To other people, the sanguine appears to be a person without a care in the world. They are always laughing, trying to encourage others and never losing heart. However, isn’t their behavior a protective mask? And if so, what are they hiding beneath it?
Who is a sanguine?
A sanguine is an energetic (active) type of temperament with a strong nervous system, distinguished by sociability, an optimistic approach to life, quick adaptation, endurance and well-balanced emotions. They never stay in one place for a long time; the solitude depresses them because they are extraverts. A sanguine person is sometimes sad like a melancholic, fixates on something like a phlegmatic, and throws themselves into adventures like a choleric. They are interested in trying anything new.
Characteristics of sanguines
Sanguines like to show off and sometimes have inflated egos. If they succeed in doing something, everyone will hear about it. They will not keep silent about their achievements.
Sanguines are hearty and energetic. They love to laugh and to make others do the same. Charisma is their forte, which is why they often attract attention. It is easy to recognize the sanguine in a crowd because they:
- Speak quickly, loudly and clearly
- Gesture actively but not too broadly
- Has bright facial expressions; the corners of the mouth and eyes are usually elevated
- Often smiles, rarely lowers their head
- Walks energetically
- Keeps their back and shoulders straight
Sanguine people love communication and being the center of attention. They are practical; preferring to act under the influence of own interest and benefits. On the one hand, they are smart enough to think about their actions. On the other hand, it is difficult for them to resist temptation, laziness and thrill.
Sanguines prefer to live according to their own schedule, independently of others. A daily routine is not for them, but this applies only to their personal lives. At work, they are very disciplined, and often, are workaholics like cholerics. However, unlike cholerics, sanguines can relax and rest; they do not overwork. They value own efforts and time, and know the limit of their powers.
This quiz will help you determine what type of temperament you have.
Sanguines’ advantages
Optimism
Sanguines love life and take all the best from it. When they have trouble, they do not see the point of being sad or depressed. Instead, the sanguine prefers to quickly think about the situation and begins problem-solving at the earliest opportunity.
In general, sanguines easily tolerate failure. If something does not work out, they try again, otherwise, they switch their attention to other tasks. They see something positive in every situation and do not want to dwell on the bad things.
Communicability
Sanguines are amazing speakers. They are able to convince, inspire, instill hope and ignite emotions. Thanks to this quality, they easily find those who will work for or instead of them.
Their speech is bright, lively and rich — it delights and attracts. A sanguine person can easily find common ground with people of any type of temperament.
The sanguine doesn’t like to quarrel; instead they try to turn everything in a joke. If it does not work, then they try to reach an agreement without starting a fight, as they are very peaceful people.
Rationality
Sanguines can control themselves. They will not do anything contrary to ethics or social norms, even if they want to. Their actions are logical. They love to have fun, but they know when to stop.
Sanguines are practical and always look at the benefits of any situation. Their emotions and mind are usually in agreement.
Great adaptation
Sanguines aren’t averse to change and even embrace it. They quickly learn information, adapt to new conditions without problems and easily get along with strangers. They are not afraid of tasks that require quick and prudent decision-making.
If sanguines suddenly finds themselves in an unfamiliar city without money and friends, they will not only find a way to return home, but also will explore the area, meet a dozen people and open a local business.
Sanguines’ disadvantages
Superficiality
In pursuit of perpetual newness, sanguines do not always complete what they have started. They are stubborn and persistent, but quickly lose interest in their occupations. They’ll quit reading a book halfway thorough because they find a new one. They quit their job — despite being successful at it — because they’ve discovered a more interesting profession.
Sanguines changes hobbies frequently because they never thoughtfully invest in anything long enough to develop in-depth knowledge or skill. They know about a lot of subjects, but just at surface level. Superficiality makes them unstable and flighty in their interests.
Selfishness
Sanguines rarely care about other people’s feelings. They hardly notice them. Their life is bustling, full of change, and they do not want to stop to listen to others. They have no time. They arrange holidays everywhere and try to save the world from sadness — only but outwardly — not on a psychological level.
Sanguines like to attract attention and reluctantly give it away. Even if the sanguine decides to listen to another person, most likely it will not last for longer than a minute. Then they will try to cheer up the interlocutor, reflecting on the positive, but they will not deeply commiserate with the situation.
Poor concentration
It is hard for a sanguine to sit still. If they are really interested in something, they will make an effort and focus on it. However, routine affairs do not concern them, therefore they constantly get distracted. That is why the sanguine, as a rule, finds other people to delegate work to, while the sanguine runs off in search of adventure.
The sanguine quickly acquires new skills, but also quickly loses them, especially if they involve their job in any way.
The sanguine child
Studying
- The sanguine child loves to study, but only if the learning process is in a game form. If the lessons require perseverance and good concentration, they quickly get distracted.
- In general, sanguines earn average marks in almost all subjects. However, marks in courses are inconsistent. It is easy to explain: the child eagerly learns topics that they find interesting, while neglecting those that are boring
- Sanguine students almost always get out of difficult situations. For example, if their homework isn’t done, they improvise the answers as they speak. If they’re not prepared for the exam, they find a way to cheat and crib.
Friendship
- This sanguine child quickly becomes the center of attention. They are never alone.
- The sanguine child is an authoritative leader for peers. They can also easily communicate with high school students or younger schoolkids.
- Often, sanguine children become teachers’ pets. They are often friends with adults and can even communicate with young teachers informally during the extracurricular
- Sanguine children often change friends. They do not form close attachments, so they easily replace one person with another.
Dangers
- It is better to teach a sanguine child to take responsibility from an early age so that they have less superficiality and levity.
- Sanguines like change and constant movement. Extracurricular activities are very important to Without it, they will discharge their energy at home by drawing on the wallpaper, disturbing pets, etc.
- The sanguine child should not be overpraised, as they are prone to acquiring inflated egos. It is important to teach them to care about the feelings of others and to pay attention to them.
The sanguine’s career
Sanguines cope perfectly with the role of both the boss and the subordinate. Work that provides physical and intellectual stimulation are best for sanguines, so that they do not become bored. Often, sanguines are careerists; their profession is paramount for them.
The main motivators for the employee-sanguine are:
- Good salary and the possibility of an increase in pay
- Career growth, a chance to get a promotion
- Company-sponsored career development courses and training
- Innovation, use of advanced technologies and techniques
- Prestige (company car, well-equipped office, etc.), organization with a stellar reputation
- Company-paid memberships (gyms, social clubs, etc.), corporate parties, business trips.
This sanguine is an excellent organizer, both for work and entertainment. They can arrange a meeting with business partners or organize a corporate party. They are hearty, cope with intensive work, and do not mix work and personal affairs. They accept criticism well, adequately perceive criticism and try to correct their mistakes, thus improving themselves as professionals.
If the sanguine is not a boss, then they are an unspoken leader. They lead their colleagues but do not seek to compete or suppress the authority of the real manager. A realtor, journalist, lawyer, administrator, emcee of entertainment events or news anchor are the most suitable professions for sanguines. They also have above-average odds to start own successful business.
Sanguines and relationships
Sanguines are as unstable in relationships as they are in their interests. It can be fun and exciting for them to spend time with someone new, but when they get to know the other person better, they lose interest. Sanguines rarely become deeply attached to people for any length of time. They take break-ups much easier than other temperaments and quickly replace one partner with another. This applies to friendship, love, and work.
In order to build long-term relationships with a sanguine, it is better for their partner to:
- Be a versatile person, be open to personal development, be willing to try something new
- Respect the sanguine, admire them, but not be overly flattering
- Be not just a lover, but also a good friend
- Avoid attempts to dominate the sanguine partners
- Accept sociability the and talkativeness of sanguine (they have many acquaintances)
Still, it is rewarding to be in a relationship with the sanguine. They avoids conflicts, like to arrange pleasant surprises and to give gifts. However, if a disagreement, occurs, the sanguine quickly forgets the anger and does not dwell on it. They can be the first one who tries to make peace.
Sanguines are not demanding, they do not judge other people’s shortcomings. They know how to concede and declare their partners as the main ones in relationships — but only if it is their choice. If you press them and force them to acquiesce, they will most likely leave.
The sanguine’s health (psychosomatics)
The heart and cardiovascular system are weak spots for sanguines. They often suffer heart attacks (myocardial infarction).
But, sanguines have strong immune systems. It is believed that they get sick only when they want to. The sanguine tries not to pay attention to the disease symptoms — considering them trivial. Because of this, by the time the sanguine visits their doctor, the symptoms have progressed to the point of becoming an illness that must be treated by a specialist. However, the sanguine usually recovers much faster than other types of temperament.
Sanguine with other types of temperaments
Sanguine-sanguine
Happy tandem. This combination a good couple, great friends or close colleagues. Their opinions are very similar; they are interesting to each other. Sanguines are always full of ideas and share them with their partner, admiring and captivating them. Their arguments will be rare and short, then the partners will even laugh, remembering their “altercations.”
It is very important for a sanguine couple to look in one direction. Otherwise, the relationship will quickly fall apart, because the partners will not see personal benefits.
In the long-term, the partners in this relationship can become competitive with each other. However, it will rather become a friendly rivalry, rather than an aggressive battle. The main thing for both people is to periodically let their loved one “win.”
Sanguine-melancholic
Complementarity. In sanguine-melancholic relationships, the partners fit like two puzzle pieces. With the right approach, they smooth out each other’s flaws. Sanguines learn to pay attention to the feelings of others and value their emotions. They open the rich inner world of melancholic and find a lot of interesting things.
Melancholics make sanguines more responsible and empathetic, teaching them to love life not only for its dynamics and adventures, but also for its beauty. In such a pair, the sanguine person will be the undisputed leader.
The only problem is whether the melancholic and the sanguine can even meet. The melancholic is usually too quiet for the sanguine to notice. But if the two meet and a relationship develops, it will be a happy one.
Sanguine-phlegmatic
Calm union. The meeting of the sanguine and phlegmatic forms a solid foundation for a good working relationship. But the same cannot always be said for friendships. Sanguines can easily force phlegmatics to open up and show their bright side. However, often, the phlegmatics does not wish to do so as it doesn’t seem worth the effort.
As for marriage, it can be successful and long-term. The phlegmatic teaches the sanguine to be more consistent, patient and rational. A partner with a phlegmatic temperament calmly reacts to talkativeness. With a phlegmatic, a sanguine can brag and share stories without stopping.
Sanguines and phlegmatics are soulmates. If they get acquainted through common interests (e.g. yoga, cooking, psychology, etc.), then they quickly find common ground. They are brought together by common discipline and work ethic. However, once the event or class has ended, these two will find that they have little in common and go their separate ways.
Sanguine-choleric
Fight with an unpredictable outcome. Either these people will meet, quickly break up and never greet each other on the street, or they will become something inseparable. It all depends on the characters and the ability to compromise.
The biggest problem this couple faces is the struggle for leadership. If the sanguine decides to concede the title of the leader to the choleric, everything will be fine. However, if the sanguine is forced to do this, they will run away, because they don’t like to restrain themselves at all.
- The sanguine partner is the “thinker,” and the choleric partner is the “doer.” The first one comes up with ideas, the second one carries them out.
- Together, they build a truly thriving business.
- The sanguine often adopts choleric’s habits, but in a more balanced manner.
- There is a good friendship between these temperaments. They quarrel relatively often but quickly forgive each other. Their common feature is curiosity.
- These are two experimenters, so they are often like-minded.
The sanguine adapts to the choleric’s character but will do it only if the choleric person will meet them halfway.
Sanguines may seem llike ideal partners, but they have their drawbacks. Sometimes, their faults spoil their life quite a bit. Fortunately, the sanguine does not like to be despondent and always tries to find a way out of any situation. Being a friend, colleague or love partner of a sanguine is often a true pleasure.
