Michael Burry Personality Type – MBTI & Big Five

What is Michael Burry’s personality type, using the MBTI, and the big five personality traits model? These traits may provide an answer to his motivations, and to his success in investing and understanding financial markets. Also including other aspects of his psychology.

Michael Burry is a hedge fund manager and investor. He was perhaps the first person to see the issues with the housing market. It was known as the subprime mortgage crisis. He referred to it as a bubble that was waiting to pop. He has also earned a MD (doctor of medicine) degree. Michael Burry believes that he may have Asperger’s. His son has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. Asperger’s is described as a low level type, or high functioning type of autism.

The movie The Big Short was mainly about Michael Burry and the housing market crash of 2008. Christian Bale plays Michael Burry in the movie.   

Michael Burry Personality Type – Big Five

Openness

Michael Burry is definitely high on openness. He has a high interest in important and intellectual ideas. High openness is also likely connected to better seeing patterns and connections, which was probably a big reason why he was able to see the issues with the housing market and predict the crash.

Conscientiousness

He seems to be highly motivated by his work. This suggests high conscientiousness, especially industriousness. He may also be high in the orderliness aspect. High orderliness is associated with OCD, and some of the symptoms of OCD overlap with Asperger’s, such as repetitive actions and compulsions. OCD is considered different than asperger’s. However, some research suggests that if a person suffers from one of these conditions, they are more likely to have the other condition.

Extroversion

Michael Burry, I would say, is very low in extroversion. The symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome are very similar to being very low on extroversion, or highly introverted. Is there a possible connection?

Agreeableness

Generally, he is low on agreeableness. He prefers to tell the truth and be direct, rather than trying to spare the feelings of others. He has expressed that he is not good with people, and that he struggles to understand them. He has said that he understands numbers and statistics better than he does people. This could be down to a strong interest in things over people. This is associated with being low in agreeableness.

Neuroticism

For the moment, I will place him in the medium area on the neuroticism scale. I would say he isn’t too high due to his ability to function well as a high end investor. He seems to deal with stress well, so on the medium to low end.

Michael Burry Personality Type – MBTI

I think Michael Burry is most likely either an INTJ or INTP personality type. However, I’m tilting more towards INTJ. Highly introverted (I), pattern-seeing and big picture thinking via intuition (N), straight talking, blunt and direct (T). Early achiever, hard worker, organized (J).