The Most Unique and Least Popular Personality Type: That’s Me! (The Happiness Quotient)


21 December marked the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere. On that day I posted the inaugural episode of The Happiness Quotient (Episode #63 – with the Reverend Freakchild). My intent on posting this “first” of the rebranded Baker Street with Thom Pollard on the shortest, darkest, emotionally coldest day of the year, was filled with intended irony. The Happiness Quotient, to those disinterested in looking beneath the hood, is NOT a touchy-feely, sage-burning, happy happy, New Age type cure-all for the maladies of western civilization. On the contrary, The Happiness Quotient endeavors to enlighten listeners/viewers (like me!) with information, knowledge and inspiration to conquer that which stifles our ability to experience the full range of happiness in this life.

Why is Happiness in the title? Each individual that has ever been born on this planet was born a perfect, fully loving being, pure and endowed with the essence of innate happiness. As soon as a baby begins interacting with the world, receiving messages and energy from those around him or her, that baby takes on the vibrations of whatever confusion, anger, sadness and depression, or malevolence that those people may be experiencing. In the process, a baby must navigate through life having taken on the energies of those who raised him or her. Happiness, however, is innate and deep inside, requiring a vision of clarity and openness to experience it. I’m not talking about the happiness one feels when receiving a gift or a back massage. I’m talking about pure happiness.

Why is Quotient in the title of the episode? A quotient is the sum of one number divided into another. Metaphorically, as an individual goes through life s/he gains experience, and, ultimately, wisdom. On The Happiness Quotient listeners/viewers learn and become inspired by the wisdom and experiences of the guests we meet on the podcast. In so doing, we’re able to whittle away – through deduction – the preconceptions and fixed ways of thinking that has kept us in ignorance. When we attain a quotient, of sorts, we begin to experience true happiness.

So, today I was doing a bit of research for my next episode when I saw that Jordan Peterson, a psychologist/philosopher that I admire, is an INFJ in the Meyers-Briggs world of personality testing. INFJ stands for Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging. The INFJ is the least common personality, according to studies. Only 1.5% of all people who test for it turn out to be INFJ. That also happens to be what Jordan Peterson is. Another thing I saw in my research was that INFJ is one of the LEAST liked personality traits. Well, I bent over laughing at that one. If you know me, my gut tells me that few would describe me as an offensive person. Maybe I broke the mold?  If you’re so inclined, here’s the test: 16 Personalities free test.

This is the essence of The Happiness Quotient: Connected, engaged, passionate people inspire us to discover our own truths, and help make our lives more meaningful by challenging our preconceptions, our fixed and unbending ways of thinking and living. My journeys have taken me around the globe, from Easter Island to the top of Mount Everest and everywhere in between. But the greatest adventure of all is life itself….the journey of the soul, the search for meaning. On The Happiness Quotient we meet inspiring people and hear amazing stories that help us unlock the mysteries. They in turn help us grow in wisdom, revealing the inner happiness we were all born with.

I hope you’ll sample episode #63 or any of our past episodes and join the community of citizens of the universe who wish to reveal their true nature.

Here’s the link to the episode, Healing Power of Music and the Reverend Freakchild

Peace and Love,

Thom Dharma Pollard

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