What personality traits do doctors have?

We surveyed 7,610 doctors to learn what personality traits and interests make them unique. Here are the results.


Holland Codes

Doctors are investigative and social

Doctors tend to be predominantly investigative individuals, which means that they are quite inquisitive and curious people that often like to spend time alone with their thoughts. They also tend to be social, meaning that they thrive in situations where they can interact with, persuade, or help people.

If you are one or both of these archetypes, you may be well suited to be a doctor. However, if you are artistic, this is probably not a good career for you. Unsure of where you fit in? Take the career test now.

Here’s how the Holland codes of the average doctor break down:

Investigative
An investigative person is someone who lives in the mind. To solve problems, they prefer reading and studying, books and text, rather than their using their hands. They tend to analyze situations before making decisions. Investigative people are independent thinkers that are both curious and insightful.
Social
A social person is someone who thrives in social situations. They like to work with other people and generally love helping others. They are empathetic, caring, and their sensitive nature makes them very good at understanding other people’s mood and feelings. Social people are good at generating positive energy for a good cause.
Conventional
A conventional person is someone who is careful, quiet, and pays close attention to detail. Following a set of rules appeals to these people as they like to feel secure and certain. They prefer to carry out tasks assigned by others rather than take on a leadership role. They are typically neat, tidy, and enjoy working with data in structured settings.
Enterprising
An enterprising person is someone who makes an excellent leader. They are excellent problem solvers and enjoy sales and management roles. This type of person is extroverted, and while they may seem restless or irresponsible, their energy and ability to take risks is the reason many projects get started and stay successful.
Realistic
A realistic person is someone who is very body-oriented. This individual enjoys using their hands and eyes to solve practical problems. They like doing outdoor, mechanical, and physical activities. It’s very natural for a realistic person to relate to the physical world—this type of person usually does not deal with problems concerning ideas, data, or people, but rather, they like to concentrate on problems they can solve with their hands.
Artistic
An artistic person is someone who likes to be involved with forms, patterns, and designs in life. They like to use their minds and hands to create things. An artistic person enjoys unusual people, sight, sounds, and textures—they have a lot of spirit and enthusiasm. The enjoy using their own creativity and imagination.

Big Five

The top personality traits of doctors are conscientiousness and social responsibility

Doctors score highly on conscientiousness, which means that they are methodical, reliable, and generally plan out things in advance. They also tend to be high on the measure of social responsibility, indicating that they desire fair outcomes and have a general concern for others.

Once again, let’s break down the components of the personality of an average doctor:

Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness is one's ability to master our impulses and act on a schedule. Individuals with a high conscientiousness score will find it easier to ignore urges and plan in advance; this also means they may have a difficult time with spontaneous or unexpected situations.
Social Responsibility
Social responsibility measures a person's desire to see fair outcomes and their general concern for the welfare of others. People who score high on this trait value equality and are generally not particularly experience-seeking.
Extraversion
While most people associate extroversion with a love of other people, the reality is that this trait covers a much broader range of situations. A high extroversion level means that an individual need external stimulus to be happy; this can mean surrounding themselves with others or trying new experiences. Introverts tend to be able to satisfy themselves from within, and are therefore usually far more independent than extroverts.
Agreeableness
Agreeableness is the value which you place on ensuring that everyone gets along. Someone with a high agreeableness score will be more likely to try and understand the needs of other people, and looks for ways to ensure that everyone is satisfied; the downside of this being that their own needs and wants may be given a low priority.
Openness
Do you find yourself searching for new ideas? Do you enjoy talking about big, abstract ideas? If so, you may have a high openness to experience score. Some common traits of a high openness score include a desire for variety, high curiosity, and an active imagination.