You might like this 20 min documentary on the science of personality

One of the key take-outs is that we are social beings that get together in groups.

Groups always have the following three characteristics:

1. we work to get along – for the success of the group
2. we jostle to get ahead – groups always have hierarchies
3. the group shares a belief system

This is relevant to our personality because our reputation/ how others see us is critical to our success within the group. We might have an inner world, which tells us what we are like, but what matters is how the world sees us.

There are big implications for these key thoughts for marketing and insight.

For marketing if you can tune into one of those three big drivers that exist within the group, you’re headed for success:

• I want to get along (show me how fit in or create group harmony) think advertising from all those different food brands about family mealtimes
• I want to get ahead (give me status, show me how to win) think premium brands, brands can give status by proxy
• I need a belief system/ need to know what the belief system of the group is (communicate the values of the group) Ben & Jerry’s, Innocent, M&S Plan A

And for research we need to focus on questions that relate to people’s inner lives (how they see themselves) and their outer lives – how they see their place in the group/ how they see other people’s reputations…