The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to M

by Gretchen Rubin (Author)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Are you an Upholder, a Questioner, an Obliger, or a Rebel? From the author of Better Than Before and The Happiness Project comes a groundbreaking analysis of personality type that "will immediately improve every area of your life" (Melissa Urban, co-founder of the Whole30).

During her multibook investigation into human nature, Gretchen Rubin realized that by asking the seemingly dry question "How do I respond to expectations?" we gain explosive self-knowledge. She discovered that based on their answer, people fit into Four Tendencies:

- Upholders meet outer and inner expectations readily. "Discipline is my freedom."
- Questioners meet inner expectations, but meet outer expectations only if they make sense. "If you convince me why, I'll comply."
- Obligers (the largest Tendency) meet outer expectations, but struggle to meet inner expectations--therefore, they need outer accountability to meet inner expectations. "You can count on me, and I'm counting on you to count on me."
- Rebels (the smallest group) resist all expectations, outer and inner alike. They do what they choose to do, when they choose to do it, and typically they don't tell themselves what to do. "You can't make me, and neither can I."

Our Tendency shapes every aspect of our behavior, so using this framework allows us to make better decisions, meet deadlines, suffer less stress, and engage more effectively. It's far easier to succeed when you know what works for you.

With sharp insight, compelling research, and hilarious examples, The Four Tendencies will help you get happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative.

Author Biography

Gretchen Rubin is one of today's most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness and human nature. She's the author of many books, including the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers Outer Order, Inner Calm; The Four Tendencies; Better Than Before; and The Happiness Project. She has an enormous readership, both in print and online, and her books have sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages. On her top-ranking, award-winning podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, she explores happiness and good habits. She is also a CBS News contributor, providing weekly solutions for living a happier life. Gretchen Rubin started her career in law and was clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor when she realized that she wanted to be a writer. Raised in Kansas City, she lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.