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Which State Do You Really Belong In? — The Bold Italic — San Francisco

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The Bold Italic
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Time recently published America’s Mood Map, an interactive guide to the United States by personality and temperament created by psychologist Jason Rentfrow and a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge. According to a 13-year research project using personality test data from more than one million people, there are three distinct personality regions in the country, with the West Coast, Rocky Mountains, and Sunbelt being “Relaxed and Creative,” the New England and the Mid-Atlantic being “Temperamental and Inhibited,” and the South and Midwest being “Friendly and Conventional.”

According to researchers, migration is the main reason for the personality differences in the country. Back in the days of the pioneers, those who traveled West were the ones who had “open, curious, flexible temperaments.” These days, the people who score the highest on the personality tests are most likely to migrate and settle into cosmopolitan areas.

Want to know if your personality fits the state you live in? Take the 10-question survey on Time. I can’t vouch for its validity (According to the test, I should actually be in North Carolina), but when has that ever stopped you from filling out an online survey?

Via: Apartment Therapy

The Bold Italic is a not-for-profit media organization, and we publish first-person perspectives about San Francisco and the Bay Area. We operate under a fiscal sponsorship of a 501(c)(3).

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Last Update: March 21, 2026

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