What Are Mindy Kaling’s Enneagram and Myers-Briggs Types?

Bubbly and ambitious, with a hint of anxiety, Mindy Kaling is the kind of woman with whom we wouldn’t mind becoming best friends (translation: she is in fact our dream BFF). She is hilarious. She keeps it real. And she’s written some of the most incredible comedies over the past decade, refusing to be stereotyped and relegated to the sidelines as a “sidekick” character. 

According to her written work and observed traits, Mindy Kaling is most likely an Enneagram Type Six and an ENTJ in Myers’ and Briggs’ framework. Here is more about her multifaceted personality.  

Enneagram Type Six: The Loyalist

Although she’s a total boss today, Mindy wasn’t always the vivacious, super-funny heroine of her own story that we know today. “I knew on some level that I didn’t have the same audacity as other kids – they were so fearless and I definitely wasn’t,” she explained to Stylist. Her parents did, however, encourage her to be perceptive. Without a doubt, this careful, quiet streak has led her to make wry, interesting comedic observations, and left the world with some great film work.

Likeable and hard-working, Mindy is an Enneagram Type Six. Here’s how to spot the Six in your life, and what makes the Six tick, as illustrated by our favorite comedic actress. 

Outwardly: Spotting the Six

• Organized. Sixes are responsible, disciplined and organized. They make the ideal employees in any organization, and thoughtful leaders, as well. They do the work. She advised other women to keep their head down: “Just think about your art, that thing you're gonna do,” she said. “All the white men who are doing the same thing, are not [worrying about others' opinions]; they're just getting better and better and better at their jobs.”
• Likeable. Sixes typically have a strong group of close friends – though they’re easy to get along with regardless, just look at Mindy’s sense of humor and connection to her fans.
• Hardworking. Sixes are hardworking as a means to excel and to stay in good graces at work, which gives them a sense of security. You may see them burning the midnight oil. Mindy has said she is “constantly in a state of self-improvement.” She also excelled in college. “I kind of killed it in college,” she says. “You know that saying ‘big fish in a small pond’? At Dartmouth college, I was freakin' Jaws in a community swimming pool.”
• Observant. Because of their keen eye for noticing danger and anticipating problems, Sixes are very observant – something Mindy that resonates with Mindy. “I just want ambitious teenagers to know it is totally fine to be quiet, observant kids,” she said, even noting she didn’t once have the gall of other kids. “Besides being a delight to your parents, you will find you have plenty of time later to catch up.”
• Strong communicators. Sixes are generally good communicators across mediums, and can speak strongly and confidently. Mindy is not only a wonderful actress and performer, but a successful writer.

Inwardly: Understanding the Six

• Security-oriented. As skeptical overanalyzers, Sixes prize the feelings of security and peace, and take steps to seek those things out through hard work and building trust in their relationships. 
• Relationship-oriented. Sixes keep a tight-knit circle, but they work hard to maintain their friendships and relationships. “I will be there for you during your horrible break-up, or getting fired from your job, or if you’re just having a bad couple of months or year,” says Mindy. “I will hate it and find you really tedious, but I promise I won’t abandon you.”
• Anxious. Sixes are plagued by anxiety at times, whether socially, at work, or about preparing for their lives and taking care of loved ones. Mindy uses comedy as an observant means of sharing some of her own anxieties. “I’m the one who looks at the infant, smiles nervously, and as my contribution to small talk, robotically announces to the parent, ‘Your child looks healthy and well cared for,’” she joked in her book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

TypeFinder ENTJ: The Commander

"PEOPLE TALK ABOUT CONFIDENCE WITHOUT EVER BRINGING UP HARD WORK... I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU COULD HAVE SELF-CONFIDENCE IF YOU DON’T DO THE WORK.”                                           

-Mindy

E // Extraverted: ENTJs know that commanding the room gets them farther, so they’re not afraid to take center stage and show off their sparkling and gregarious personalities. “I will leave you with one last piece of advice, which is: If you’ve got it, flaunt it. And if you don’t got it? Flaunt it,” Mindy has said. “’Cause what are we even doing here if we’re not flaunting it?”

N // Intuitive: Mindy doesn’t see what is, but rather what can be. She’s written many of her own parts, and has broken racial and gender norms in Hollywood. “If you don’t see a clear path for what you want, sometimes you have to make it yourself,” she’s said.

T // Thinking: Mindy is confident, and not typically concerned with making sure she is well-liked or pleasing everyone; she is more concerned with mapping her trajectory to success with logical decisions. “Don’t fall into the trap of thinking about politics in your workplace too much,” she said about work. “Just work hard, be cheerful, ignore distractions.”

J // Judging: Like other judging types, Mindy makes plans and goals and is always gunning for just a little bit more. “No matter how good you have it, it’s cool to want more,” she insists.

Cognitive Functions:

Te // Extraverted Thinking: Extraverted thinkers are doers, who don’t just think about how to get things done; they actually create action and change. As a curvy woman of color, Mindy refused to be typecast as the “sassy best friend” in movies and TV, so she wrote her own multifaceted roles. Her intelligence and ambition has always been clear. She’s said being called “stupid or unfunny” is the “worst thing you could ever say to me.” 

Ni // Introverted Intuition: Those with introverted intuition have a keen sense of how to build a plan, and keep working toward their goals. They also tend to have deep interests instead of broad knowledge; they care about a few things very deeply, whether it’s marine biology or pop culture. “I am notorious for making impassioned speeches about things nobody cares about,” Mindy has said.

Se // Extraverted Sensing: Like many with extraverted sensing, Mindy is image-conscious; she loves fun, colorful clothes, shoes and makeup. She also has fine tastes, in everything from travel to food. “I can’t for the life of me not eat something that I want to eat,” she has said. “You know how if you turned on a faucet in your sink to wash your hands, the idea of leaving the bathroom without turning it off is insane? That’s how I am about ignoring delicious food.”

Fi // Introverted Feeling: Those with inferior introverted feeling often have strong emotions, but struggle to manage them effectively. Oftentimes, their coping mechanism is shutting off. “I am the kind of person who, if my feelings are unrequited, can completely detach from someone emotionally if I simply put my mind to it,” Mindy has said.

Fast Facts on ENTJs:

• 2% of the population (3% of men; 1% of women)
• Least likely of all types to report financial or work stress
• One of top 4 types with the highest college GPAs
• One of two types most satisfied with their work
• Cited values: Home/Family, Creativity, Achievement, Learning 

Score high on these personality trait measures: Ambitious, Forceful, Optimistic, Egotistical, Adaptable, and Energetic