How To Spot A Sanguine Without Even Trying

A Introduction to the Sanguine Personality. This is suggested reading before continuing on to the rest of this post:

The sanguine temperament is fundamentally impulsive and pleasure-seeking; sanguine people are sociable and charismatic. They tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and tend to be boisterous. They are usually quite creative and often daydream. However, some alone time is crucial for those of this temperament. Sanguine can also mean sensitive, compassionate and thoughtful. Sanguine personalities generally struggle with following tasks all the way through, are chronically late, and tend to be forgetful and sometimes a little sarcastic. Often, when they pursue a new hobby, they lose interest as soon as it ceases to be engaging or fun. They are very much people persons. They are talkative and not shy. Sanguines generally have an almost shameless nature, certain that what they are doing is right. They have no lack of confidence.

~Wikipedia, Four Temperments

 ***

How to Spot a Sanguine Without Even Trying.

This is not hard. In fact, it is nigh to impossible to avoid spotting the personality type in with Hippocrates dubbed "Sanguine", although some of the other temperaments will sometimes try their darndest to do so. It takes a considerable amount of enthusiasm to match that of a Sunny little Sanguine upon running into them in the cereal aisle or in the buffet line at the yearly family reunion. Oft times it's easier give up trying to "match" the enthusiasm and just allow oneself to be enveloped by it, for better or worse.

I, however, cannot pretend to write from any other vantage point of understanding except by one who largely possesses the Sanguine disposition (as i do). It should also be stated that it is quite easy for me to write in glowing, forgiving terms of this temperament because a Sanguine typically find themselves and their Sanguine peers quite endearing, even on a cloudy day. Several run-in's with my kind lately have prompted me to write a bit on this flagrant personality, in hopes that I might offer the Sanguine reading this a little dash of affirmation that they so long for and perhaps a better depth of understanding for those readers who live in the back wind of these swirling, sociable and sometimes exasperating sorts.

Here, in no particular order, is a VERY short list of a few identifiable features of the common Sanguine:

The Furniture Re-arranger.

Last Thursday night I sat in the living room of a dear friend. A bunch of truly great women trudge there every other Thursday night after our kiddos are in bed and when we're done discussing God, children and other very appropriate and sometimes inappropriate subjects, we leave with lightened hearts. It is a beautiful blending of personalities with laughter and tears weaving through most gatherings.

Anyhoo. After the apple crisp and wine was put away and one by one, the women were heading back to their domestic headquarters, I mentioned to the hostess, a fellow flaming Sanguine, how much I loved the new layout of her living room furniture.

Her response: "Thanks! I like it too! But expect it to be different next time you come!"

I laughed, for I knew it would. I went on to share of this common love of rearranging furniture, which surfaced during my very early childhood. My mother would be amazed at the heavy furniture my toothpick, five-year-old frame could move (there is great strength in willpower), as I would always delight in bringing her in for the "big reveal", watching her face for admiring approval. After all the hefting and heaving of dressers and bed frames, I would plop down on my prized Strawberry Shortcake comforter and survey the new view from my mattress. I found such satisfaction from this...and I still do.

It was not until after my furniture rearranging conversation, however, that I realized why we Sanguines really love it.

Besides from liking "new", rearranging furniture into every conceivable arrangement is something we can do that is fast, does not require many miniscule steps and yet gives us instant results that people will notice (another plus!). Give a Sanguine a project/craft/remodel with anything over two steps and I'll tell you to keep your expectations low. Very low. However, if you stumble upon a room that looks freshly rearranged, exclaim with enthusiasm at the marvelous difference the change makes, and you'll have a friend for life!

Words on the fly.
(A small bit of complimentary counsel)

Just as Melancholies crave perfection, the Phlegmatic desires peace and the Choleric seeks control, the Sanguine simply desires to be heard, understood and absolutely adored. This is why the Sanguine can barely stand conflict between he/she and ones they care about. They are most quick to forgive (of all the personalities), because they long for a happy atmosphere, free of disapproval. They are content to have been wrong, just so long as the other can let it go, move on and get back to adoring them!


Oft times this wordy temperament will be married to or best friends with one who is more, shall we say, measured. The one who is close with the Sanguine often is the one who mills over thoughts for weeks, yay, even months before disclosing words or deeds done by the hand of the Sanguine that had done damage.  It is easy to imagine, then, how aghast the one who is at the listening end of the Sanguine tirade can be. They assume that all the thoughts spewing from the mouth of a Sanguine are well-thought out, time-tested musings that are actually what that person really feels, when this is not the case! The Sanguine has the natural tendency to pour forth every remote thought, without use of a filter, and place them on the table in messy disarray. After all is spoken (and sometimes spoken again),they sift out their thoughts verbally, discarding the "instant reaction" statements and deciding on the real source of the problem. It can leave the more reserved partner in conversation quite confused and most possibly, hurt...for they assume that the Sanguine must truly feel EVERYthing they have spoken, as they would.

This is not the case, I assure you. To those who are the ones that keep the Sanguine grounded and focused, to those who listen (and listen some more!) keep in mind you are appreciated and needed more than you know (yes, I am talking to you, Honey!).

An Inner Child  Near The Surface.

In this month's Costco Connection (a monthly publication from the warehouse giant), they featured the winners from their international photo contest. As I was gazing over the photos wondering how some got their ranking, my eye caught a photo that transported me to the future when in my sunset years, the barriers of propriety that keep my Sanguine nature in check will have grown blurry, and I thought: This will be me.

William Grabowski, Huntington Station, NY, Honorable Mention

I thought of a few friends who I suspect will be sitting there on that bench with me. Because you see, not-so-deep inside, we Sanguines love to be noticed...we always wanted to be the sequin-clad baton girls in the parade...we live to be in the center of a good time...we love to have friends, lots of them, and lavish love upon them...we like to rearrange furniture...when life seem dull, we throw a party just because...and we need those who live with us and all the downsides of our nature to know how much we adore and appreciate them!


Here's to the Sanguine sorts among us, and those who put up with them! Do tell...which one are you? 

My hope is, in the next week, to have a special "guest" share with us from the perspective of the opposite of the Sanguine temperament...the deeply beautiful Melancholy. Stay tuned...