You Can Almost Always Tell Someone Has A Rare Personality If They Get Excited About 10 Odd Things
MAYA LAB | ShutterstockWhile "rarity" and "uniqueness" in practice are often ambiguous and vaguely defined, when you spot someone with a magnetic sense of authenticity, it's all clear.
It's the people with a deep sense of self, emotional intelligence, self-trust, and compassion who stick out from our superficial, entitled social crowds. From their habits to their language in conversations, you can almost always tell someone has an unusually rare personality if they get excited about these odd things. They're clearly different, but despite what we're socialized to believe, that's their superpower.
You can almost always tell someone has an unusually rare personality if they get excited about 10 odd things
1. Alone time
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Alone time can be incredibly beneficial for most people, even when they're coping with loneliness, but it requires an intentional attitude. If someone's excited about and thoughtful with their alone time, it becomes a greater space for growth, reflection, and energy.
Someone who gets excited by spending time alone is often less influenced by the misleading social constructs of our world, which center on constant busyness, productivity, and stimulation. They can sit with their own company and appreciate authentic hobbies at home, because they're not focused on external approval or attention, but inner peace.
2. Emotional artwork and music
If someone gets excited about artwork and music, and often gets emotional when experiencing them first-hand, they boast a rare sense of intentionality most people miss.
According to a study from Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, part of the reason for this deep, rich, emotional experience with art comes from a person's ability to empathize with the artist. "If people actually feel the way the artist was feeling, regardless of whether that was the artist's intent, they say they like the artwork more and think it's more meaningful," research fellow Marta Pelowski argued. "It has to be felt."
From songs to paintings, it's the most special, rare personality types that experience a deep feeling of vulnerability and emotions with artwork, often in ways that others simply can't appreciate or comprehend.
3. Canceled plans
While most introverted, intuitive, and self-assured people appreciate free time and solitude, when someone cancels plans at the last minute, it's often more exciting than appreciating those moments on their own. It feels like they've suddenly "gained" time, and without fear of their own company, they can truly spend it however they please.
Especially when it comes to mindfulness and having a break from interactions and daily chaos, appreciating the ability to slow down after someone cancels plans benefits their psychological well-being in all sorts of ways.
4. Perfectly aligned coincidences
People who notice perfectly aligned synchronicities and coincidences in their mundane daily lives are often more observant and aware. While they may not even tap into the spiritual or whimsical meaning behind every sequence of repeating numbers or run-ins with old friends, they appreciate the excitement that comes from the unexpected.
Even when they're little reminders and messages, they make a big impact. They feed into their intuition and the self-trust they hold closely. They add meaning to experiences and moments in daily life that other people easily overlook and ignore.
5. Cleaning and managing clutter
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Clutter and being around visual messes often stress us out, sometimes without us even realizing the root cause of our inner turmoil. Especially on hard days, it's a difficult experience to both stress about the actual act of cleaning, but also feel an elusive sense of burden from simply being around the mess.
However, many people with rare personalities find joy and excitement in cleaning. Especially when they're self-aware and reflective enough to think ahead to the relief they'll feel when it's over, they can make cleaning feel less like an obligation and more like a mindful ritual or act of self-care.
6. People-watching
For people who regularly people-watch when they're out in public, it's not about hypervigilance or judgment. It's about appreciating the love, excitement, and extraordinary moments in the ordinary.
They care about other people, but they also feel a desire to feel connected by understanding and observing them. Of course, feeling a sense of belonging is a natural human desire for most people, but these rare people find it in unexpected ways.
7. Small acts of kindness
According to a BYU study, just one small act of kindness a week can significantly boost well-being and community for people feeling lonely and isolated. Even if it's smiling at a stranger outside or helping a friend who's struggling, rare people aren't afraid to inconvenience themselves for a few moments to help others and boost their happiness.
Especially in our increasingly narcissistic culture, this kind of intentionality and empathy is a rare trait, even though it's incredibly accessible and healthy for anyone to indulge in. However, the difference between the average person and someone who makes space for kindness is their action and thoughtfulness amid the chaos of everyday life.
8. Discomfort and challenges
As a Psychological Science study explains, the challenges and discomfort that so many people consistently avoid in their lives for immediate comfort are actually the experiences that allow people to grow and develop.
While it might be a rare trait in our modern culture of convenience and entitlement, people who seek out discomfort and challenges get excited about learning something new or making mistakes. They don't believe that socially defined "failures" are a bad thing. In fact, they usually bring about a new experience or create a new perspective they wouldn't have had access to otherwise.
9. Deep, meaningful conversations
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Most people would prefer the distraction of a superficial conversation or the ease of small talk over deeper, vulnerable, sometimes challenging ones. However, a rare person with a deep desire for connection and meaning in their lives is always willing to make space for depth, even if it's with a stranger they've never met before.
They might harbor some kinds of social anxiety or fears of awkwardness, but that discomfort rarely holds them back or overpowers the excitement around the meaning they find from small interactions. Even these conversations with strangers can make people happier amid the chaos of their lives, so it's more than worth it to take a peak outside of your comfort zone.
10. A digital detox
Noticing someone's incredibly deep, rare, and authentic personality is often uniquely personal to them, but oftentimes, the vices of the world, like screen time and cell phones, are the first things they collectively distance themselves from. Yes, they're convenient, but they're rarely supportive of the depth and excitement that rare people get excited about.
While it might feel impossible for the average person, who relies on their phones for comfort, convenience, and entertainment daily, a study from Behavioral Sciences found that even a two-week "digital detox" can improve well-being, mental health, sleep, relationship satisfaction, and happiness.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
