Are you wondering about signs you have a down-to-earth personality? This is the personality of a rational, calm, and trustworthy person — qualities many people aspire to.
There are many benefits to the down-to-earth personality. You know what you want, and people know what to expect from you. This makes it easy for others to trust you and deal with you in general. So it’s a great compliment to be called down-to-earth, and many like to consider themselves that. But how do you know if you actually fit this profile? What are the signs of this personality? And is there any actual science behind them?
Continue reading so we can explore the answers to all these questions together.
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Signs you have a down-to-earth personality based on MBTI
Whenever I read lists of “signs you have this or that personality,” I always wonder if there is any objective validity behind them. Of course, we can all make observations based on people we know. But is there any science that can support the signs you have a down-to-earth personality?
It turns out, there is — partially, at least. It’s always hard to put a finger on these human-made concepts, like the fiery personality type, or the bubbly personality type. However, we can find some intersections with more scientifically recognized personality types. (Though, no personality can ever be fully reduced to a science!). For the down-to-earth personality, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is most relevant.
There are various opinions on which MBTI type is “down-to-earth”:
One thing is clear, though: the down-to-earth personality is categorized as an “S”. This means the person is “observant” or “sensing” rather than “intuitive”.
One psychologist explains this as “information gathering through the here-and-now physical senses” and being “generally more grounded in practicality.”
Sounds pretty down-to-earth to me! So let’s have a look at the signs of this characteristic.
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6 science-based signs you have a down-to-earth personality
It’s always fun thinking about which personality you have. But you probably want to know if it’s really true. Therefore, let’s look at the signs you have a down-to-earth personality based on evidence. In particular, we will consider the “S” part of the MBTI scale, as explained above.
1. You are more interested in facts than imagination
One of the main signs you have a down-to-earth personality is that you prefer facts over theories.
This becomes most apparent when you talk with someone who’s the opposite — “intuitive” according to MBTI. This person might like to imagine different scenarios and talk about possibilities or potential. But to you, it may feel like there’s no point to the conversation since it has no particular purpose.
I can really feel this difference myself, as I am an intuitive type. I struggle sometimes to maintain long conversations with down-to-earth people because they don’t dive into their imagination together with me.
Of course, there are benefits to both styles of communication. As a down-to-earth person, you bring purpose to your conversations and don’t usually engage in gossip or drama.
2. You tend to focus on the present over the past or future
You might have heard that humans spend a lot of time thinking about the past or future rather than the present. But down-to-earth people are much better at being rooted in the now. You do of course still think about the past or future, but more from the perspective of how it influences your present.
For example, if a work project goes wrong, you might ponder why. But you’re not just ruminating about it pointlessly. You’re looking for useful lessons so you can improve your approach to other current projects.
Or, if you’re thinking about the future, you don’t just daydream and then go about your life as before. You’ll bring your wishes into your present by setting practical and achievable goals based on your current situation.
3. You prefer simplicity over complexity
People often say, “Keep it simple”. But how often do we end up making things way more complicated than they need to be? Down-to-earth people, on the other hand, tend to really stick to simplicity. There are lots of ways this can manifest. For example, you might realize that you prefer:
- A simple but hearty meal over a luxury three-course one.
- An easy celebration rather than an elaborate party.
- A quick spreadsheet over a fancy presentation.
There is great power in simplicity. It’s much easier for you to solve (or prevent!) problems, and to stay on top of your responsibilities.
4. You take action rather than getting stuck in planning
Have you ever said to yourself, “I want to write a book” or “I should visit XYZ place”, but never followed through? This is where a lot of goals and New Year’s Resolutions get stuck — they never make it past the “thinking” phase. It’s fun, and easy, to dream and plan. But nothing will ever happen unless you get it out of your mind and turn it into concrete action.
This is another thing that down-to-earth people are good at. When you decide you want to do something, you also get down to business with action to carry it out.
You’ll rarely be heard talking about getting fit without going to the gym. Or about learning a language without attending a course. As a result, you’re much more likely to actually meet your goals.
5. You look for evidence to support your beliefs
Today, beliefs stand on more and more unstable ground. Cancel culture has us shunning someone just based on hearsay. AI platforms are pumping out thousands of gigabytes of unverified information. And fake or manipulated videos can make even outright lies seem completely real.
With this landscape and our shorter attention span, it’s easy for people to pick up untrue beliefs without a second thought. Someone says “This person did XYZ!” or “This health practice is actually bad because XYZ” and many people are content to believe it too rather than putting in effort to verify it.
But not you, the down-to-earth personality type. You are happy to hear everyone out and consider their perspective. But you don’t jump to conclusions just based on hearsay or alleged data. You make sure you get the facts straight and look at the real details of the situation before forming your own independent opinion.
6. You’re perceptive to the world around you
This is another sign that’s valuable — and unfortunately rare — in today’s world. Enter any public transport, and you’ll see most people with their eyes glued to a screen or wearing earphones. I know I was very guilty of this myself — and don’t get me wrong, there are upsides to it too. It’s a great way to make use of time, for example if you want to do another Duolingo lesson or listen to a podcast.
But there’s something very valuable we’re losing at the same time — touch with reality. We spend increasingly more of our time being out of touch with what’s happening around us. If you ask a person what they saw around them, they probably won’t even be able to tell you. They’ll only remember what reels they watched, or the angry comment thread they got sucked into reading.
On the other hand, down-to-earth people like to use their five senses to perceive information. One of my down-to-earth friends for example never wears earphones in public. Another one doesn’t even have data turned on when he’s outside. Instead, he stays present to look and listen to the world around him, truly living in reality.
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Wrapping up
We’ve just looked at 6 signs you have a down-to-earth personality. Though personalities can’t fit into one tidy box, there is evidence that holds true when we compare it to experience. In this case, there is evidence of the down-to-earth personality type in the MBTI system.
Do you recognize any of these signs in yourself or in others? As there are many benefits to this personality trait, you can decide to adopt any of these signs no matter what personality you identify with. Let me know in the comments below how being more down-to-earth has improved your life!
