Blood Type Personality

Do you know what your blood type is? Since I have been in America for about four years, whenever I ask this question, most Americans don’t know what their blood types are and respond, “”Who cares?” In South Korea, where I grew up, the question is one of the first things to ask when they get to know a new person, and the blood type information goes on the top of most people’s profiles. The reason why it matters to Korean is not to prepare blood transfusion in emergency cases, but because of blood type personality that I would like to talk about in my blog today. Kind of like Zodiac that some Americans believe, there is a belief in Korea that blood type can determine people’s personalities. Although a lot of scholars have found no scientific link between blood type and personality, the theory has become very popular in Korea.

Now, let’s look at the details for each blood type, A, B, AB, and O with its personality traits. Blood type A tends to be introverted, shy, and sensitive. Their positive traits are patience and perfectionism. Therefore, they work well in a team and obey rules. They are also seen as being polite and quiet, but a little emotional. Thus, they are sometimes pessimistic, and they don’t like changes.

Blood type B is the opposite of type A. They are very energetic and optimistic. They are also active, flexible, curious, and individualistic. Guys with B type personalities are known to be attractive to women, but they are also forgetful and have a short temper so they have a bad reputation as players in Korea.  

Type AB is a blend of opposites: shy with some bold and introvert with extrovert. So they are hard to categorize and unpredictable. Thus, they are called either a genius or an idiot. They are also artistic and talented. Even though Type AB is rarest, around 5% in the world, a lot of celebrities in Korea are Type AB.

Type Os are outgoing, sociable, and confident. So they make friends easily and are seen as natural leaders. They are risk takers and adapt to changes. However, they have a short attention span and are a little clumsy and insensitive. They don’t get angry easily but once they do, you have better watch out.

So far, I have briefly explained about personality traits depending on the blood types. For a better understanding of these characters, following cartoons are the demonstrations of how people with different blood types would behave in certain situations.

Based on the blood type personality, there are also a lot of guides, such as blood type matching in a relationship, finding the right job, and diet methods, all depending on your blood type. However, the theory is not just about how to fit all people into four categories and tell us what to do. As I mentioned earlier, there is no proof that blood types are related to personalities. Nevertheless, people entertain themselves by observing others’ behaviors and guessing what their blood types are. They enjoy talking about how each blood type is different, and what traits fit to them. I, as AB blood type, have fun when I find myself being in the corner of the classroom all the time. Today, what I wanted you to know is not just about a belief that blood types influence personalities. But also I wanted to share with you the joy of knowing your blood type and its behaviors.

Understanding Cultural Differences

On September 23, 2007, I arrived in San Francisco Airport. This was the first time I had been abroad. Until that time, I lived in a small city, Busan, in Korea for my whole life and was one of those quiet Asian girls, spoiled by my parents so much that everything had to be done my way. The trip to America started with curiosity about being outside of my comfort zone and meant nothing more than a vacation for me. There is an old Korean saying, “Ignorance is bold.” I spoke a little bit of English that time – I knew how to introduce myself along with a few words in English - and there I was in the in the middle of the airport, not knowing where to go, on the first day of my life-long lesson about understanding different cultures.

My first impression of America was not odd or unpleasant. I had some sense about the American culture from what I watched on TV, mostly stereotypes of how everyone would be very big and tall, but soon I realized that San Francisco was especially different from what I imagined. There were a lot more Asians than those with blond hair and blue eyes, but the people were still very diverse. Americans were actually very relaxed and kind as well. Unlike Koreans who are normally busy going their own ways in the airport, Americans came up to me and asked if I needed help. It is not that Koreans are not willing to help others, but that most of them are afraid to talk to foreigners because of their poor English skills or lack of confidence. Some of them just do not want to intrude in others’ business.

That day I witnessed that the body language was universal. With an address on a piece of paper and people’s kindness, I found my dormitory of my English school, located about five minutes away from downtown. I met a lot of people from all over the world. All my classmates and roommates greeted me in many different ways, such as hand shaking, bowing, waiving, and hugging. Coming from Korean culture that we like to keep personal distances, I instinctively pushed away one of my French classmates, who was trying to kiss on my cheeks, and almost said, “Get off me” only if I didn’t know how to say that in English that time. He even apologized because he realized that I was not comfortable with his way of greeting, but I felt bad for not being respectful or at least, trying to understand his culture.

                If I just had to list of all the differences that I experienced, I could have written a book about it. However, the purpose of this writing is not to tell my embarrassing moments, but I wanted to share my experiences and the lessons that I got. Coming from a different country and culture is very hard, but overcoming the process actually helped me to better understand other cultures. The first time I came to America, I was so stubborn to learning new cultures, but once I opened my mind, others also opened up their minds to better understand me and have helped me in accepting others as well. Now I have become a really good friend with the French guy since then because we both made an effort to learn about each other’s culture. The more you know about others’ backgrounds and cultures, the stronger relationship you will get with them. I close up this writing with a wish that all of you are also ready to open up your minds to understand Korean culture in my blog.