Your Blood Type and Personality

One of the other many quirks of Korea is their belief in personality based upon blood type. Sorta like a blood horoscope.

It was invented in Japan and became popular in the 1930s. It was actually more of a reaction to a European survey that basically said that because Asians tended to be of a certain blood type (I believe A) they were closer to animals who also tended to have that same blood type.

Of course this was blatant racism but still one Japanese man reacted and created the personality blood type concept. His research was ultimately just as faulty as the European and had about as much validity as the Germans did when they made claims about their Aryan blood.

Japan in particular will not only ask for your blood type in a job application but also seperate employees into groups based on blood types. Matchmaker sites in Korea and Japan of course will ask for your blood type to help with compatibility.

I have blood type AB and when I asked my students what that meant the students sorta laughed and looked uncomfortable. They believe that AB is a type that is a mix of both bloods so is a mix of two personalities. A bit of a neurotic and unpredictable personality.

Actually if you watch Anime (Japanese animation) you'll find that almost all of the bad guys have an AB blood type. Ultimately this blood belief has led to mistreatment of certain blood types. Jobs being lost, abuse, etc.

While it is more extreme in Japan, it is very prominent in Korea and it would not be uncommon for someone to inquire about your blood type. I will be sure to discuss it more as I find out more about it.

One last thing to ponder: On Average Japanese tend to have an A blood type, while Americans tend to have B.