Type A and B: Two Sides of the Personality Coin

Though everyone is unique, our personalities often fall into similar camps. Read on for Groupon's study of one of the most popular personality metrics.

According to popular belief, people generally fall into one of two major personality types—A and B. In essence, Type A people tend to be achievement-driven multi-taskers, whereas Type Bs are more content to simply live in every moment. These basic traits have sometimes been reduced to stereotypes: As are domineering, aggressive, and successful; Bs are lazy yet report much higher life satisfaction. This dichotomy is likely more of a spectrum, with most people falling somewhere between the frenetic Type A and the cool-as-a-cucumber Type B as depicted in so many buddy comedies or news-anchor teams.

From the Heart

People often refer to Type A and Type B in terms of romantic compatibility, which is appropriate since they actually evolved from literal matters of the heart. In the 1950s, two cardiologists devised the two categories while investigating the ways in which patterns of behavior affect one's risk for heart disease. They concluded that Type As are more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease, though the findings have since been reexamined and refuted due to the research's shortcomings. Nevertheless, the duo’s original labels seem to have stuck a chord, as many people still use the terms to describe the way a partner’s type complements—or clashes with—their own inherent traits.

Bonus Points

• Psychologists have since developed more comprehensive personality types than simply A and B. Perhaps the most famous metric, the Briggs–Myers Type Indicator, includes 16 distinct personalities.