Do you think with your head or your heart?

It may sound like an obtuse question -- after all, thinking implies that you're using your brain -- but some people think that their true selves lie in their hearts rather than their heads. They make decisions and behave based on how they're feeling rather than what may be rational.

Meet the heart people.

The primary characteristic of heart people is their emotional nature. Research even suggests that they may align their stances on controversial topics and even charity donations based on their "primary organ."

Curious to know more? Below are just a few things you should know about people who think with their hearts.

 

1. They're probably going to be emotional around you.
You know the saying "you wear your heart on your sleeve?" Yeah, heart people invented that. Similar to highly sensitive individuals, these folks tend to show their emotions easily. That may mean crying during an argument (or even during a surprise for that matter).

2. It takes them a while to make a decision.
Please leave all logic at the door. It doesn't matter what the "rational" choice is, what matters to a heart person is how he or she feels about something. And as everyone knows, feelings can be fleeting. 

Research on heart people suggests they make moral decisions based on their emotions. So while they may take a little bit longer to make a choice, once they do, they know in -- yep, you guessed it -- their hearts that it's the right one.

3. They're extremely empathetic.
Bad day? Stressful experience? A heart person is right there with you. Because they feel everything, that means they also feel for others. Studies show sensitive people (like heart people) may be wired for more empathy in the brain.

4. A heart person will talk about his or her feelings.
It's how they bond with others. Heart people enjoy intimacy in interpersonal functions (like discussing emotions) to a greater extent than head people, according to research on the subject.

5. They tend to be extroverted.
Research suggests that heart people characterize themselves as "interpersonally warm" and place greater value on belonging to social groups. This need for social connectedness is somewhat the opposite of head people, who pride themselves on a bit more personal autonomy or independence.

6. Heart people get stressed out easily.
Heart people experience more negative emotions on high-stress days, which means that mistake at work or that shady comment is going to hurt worse for them. This isn't exactly one of their more favorable traits (especially since stress is so terrible for health) -- so it's something they need to keep an eye on. 

7. They're intuitive.
They know when something is wrong, even if you're not saying it out loud. Heart people self-identify as more perceptive -- most likely because they're so attuned to emotions.

8. They're people pleasers.
When studying the two traits, researchers found that heart people tended to score higher in agreeableness than head people. Occasionally, this excessive level of agreeableness may yield to people pleasing. Heart people need extra reminders to look out for themselves and not to yield to the needs of others.

9. They feel ALL the feelings -- and act on them.
Happiness. Sadness. Anger. Heart people feel them all and feel them deeply. While logic may be the answer for some people (and there's nothing wrong with that), heart people consider their emotions a compass. 

Curious if you qualify? Check out the breakdown of head people and heart people to discover where your true "self" is located.