A 16-item self-assessment.
Bella DePaulo’s PsychologyToday.com article, What Makes People Boring? describes factors that make a person boring. Here, I adapt those into a self-assessment. Rate yourself honestly on each of these.
Part I : Ten-point questions
For the question in this Part, score yourself using this scale:
10: Almost always true
7: Often true
3: Occasionally true
0. Rarely true
1. I take a long time to make my points, perhaps repeating myself. ___
2. I show disinterest in others by talking about myself and when others talk I don’t really listen or change the topic. ___
3. I talk about unimportant things: sports, décor, pop culture, vacation, my children’s successes, etc. ___
4. I don’t contribute useful information. ___
Part II: 3-point questions
For each question in this Part, score yourself using this scale:
3: Almost always true
2: Usually true
1: Occasionally true
0. Rarely true
5. I brag. ___
6. I complain about my problems. ___
7. I’m a “broken record,” always talking about the same topic. ___
8. I repeat the same stories and jokes multiple times. ___
9. I conform to what most people believe. ___
10. I don’t express my feelings. ___
11. I don’t state my opinion. ___
12. I say much less in a conversation than do other people. ___
13. I talk more slowly than do most people. ___
14. I show little emotion. ___
15. I speak in a monotone. ___
16. I establish little eye contact. ___
Utterly unvalidated scoring key
Here’s a nearly arbitrary scoring key:
55-76 Borrrring
35 to 54 Worth conversing with
15 to 34 Interesting
Under 15 Fascinating
The takeaway
Of course, there’s more to being an interesting person than can be captured in a quick self-assessment but perhaps it gives you a pat on the back or suggests an area or two you’d like to work on.
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