There are 16 Meyers-Briggs personality types, and of them all, the INFJ is probably the rarest.
INFJs are gentle, caring, intuitive, and easily misunderstood due to the rarity of their personality.
They see the world in a way that not very many people do and must take special care to ensure they’re setting themselves up for success with living a happy life.
There are 8 things an INFJ needs in order to lead a happy life. Let’s break them down.
1. Meaningful introspection.
Know thyself, INFJ. It is critically important that INFJs are able to see inward in a clear way. Activities like hiking, yoga, and meditation really help INFJs know themselves fully. Being able to communicate with your inner self is the first step in being able to communicate effectively outside of yourself.
2. Order.
INFJs in general tend to thrive in orderly and structured environments. They are not especially spontaneous and tend to flounder in environments where things are cluttered and out of place. Allowing your daily routine to faulter or your space to become cluttered is a major point of dissatisfaction for an INFJ.
3. A creative outlet.
IFNJs are creative people who find that the ability to easily express themselves through words and art comes naturally. INFJs sometimes have a hard time expressing what’s on the inside to people on the outside, so some kind of creative outlet is helpful when pursuing a happy life. Even though INFJs are naturally talented people, they can derive a lot of joy from music and art even if they aren’t writing pop hits or creating classical masterpieces.
4. Alone time.
INFJs aren’t antisocial nor are they necessarily introverts by nature, but INFJs do need alone time in order to recharge their batteries, so to speak. They use this alone time to get things in order, to look inward and think about their own feelings, and to process the goings on of their lives and worlds. If an INFJ falls off the radar for a few days, don’t worry too much about it. They’re taking care of themselves.
5. Meaning.
INFJs are the types of people who hear a catchy song and have to know what the lyrics are about. They tend to enjoy deep, philosophical discussions and always look for the deeper meaning in everything. So you might imagine that they also want their own lives to have meaning. INFJs thrive when giving themselves to a cause, be it professional or volunteer. Without a deeper meaning to their lives, INFJs feel as though there’s something missing.
6. Independence.
Being forced to rely on other people in any capacity is a nightmare scenario for an INFJ. This personality type craves independence. They like to work independently, live independently, and not rely on anyone else for basic needs, financial, emotional, or otherwise. When striving for a happy life, an INFJ should seek out ways to be as independent as possible.
7. Deep connections.
INFJs aren’t antisocial people. In fact, they love spending time with people! But what they desire most is deep connections. They find small talk to be incredibly dull and at times exhausting. They’d rather jump right into a deep philosophical discussion and cut to the heart of issues and ideas.
8. A best friend.
The portrait we’ve painted of the happy INFJ seems like one of an individual who looks inward for guidance more than outward and tends to be introverted and antisocial. That isn’t quite the case. INFJs are all about deep socialization. They’re not the types of people to have a whole lot of friends, but they do have one: their best friend.
Every INFJ wants and needs a bestie who truly understands them.