“POV: You have a type B coworker,” TikTok creator Eric Sedeño posted last week. In the viral skit, the “coworker” rolls into the office past 10 a.m., pulling out a laptop with only 5% charge.
“I went to bed at like 4 a.m. last night,” he confesses. “Seriously work is so hard today,” he complains before taking a nap on the couch. When he is working, music is blaring and he is simultaneously on Instagram Live. “When’s that big presentation?” he asks. (It’s today.)
If you don’t have a type B coworker like this, it’s probably you.
“Type b people EXPECT everything to work out fine for them and it always does,” one commented. “This is literally the person that actually gets promoted,” another wrote.
On TikTok, videos on being type B are having a moment, racking up thousands of views and comments of those who can relate or identify with the chaos. Plenty also poke fun or air their frustrations with the type Bs in their lives.
The recent discourse essentially equates type A to someone who has their lives together, and type B to a more laidback go-with-the-flow personality.
Most feel an affinity one way or another, similar to the way we label ourselves as introverted or extroverted, or proudly claim INTJ or ISFP according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. These personality stamps can be helpful when explaining particular tendencies, or finding ways to leverage strengths or inhibit weaknesses, particularly in the workplace.
But what happens when you identify as a highly strung type A in the office, but off the clock your life is a shambles? Also—ever hear of an introverted extrovert, or an extroverted introvert? Because they exist.
The problem with identifying one way or another, is that personality mostly exists on a spectrum. Pigeon-holing people as either/or risks assigning them traits they might not actually have. Someone might be hardworking and organized (traits associated with type A), but simultaneously be flexible and creative (typical type B traits).
Nor is one better than the other. People tend to highlight the more flattering traits associated with each type, while overlooking the less-desirable ones.
According to 2023 research published in Nature, startups that prioritized a diverse range of personalities were more likely to succeed.
The type A/B binary long predates TikTok, of course. It was first introduced in the late 1950s by cardiologists linking personality traits in white middle-class men to heart attack risk. It is now no longer widely regarded as a scientifically validated way to understand personality, but rather a fun conversation starter or useful Hinge prompt.
Still, pop psychology remains one of the internet’s favorite subjects to dissect. (In case you were curious about me: type A. Introverted Extrovert. INFJ.)