And these little things define you forever, forever

[venta]

I always enjoy hearing about beliefs which are pervasive in cultures, but not in mine. And I'm always interested in medical problems that afflict specific cultures[*]. So yesterday I was delighted when ao_lai told me that in Japan your personality is determined by your blood type.

Apparently this belief about blood types is true to the extent that it causes real discrimination, which is less delightful, and its origins actually seem to be not-even-very-thinly disguised racism. Employers are not supposed to ask your blood type at interview, but it's likely you'll want to check the blood type of a potential partner to be sure you're compatible.

While being pretty certain I don't believe it in the slightest, I naturally wanted to know what my blood type says about me. (How many of you actually know your blood type? I know because I'm a blood donor, but other than that wouldn't have any idea - I'm guessing only donors or people who have/had medical issues where it's become relevant know as a rule.)

I can't find the exact page Ao_Lai was reading from, but he listed my finer points as responsible, reliable, sensible, mature... Sitting in my office (in an XKCD hoodie and a Zombie Attack Response Team t-shirt[**]) I felt mature and sensible wasn't really something I could lay claim to. I'd like to be reliable and responsible, and all the other calm, thorough, i-dotting and t-crossing qualities my type A blood implies, but fear I'm not.

On the plus side, I didn't really feel like I had the negative qualities either. So I'm comfortable in my belief that trying to divide humanity into four personality types based solely on genetics doesn't really work.

Given that it is a comparatively recent theory, the idea that you can predict personality by blood type seems surprisingly entrenched. I am, by the way, getting my info from Wikipedia, so anyone who knows more is welcome to weigh in. Apparently most anime characters' blood types are known, and your type is a regular option in character customisation in Japanese games.

It's just weird... By only because I haven't grown up with it.

[*] Not as in wow, isn't it great we don't have Ebola in the UK. More along the lines of fan death... Did you know it is fatal to sleep with an electric fan on in your bedroom... if you're South Korean. I'm sure there are equally odd things I believe that would make a Korean grin.

[**] Yes, I have mentioned in the past that I'm trying to dress more professionally when at work. Wednesdays I go to the Oxford office, and onebyone, zandev and Ao_Lai have all known me far too long to fall for any number of nicely-ironed shirts.

Comments

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

"Picking your nose and eating it is unhealthy" - apparently it isn't*. But it's still ingrained in most adults [Wikipedia says "most cultures" but doesn't mention which ones are excepted!] that we shouldn't do it, that it's "disgusting" and in some nebulous way bad for us.

* You can physically damage your nose doing it, but it has no negative effects on general health otherwise. We swallow most of our snot anyway so adding a bit more makes little difference. :)

[venta.livejournal.com]

Ooh, good one! Although watching someone do it does make me feel queasy.

Another is, I think, not swimming for an hour after you've eaten. Some hardcore swimmers don't, but that's no different from any other hardcore athlete. And endurance swimmers eat while they're swimming! There's no evidence that swimming after lunch makes cramp more of a risk, or that digestion diverts bloodflow to a dangerous extent, or any of the other things one gets told as a kid.

[zenithed.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that about cramp. I try not to eat immediately before going running, but that's more because it feels odd.

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

Yes, this one has been much on my mind, as I would find it hard to schedule my swimming if I had to avoid the post-lunch period!