How to describe yourself in 3 words
Updated
The best three words are the ones your friends would also choose, each backed by a real moment. Ask three friends: "If you had to describe me in one word, which one, and when did you see it?". Keep the words that repeat.
Words to describe yourself, with proof
| Word | A moment that proves it |
|---|---|
| Loyal | You drove an hour at 2 a.m. for a friend |
| Curious | You learned to bake bread because you wondered why it rises |
| Calm | You rebooked the group when the flight was canceled |
| Funny | The best man asked you to rewrite his toast |
| Kind | You noticed the new neighbor and brought dinner |
| Determined | You trained for six months for a race you'd never run |
| Honest | You told a friend the hard truth, and stayed |
| Creative | You turned a rained-out picnic into the best night of the trip |
| Generous | You give your time when it's the scarce thing |
| Brave | You spoke up for someone in a room that went quiet |
Why your friends' words beat yours
On valued traits, our own view bends toward what we hope or fear (Vazire and Carlson, 2011). Your friends see your behavior from outside. Words only they would pick are your blind area in the Johari window (Luft and Ingham, 1955), and often your most interesting ones.
How to say it
My friends would say calm, curious and loyal. Calm, because I'm the one who rebooks everyone when the flight is canceled.
Three words plus one moment beats any list of adjectives: it's easy to remember and hard to doubt. For more words, see the 24 character strengths with examples.
Add a friend's first name and get a link to text them. Each friend shares a moment, no app or sign-up. You see the strengths that come back. Free.
Ask my friendsQuestions
How do I describe myself in 3 words?
Ask three friends for one word that describes you and one moment when they saw it. Keep the words that repeat and back each one with a moment.
What are good words to describe yourself?
Loyal, curious, calm, funny, kind, determined, honest, creative, generous, brave. The right ones are those your friends would also pick.
Why ask friends instead of choosing myself?
We judge valued traits in ourselves less accurately than the people who know us. Their words come with the moments that prove them.
Sources
- Simine Vazire and Erika N. Carlson, Others Sometimes Know Us Better Than We Know Ourselves, Current Directions in Psychological Science 20(2), 104-108, 2011
- Joseph Luft, The Johari Window, a graphic model of interpersonal awareness, Human Relations Training News 5(1), Spring 1961
- Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification, Oxford University Press and American Psychological Association, 2004