time doing nothing productive, especially when I have a busy week where there isn't much time for me to do what I want.
2. I am always thinking, there isn't a moment I don't think, even if I consciously forced myself to stop thinking, I'd still be thinking on a subconscious level with my thoughts silent but present.
3. When someone (my mother particularly, an ESTJ) is manipulative of the people closely around them, and doesn't listen to a single one of my theories or ideas that have a logical basis, but instead loudly goes on talking of their own problems, and illogical opinions without letting me get a word in.

There are probably a hundred other habits I have, but I can't remember them all at this moment.

[Ezion]

I find myself having a few of the quirky tendencies in the thread, but I ignore them in an attempt to eliminate them.

For example, nostalgic items. With the exception of a couple of them (class ring), I dispose of them all. They take up storage space and there's no point in holding on to items of near worthless value.

[AliTree]

1. i have to have even amounts of food in my mouth and chew almost perfectly even amounts/times on each side of my mouth.

2. when eating a hamburger or sandwich, if the bread starts getting shorter on the top, i have to flip the burger/sandwich over and even it out.

3. i wipe grease off my pizza.

4. i wipe condiments/pizza sauce off if there is more then meat or if it's coming out of the food.

5. the seams on my jeans (that run down the length of the leg on the sides) have to be in-line with my legs.

6. i don't allow the tongues of my shoes to ride-up or slide down; i have to fix them.

i have many other quirks...

[Kuu]

I'm also very logical in the order in which I consume food. Except I consume food from the order of what I least like to what I most like.

[deinotes]

I’m not sure if this has a name and I can’t relate to it directly, but I do have an aesthetic need for equilibrium and constantly arrange and rearrange my work and living spaces to satisfy this. Also, I dislike it when someone points out something that is asymmetrical, like an out of place book or a slanted TV remote. I think this is hardwired in everyone; people are naturally attracted to symmetrical faces and bodies because, or so I’ve heard, it is a sign of good health – also examine abstract designs, the way rooms are decorated, cutlery is placed, etc. It is usually symmetrical. Perhaps some people (like you and to a much lesser extent me) just take this normal appreciation of symmetry to an atypical extreme. I would be interested in a more informed take on the matter.

Also, you’re probably not crazy.
LOL I have this the other way around i can't stand perfection and i always make sure things are not perfect.

[athiah333]

1. If for example I'm eating a fruit salad then I will make sure that I leave 1 of each fruit to the end when I will eat them all at once. Up until then I will eat food in order of least favourite to favourite.
2. I have a strict morning procedure which I follow.
3. If I'm doing a repetitive procedure I will always try to repeat it a certain number of times so that I finish on a 'good' number e.g. 3,5,7,10,11,15.
4. I try not to step on cracks in the pavement and make sure I step on the 'right' paving slabs.
5. DVDs and Video Games are organised by genre, with consideration to the box colour.
6. I have to correct people who ignore the facts in a conversation etc.
7. I have 3 set ways of carrying my umbrella and which way I carry it will depend on which way I am wearing my bag.

I can't think of any more for the moment...

[Pyrochan]

Now that you mention it I do do things very logically... such as the quickest route from A to B, and eating things on my plate in a certain order, either worst tasting to best, or the one that'll go cold quickest gets eaten first.

I've never been one for orderly numbered things though, but I do automatically pick up on numerical sequence, I don't have to order things as such or the like a bit of chaos in my life grounds me from getting too obnoxiously logical XD

[intj555]

Seems like there are a lot of weird eating patterns. I eat M&M's in order according to color.... and I give all the brown, yellow and orange ones to my ENTP bf.

[Gamgee]

Food? Why waste time eating it in any particular method or order. You are only expending energy that can be used elsewhere. I also find that by eating different foods aka "nibbling" I can get different combination's of tastes. A bad taste? Yea no one wants to taste a bad taste but if you can have something that tastes better than why not? Thus I tend to nibble when I eat until I find the right way to eat it... at least for me. As for getting my food mixed up... I hate it!!! I won't die if it happens but I do notice it, and even get a little bothered. A good example is when people use the butter knife for both peanut butter and jam and then everything gets mixed up. So irritating!

[Delarge]

As a child I often experienced a need for "balance" characterized quite similarly to many of the descriptions posted here. That seemingly harmless craving transformed itself into severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. Only recently have I managed to suppress that disordered pattern of thought through logic, or self-imposed cognitive behavioural therapy as I like to term it.

Neurosis should be combated, not embraced.

[Onotheo]

There are many unique things that I habitually do that which I am aware of but are not obvious. For instance, while waiting on the bus everyone else is facing towards the street while I'm facing towards the wall.

[JessicaHavenLea]

I wash the silverware by threes but that's not weird really...

What is weird is that I read to myself with a British accent. I don't know why. It just "sounds" better to me. (no one else knows because I never read aloud)

[ame]

I never stepped on cracks in the pavement. It could really mess me up if my toe or heel landed on a crack enough for me to feel it through my shoe.
Did that as far back as I remember but forced myself out of it after my teens.

[Marcus]

Did that as far back as I remember but forced myself out of it after my teens.

Still doing that.

[ame]

If I don't look at the ground as I'm walking the urge doesn't happen. That's how I get around it.

[Marcus]

If I don't look at the ground as I'm walking the urge doesn't happen. That's how I get around it.

But then you can fall on your nose more easily.

[ame]

But then you can fall on your nose more easily.
More worrisome is if I find myself walking over those pavement vents (don't know the name of them) near shop windows. I fear falling through them.

[just a user]

I used to count the letters of words that I spoke or thought.

I am still doing it today if I have to wait for something and forgot to bring something to read.

Oh yes, and the "not walking on cracks in pavement" thing. Almost everybody in my class did that, so it is not an INTJ thing, I guess.

[ame]

I used to count the letters of words that I spoke or thought.

I am still doing it today if I have to wait for something and forgot to bring something to read.

Oh yes, and the "not walking on cracks in pavement" thing. Almost everybody in my class did that, so it is not an INTJ thing, I guess.
Maybe not.
But it's common to OCD'ers.
Sometimes I get the idea (if I'm not with someone who'll interrupt) to count stairs as I go up them.

[Marcus]

More worrisome is if I find myself walking over those pavement vents (don't know the name of them) near shop windows. I fear falling through them.
Apart from that, I fear losing my keys, or something else from my pockets whenever moving over those tings.

[ame]

Apart from that, I fear losing my keys, or something else from my pockets whenever moving over those tings.
I imagine all sorts going on under there. Too many horror movies as a kid.
Do INTJ's have irrational fears?

[zibber]

Apart from that, I fear losing my keys, or something else from my pockets whenever moving over those tings.

I fear losing my keys all the time :)

[ame]

I fear losing my keys all the time :)
Oh, now I know that's about me (woody allen hypochondriac level of paranoia aside). My keys to sanity and normality were lost a long time ago.






I know what lives under the vents. :vampire: :pirate: :drunk: :alien: :skull: It's all a conspiracy.

[raz1337]

I can agree with the symmetry thing. I have a hard time grasping geometry, yet I get annoyed when things don't line up. At the store I work at, I point out tables that aren't perfectly even. If there are like 12 inches on one side of a table, and 13 inches on the other side, I'll notice it.

When I was younger, and I still do, I always have to step on cracks with the opposite foot. I intentionally take bigger or shorter steps. I just keep walking hoping no one else notices my compulsiveness.

When I'm traveling somewhere, I usually think efficiency first before going. When I played World of Warcraft, I *loved* helping someone do their low level quests. I had them memorized, and I knew the quickest route. I'll sometimes spend more time analyzing the most time efficient way of doing something than I would've spent doing it the slower way.

On sleeping...wow. A few on that. The human alarm clock, I thought I was the only one! I've never bought or used an alarm clock in my life. I have this way of waking up within minutes of a time I'm supposed to. It's always been like that. I feel guilty sleeping later than even 10 am. On some days, I want to sleep into the afternoon. I wake up at like 7, and go back to bed. I wake up at 8, and go back to bed, feeling like I should be awake. I wake up at 9, feeling more guilty. Then at 10, I give up, and go take a shower.

Does constant analyzing count? :P

I always have a need to take something and make it better. Most of the time, to the point of breaking it. I just look at something and think, it could be better! It was like that with my computers. I'd want it to be faster, and sometimes I'd kill a piece in the process.

Not sure if anyone is like this, but I always attach a memory to something. For like 95% of the music on my ipod, if you told me the song name, I could tell you where I heard it from first. That's how I usually find the majority of music, is hearing it somewhere.