A 2010 study compiled in the paper The Association Between Myers-Briggs Personality Types and Eating Disorders by Sarah A. Williams found that out of a group of 55 patients, the most common type with an eating disorder was the INFJ type. They comprised 18.5% of the patients with eating disorders.
Personality traits such as neuroticism (emotional stability), obsessiveness, and perfectionism play a large role in facilitating some eating disorders, particularly anorexia and bulimia. Research suggests that these traits are at least partially driven by genetics.
Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) have been postulated to have schizoid, narcissistic, and obsessional personality traits and to be sensitive, introverted, perfectionistic, and insecure.
People who suffer from anorexia nervosa tend to have high levels of harm avoidance, a personality trait characterized by worrying, pessimism, and shyness, and low levels of novelty seeking, which includes impulsivity and preferring new or novel things (Fassino et al., 2002).
INFP and INFJ: The Overthinkers
We start off with INFPs and INFJs: two Introverted personalities that often experience bouts of anxiety. When it comes to these types, their anxiety can stem from an inclination to overthinking.
The MBTI Personality Inventory
Being an INFJ comes with its advantages, but also its drawbacks. Lovable INFJs experience the same pain, struggles, and difficult emotions that others do—they often choose to do so in secret. This tendency may contribute to depression.
In 16p, it says ENFPs are prone to overthinking, especially ENFP-T.
Anorexia is more common among girls and women than boys and men. Anorexia is also more common among girls and younger women than older women. On average, girls develop anorexia at 16 or 17. Teen girls between 13 and 19 and young women in their early 20s are most at risk.
Among individuals with eating disorders, the two most prevalent personality disorders appear to be obsessive compulsive personality disorder (anorexia nervosa, restricting type) and borderline personality disorder (anorexia nervosa, binge-eating purging type; bulimia nervosa).
Females. Women are considered to be the population most impacted by eating disorders, with studies indicating women have higher rates of Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder than men (. 9%, 1.6%, and . 5% versus .
Both men and women – about 40% of people with BDD are men, and about 60% are women. People of almost any age (from age 4-5 up into old age): BDD most often begins around age 12 or 13.
BDD is most likely to start in your teens or early adult years. People usually develop BDD around 12 or 13 years old. Two-thirds of people with BDD develop it before age 18. However, BDD can also start in adulthood.
She added that many people with BDD are very attractive people, so they have a distorted body image, and the defects that they perceive in their appearance are actually nonexistent or only slight and nothing others would notice.
Who is at risk for eating disorders? Eating disorders can affect people of all ages, racial/ethnic backgrounds, body weights, and genders. Although eating disorders often appear during the teen years or young adulthood, they may also develop during childhood or later in life (40 years and older).
Assertive Debaters (ENTP-A) topped the charts – 72% agreed that they enjoy very spicy food. This consensus makes sense given their bold natures. This personality type is confident in culinary confrontations, and says “Bring it on!” to just about anything.
Taken together, eating disorders affect up to 5% of the population, most often develop in adolescence and young adulthood. Several, especially anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are more common in women, but they can all occur at any age and affect any gender.
Individuals with anorexia nervosa are known to have high levels of harm avoidance, a personality trait that is characterized by worry, pessimistic thinking, doubt, and shyness.
Psychological. Some people with anorexia may have obsessive-compulsive personality traits that make it easier to stick to strict diets and forgo food despite being hungry. They may have an extreme drive for perfectionism, which causes them to think they're never thin enough.
Compared with anorexia nervosa patients, a higher proportion of patients with bulimia nervosa had a concurrent cluster B personality (average proportion = 0.44) and a borderline personality disorder (average proportion = 0.31).
70 million people are living with different eating disorders globally. 36. Of all the countries in Asia, Japan records the highest rates of eating disorders.
Women & Girls. Female identifying people are significantly more likely to have an eating disorder.
Black teenagers are 50% more likely than white teenagers to exhibit bulimic behavior, such as binging and purging (Goeree, Sovinsky, & Iorio, 2011). In a study of adolescents, researchers found that Hispanics were significantly more likely to suffer from bulimia nervosa than their non-Hispanic peers.
INFP. INFPs have a unique way of living their lives, and they don't appreciate you critiquing it. "They'll feel awkward when someone questions who they love, how they think, or what their goals are—whether that's starting a business, or traveling the world as a wandering nomad," Owens says.
ISTJ. Introverted, sensing, thinking, and judging people are often pushing themselves to be the best that they can be—no matter how hard the work is, Karen Comen, an astrologer at ZodiacSign.com tells Best Life. "ISTJs constantly seek to improve and break new boundaries regarding their individual growth," she says.
As complex and private individuals, it can be difficult to read INFJs and INFPs. So if you're looking for someone enigmatic, these two personality types should be at the top of your list.