'Cause I Feel the Need for a Little Silly

Facebook status from a couple of weeks ago: I feel so lucky and blessed to have Buzzfeed in my life. One of the quiz results I didn't share was that I am the philosopher Socrates, known for his encouragement to "know thyself." Yet how would I ever be able to know myself without the Buzzfeed quizzes that so accurately and effectively uncover and explore my many dimensions, giving me shape and definition and true self knowledge? I don't know who I am without it.

Having said that, I'm now hedging my bets.

These are as deserving of ephemeral status as anything ever, yet something compels me to hold onto them.  Silly little personality quizzes have been all the rage recently on my Facebook feed, and I've been playing along.  They have no basis in psychology or science, I'm sure, and don't really say anything about anyone.  But I've been rather proud of some of the result descriptions and they've made me feel good about myself, so I thought it would be fun to collect them all in one place and see what kind of a picture they paint when combined.  Well, okay, not literally "all," as I rejected for this project the results that I thought were clearly off or didn't say much of anything (or, I suppose, said something that I considered unflattering).

They'll follow shortly, but first a brief interlude to share a couple of other things from Facebook that came up during the same time period.

This strikes me as a particularly poignant metaphor for the experience of life, often enough:

Woman accidentally joins search party looking for herself

A missing woman on vacation in Iceland managed to unwittingly join a search party looking for herself.

Toronto Sun reports that a tourist group traveling by bus to the volcanic Eldgja canyon made a pit stop near the canyon park. The woman in question went inside to freshen up and change her clothes at the rest stop, and when she came back “her busmates didn’t recognize her.”

Word spread among the group of a missing passenger, and the woman didn’t recognize the description of herself. Next thing you know, a 50-person search party was canvassing the area, and the coast guard was mobilizing to deploy a search party of its own. . . .

And, since I'm not sure the quiz results really say anything about me, here's something more serious that I definitely relate to:

16 Habits Of Highly Sensitive People

I particularly relate to these 6 (all but one shared without their excellent descriptions), though all 16 are good.

4. They prefer to exercise solo.
5. It takes longer for them to make decisions.
6. And on that note, they are more upset if they make a "bad" or "wrong" decision.
7. They're extremely detail-oriented.
14. They have above-average manners. Highly sensitive people are also highly conscientious people, Aron says. Because of this, they're more likely to be considerate and exhibit good manners -- and are also more likely to notice when someone else isn't being conscientious. For instance, highly sensitive people may be more aware of where their cart is at the grocery store -- not because they're afraid someone will steal something out of it, but because they don't want to be rude and have their cart blocking another person's way.
15. The effects of criticism are especially amplified in highly sensitive people.

And (drum roll, please . . . ) here are the quizzes and my results, many that I'm quite fond of:

Which ’90s Alt-Rock Dude Are You?
You got: Michael Stipe from R.E.M.You care very deeply about a lot of things – art, politics, sexuality, your many good friends. Your oblique sensibility and general refusal to be defined by others can result in some people not really understanding you, but the people who DO get you think you’re quite profound.

Which Dewey Decimal Category are You?
You got the 000's - Generalities!
You have a passion for general knowledge and information. You love locating information in books, reference works, and on the computer. You also enjoy keeping up to date with current events. Let's face it, information is your life! And you love it!
(Note: See previous post: I Want to Be a Generalist (among others).)

Which Nerdy Sidekick Are You?
You got: Neville Longbottom
You’re the epitome of sidekick-turned-hero. You’re always a brave, trustworthy friend, and you never actively seek the spotlight — you’re more comfortable playing second fiddle. But when it comes to stopping injustice, you have no problem taking the lead. You hold yourself to a high moral code, and behind your adorable, dorky demeanor, you’re a scrappy fighter who’d sacrifice everything for your loved ones.

Which Fandom Do You Actually Belong In?
You got: The Whedonverse
Hey, shiny! You’re part of a fandom that’s powerful and united enough to get a cancelled TV show made into a movie. From Buffy’s one-liners to River’s philosophies, your fandom values witty humor above all. And your interests are vast, from comic books to the silver screen; the Whedonverse is all-encompassing. You’re zany and sharp-tongued, and always the first to laugh at yourselves, which makes you the life of the party at ComicCon.

What Famous Work Of Art Are You?
You got: Grey Line with Black, Blue, and Yellow, by Georgia O’Keeffe
You’re deeply in touch with your feminine side (like, SO DEEPLY) and not afraid to show it. You’re able to find beauty and power in even the smallest things. You’re also most likely excellent in bed.

Which Literary Couple Are You And Your Significant Other?
 You got: Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo from “Game of Thrones”
You are both incredibly driven and outspoken individuals, yet you get along and help each other rather than butt heads, making you a force to be reckoned with. That being said, you aren’t all business, and can totally dole out the cutesy nicknames and cuddles.

Which Pixar Movie Are You?
You got: Up!
You are an unabashed daydreamer, always a little unsatisfied with reality. People might not always notice right away, but you’re as romantic as they come and have a drive to feel and experience the whole spectrum of human emotion. You also love dogs.

Which Game of Thrones Character Are You? 
You Are Tyrion
You wear your sarcasm and wit like a shield, one crafted from your own love of words and cynicism. You don't suffer fools, but you do have a soft spot for cripples, bastards, and broken things. No one knows your own flaws better than you, but you've worked hard to be, if not a good person, then at least a decent one.

Which Hunger Games Character Are You?
You are: Rue
Empathetic and independent, you value all forms of life, but choose mostly to keep to yourself. You appreciate nature, and, like nature, your strength is often hidden beneath a calm surface. In dealing with others, you are straight forward and eschew all forms of artifice. At heart, you're an introvert who would treasure the ability to turn invisible.

What’s Your Hidden Talent?
 You got: Science
You’re half perfectionist, half spaz. Which means you have really unique ideas and the drive to make them happen, no matter how much trial and error it involves. If you retain useless information like a sponge, that’s a good sign that you could retain important knowledge. Your combination of analytical thinking, creativity, and obsessiveness is a magical combination that could lead to great discoveries.

Which TV/Movie High School Would You Attend?
You got: Shermer High School
You’ve been plucked straight out of The Breakfast Club, and it’s pretty clear that you would’ve attended Shermer High School if you lived in fictional movie-land. You’re an optimist disguised as a pessimist. You’ve had some rough experiences, but you have a decent sense of humor about it, which makes it easy to talk to you. You’re against any stereotypes that box you in, and even though you can be a little cagey, you would secretly love nothing more than to rage-dance and talk about your feelings.

Which Batman Are You? 
You got: ’80s Batman
You try to be stoic and optimistic, but it’s hard when you have to deal with so much tragedy. You’re very hard on yourself when you fail to protect people you care about, but there’s only so much you can do.

Which Mythical Creature Are You?
You got: Elf
You beautiful, aloof creature. You’re one of the most revered and honored creatures in the fantasy world, but you’re also very hard to pin down. You’re an interesting mix of empathetic politician and pragmatic dreamer. You believe in the power of justice, but you also believe in the power of protecting yourself. You’re always willing to lend a hand, but not to the point where it will negatively affect you.

What Arbitrary Thing Are You? 
You got: A New York Times Trend Story
You’re a New York Times trend story! Are more people eating lunch? Are hats gaining traction? Is there an epidemic of teens going out at night and digging holes? Everyone can find out tons of ground breaking, definitely trendy stuff from you!

What American President Are You?

You Got Thomas Jefferson

Compared to the general population, you are:

Low on Extroversion, indicating that you are an introvert who prefers calm environments to large social gatherings.
High on Openness, indicating that you are very impatient with the way things are and always on the look for the new, the untested, and the untried.
Average on Agreeableness, indicating that you alternate between being tenderhearted in some situations and tough-minded in others.
Above average on Conscientiousness, indicating that you are focused when it comes to goals and deadlines and like to complete your goals and tasks before starting new ones.
Above average on Neuroticism, indicating that you are quick to respond to changes in your environment and that you react strongly to both good and bad news.

According to a study done by Jeffery J. Mondak, Ph.D., your scores indicate that you are:

Not likely to discriminate on the basis of race or sexual orientation.
More likely to be pro-choice rather than pro-life.
Likely to feel trapped by the status quo.
Likely to enjoy complex and abstract discussions.
Likely to be more knowledgeable on academic topics.
More likely to favor military intervention as a means of solving foreign policy problems.
Less likely to think that international cooperation will solve foreign policy problems.
More likely to take responsibility and to take an active interest in your community.
More likely to be patriotic and proud of your country.
More likely to enjoy romantic fiction than the rest of the population.
Less likely to have a tolerant attitude towards smoking.
More likely to favor harsh criminal punishments over milder ones.
Less likely to watch TV and read the news, preferring instead to follow your own interests.
Less likely to mobilize your friends in your own interests, preferring instead to immerse yourself in your interests in solitude.
Someone who seems impassive to others, while being in fact quite sure of your own views.
Less likely to enjoy fitness training and physical exercise.
Less likely to believe in any kind of dogma that you regard as settled in stone.
More likely to flirt with harm and danger.
More likely to have insurance or to belong to a labor union.

According to a study done by Jayme Neiman, Ph.D., your scores indicate that you are:

More likely than the average person to enjoy bitter vegetables like broccoli and arugula.