(1) Every person on this planet has a different and unique personality. However, each individual personality can be placed into one of two groups: Type A or Type B. Let’s take a look at what the differences between these two personality types are (2) First let’s start by understanding what each type means. The Type B personality is the norm. It’s the average person. They are usually calm and collected most of the time and it takes a lot to irritate them. Needless to say, they are very seldom overstressed. When they do feel stress, they tend to handle the pressure by being productive rather than destructive. Ordinarily, type B people don’t mind driving behind a slow car. They don’t care too much if the line is long at the bank or grocery store. Their pace in life is relaxed and they are not in a big hurry to get things done. It is safe to categorize Type B personalities as being people who are patient with others as well as themselves in almost all situations - including work. Thus, a Type B personality may be perceived to be somewhat relaxed and nonchalant regarding dedication to his occupation. (3) The person who has a Type A personality, on the other hand, is like that person driving behind you beeping and cursing because he thinks you should be driving faster. Type A personalities are not the calmest of people and are rarely fully collected. Type A people get irritated much more easily than type B people do. They become impatient when standing in a queue and tend to always feel like they are in a hurry. These are the people you see tapping their foot when you are in front of them in line. Type A people often live fast paced lives. They hate to waste time and become angry when things slow them down. (4) The hard-charging Type A personality, unlike the Type B personality, is undoubtedly dedicated to his occupation. He is so dedicated, in fact, that more often than not he is a workaholic. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” is most likely his reply to the one who expresses concern about the long hours he spends at work. He is the kind of person who feels that time spent sleeping is time lost. (5) Perhaps he should give heed to a recent British study. The 17-year study of 10.000 workers showed that those who reduced their sleep from seven hours per night to five or less doubled their risk of cardiovascular-related death. The researchers who conducted the study concluded that a lack of sleep is linked to high blood pressure which in turn is a known risk factor for both heart disease and stroke. (6) Probably most of us fall somewhere in the middle and are a mixture of both the Type A personality and the Type B personality. It may even be that at different points in our lives we exhibit stronger characteristics of one or the other personality type. We should all take heed, therefore, of the result of this study and aim for a balanced and healthy expenditure of energy divided between our work and our play. As we achieve such a balance, we will naturally be inclined to pay attention to the needs of our bodies for wasting time in both sleep and relaxation. Attaining such a balance can make us aware, perhaps for the first time, of the joy of being fully human.
According to P 6), where do most people fall between Type A and B personalities?