Oh, yeah, the Myers-Briggs uses a lot

of science-y-sounding jargon, but the truth is,

it wasn't invented by scientists at all.

Take a look.

♪♪

(Adam) The year, 1921.

Famed psychologist Carl Jung has a theory.

I surmise human beings can be broken down

into eight different personality types.

(Adam) There was just one problem.

This was a time before psychology used scientific methods,

like data or controlled experiments.

So the eight types were just guesses

based on Jung's personal experiences.

My wife feels emotions all the time.

(Mrs. Jung whining)

Her type is a feeler.

Welp, that is good enough for science in 1921.

But Carl Jung didn't even make the test.

Myers and Briggs or whoever they are,

they took his ideas and made them better.

Not quite.

(Adam)

The year is 1943.

Mystery novelist Isabel Briggs-Myers

and her magazine writer mother, Katharine Cook Briggs,

had a lot of time

on their hands.

Mama, I'm bored of writing mystery novels.

Everyone else is off having fun at war.

Say, I have an idea.

I just read some old Carl Jung book about personality types,

and I bet us two unqualified nobodies could do a better job.

Yes!

Let's do some science or whatever.

Let's create an influential test

that will be widely used for decades!

(Adam)

And so these two writers, who had no scientific training,

took theories from one of Carl Jung's non-scientific books

and came up with their list of personality types.

Ooh, my friend Carrie is a such a Samantha.

We have to put that in.

(Adam) Which, for some reason, they doubled from eight to 16.

And in 1944, they published the thing.

That's really where the Myers-Briggs test came from?

That's so... stupid.

Yeah.

And Carl Jung would agree with you.

He once even said...

Shh!

Oh, sorry.

Like tiddlywinks!