When it comes to love, INFJs are about as idealistic as you can get. Sensitive, caring and determined, INFJ personalities look for long-lasting and harmonious relationships in which they feel intellectually stimulated, understood, and cared for.
Like other Intuitive Feelers, INFJs enjoy creating meaningful connections with others—but they’re also reserved. These personalities can spend a lot of time in their own heads, making it difficult for them to decipher their own feelings and motivations, let alone anyone else’s.
While analyzing someone’s Myers and Briggs personality type won’t necessarily lead you to find your soulmate, knowing what traits a particular type finds appealing leads to better understanding all round. Keep scrolling to learn 10 qualities INFJ personalities find attractive.
1. Kindness
As sensitive personalities, INFJs feel attracted to people who show kindness towards others. Extraverted Feeling is their auxiliary function, which means INFJs try to connect in a gentle way, and appreciate those who can do the same. Most INFJs also strive to make a positive impact on the world. They’re usually tuned-in to people who share this same goal and connect with those who contribute in a positive way through a lens of compassion.
2. Empathy
Besides being kind, INFJs also appreciate people who can hold emotional space for them. As INFJs absorb so many of people’s emotions themselves, they value those who understand that the INFJ has her own emotional needs. This can mean listening, knowing when probing questions are unwelcome, or simply respecting an INFJ’s need for solitude.
Being empathic also involves trying to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. INFJs tend to feel uncomfortable around people who are overly critical, or make hasty judgments.
3. Open communication
There’s a reason why INFJs are sometimes mistaken for Extraverts. When we’re around people we love and trust, we’re chatty. INFJs are best fulfilled when they can have a meaningful conversation with someone.
Still, we also struggle to strike up conversations with strangers. So, we appreciate someone who can take that burden from us and who isn’t afraid of being transparent and sharing their feelings.
4. Authenticity
Authenticity is a trait that INFJs can usually spot from afar. Like other Intuitive Introverts, INFJs can have a hard time trusting people. It’s no secret that we’re very selective about who we let into our worlds. When trust is broken, we get defensive, and may blame ourselves for not predicting how things would play out. Cue, endless trust issues.
However, when we feel that a connection is genuine, and that the person sitting across from us is authentic, we tend to let our guards down. People who are their true selves, and wear their hearts on their sleeves, make your INFJ more comfortable to open up and be vulnerable.
5. Spontaneity
As Judging types, INFJs aren’t known for being spontaneous. We may have a chaotic mind, but we still need structure in our lives. Not having a plan, even if it’s just a vague idea of one, can easily make an INFJ feel overwhelmed. On top of that, INFJs tend to have a perfectionist nature, which can unleash our inner self-critic and make us enter a spiral of overthinking.
Though not spontaneous ourselves, we usually admire spontaneity in others. That’s why the ENTP and INFJ combination is often considered a match made in heaven. The fun-loving ENTP can shake up the structured INFJ a bit, and help them get out of their heads.
6. Loyalty
Loyalty is not only a quality that INFJs are attracted to, but also something they expect to find in a future partner. Once again, it all comes down to trust. For an INFJ, loyalty means more than ‘not cheating’. It means someone who supports you and makes an effort to truly understand you. INFJs are selective when it comes to choosing their relationships. If you’re not loyal, they’re not interested.
7. Honesty
The fact that INFJs are attracted to honesty makes sense when you consider that most INFJs enter a relationship thinking of a long-term thing. They hope to reach a level of comfort with their partners where there’s no space for lies. Now, there are various types of honesty ranging from "avoiding out-and-out lies" to "the truth and nothing but the truth, in actions, words and intention." INFJs prefer the whole deal—they value someone who can call them on their behavior. These types admire people who can empathically voice their opinions, without ruminating on what others might think of them—something they often struggle to do themselves.
8. Humor
Many personalities think of humor as an essential ingredient for a happy relationship. In fact, one study suggests there may be a link between humor and perceived attractiveness. For the INFJ in particular, humor is especially attractive when it shows that someone is clever enough not to take themselves too seriously. As intense and focused as INFJs can be, they appreciate someone who can bring a more light-hearted spirit to a relationship, and balance their own stress and worries by poking some fun at life’s mishaps.
9. Passion for knowledge
As big-picture thinkers, INFJs show an intense desire to explore ideas and possibilities. They love the opportunity to have meaningful conversations and dig deep into exciting topics. This doesn’t mean that an INFJ will only be attracted to someone who thinks exactly like them—but they definitely need to be with someone who can match them on that level by sharing a similar passion for knowledge, or a mutual interest in self-growth.
10. Attentiveness
Though quiet and reserved, INFJs value people who can give them care and attention. They might not be vocal about this, but they definitely expect their loved ones to be able to read the non-verbal cues. Attentiveness can also mean giving an INFJ your full attention, without distractions or interruptions. As many INFJs grow up feeling like the odd one out, they expect a certain level of understanding from those closest to them and admire people who bring care and kindness into every interaction.