Chieko Ichikawa, the head of Human Science ABO Center in Tokyo. The center was founded by journalist Masahiko Nomi, who released a series of publications on blood type in the 1970s with a concept called blood type humanics -- a new way of studying the human mind. (ABC News)
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Blood type is a good tool to understand different human behaviors. Most Japanese have some knowledge of each blood type and its trait so blood type often becomes a good conversation piece.
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Nessie
Nothing that helps you close the deal with the ladies is complete nonsense.
Patricia Yarrow
I'm AB- so I can sit pretty on my rarity...possibly due to a Native American heritage. Does it mean anything else? Not really...although I seem to recall there may be a connection between blood types and the kind of diet the body requires...more or less meat, more or less fat, carbohydrates, vegetables, etc.
Ah_so
Blood type horoscopes are complete nonsense.
But then again, I would think that - my blood type is A.
Altria
Kuwa-gata
Nessie
The correct answer: "I'm type AB. But I can change if it will get me this job."
Nessie
Unlike today, when everyone has not enough money and no brain power.
omarbabilon
IT IS ABSOLUTELY STUPID.
helloklitty
They are also into birth order. That might make a little more sense.
You might be right, however, "Os" are vain and rude vs. "Bs" selfish and irresponsible.
It would appear to be the "Os" who are considered sociable.
Type A - Best traits: Earnest, creative, sensible; Worst traits: fastidious, overearnest; Type B - Best traits: wild, active, doer; Worst traits: selfish, irresponsible; Type AB - Best traits: cool, controlled, rational; Worst traits: Critical, indecisive; Type O - Best traits: agreeable, sociable, optimistic; Worst traits: vain, rude
Which is the best one to tell the Japanese? I'm guessing 90 percent of them are AB.
I'm surprised this has never come up on a job interview. Maybe interviewers realize it is bunk.
Ultradude
Most Japanese are surprised to find out that most gaijin don't even know their own blood type. I only knew because I've donated blood (and it is was on my dog tags). This is pseudoscience based on anecdotal evidence and was used by Nazi and Japanese racists in the late 20's and early 30's to justify their actions and world views. This bunk became popular again here in the 70's when a journalist with no medical or scientific background wrote a book. But then we in the US have L. Ron Hubbard and his "religion", so we can't throw stones.
UnagiDon
omarbabilon;
Which blood type is the one that lets people understand humour?
omarbabilon
Dear Mean Ringo...
In the world there is around 6,000 million people, probably 1,000 million or so are B type, i guess there is no reason to say you hate B-type blood people, because you don't know all of them, it's absolutely absurd to believe people's behavior is result of their blood type, it's a complete non-sense, if so... if would mean there are only four kind of people in ths world: A, B, AB and O. Would somebody tell me what about Ciclotimic, Introspective, Extrovertive, Mixed types... I would like to know if somebody in Japan study Psychology at school or so... i remember in high school we were taught about Jung, Freud, conditioning, Gestalt..., what happenned in Japan?. It seems they are not interested in serious Psychology, of course i know NOBODY in this country like to talk and find a solution for their own psychic problems, but pretending that blood type is responsable about behavior is... A COMPLETE JOKE.
AlfGarnett
Blimey, you'd have to be daft to believe all that claptrap.
Only a simpleton would think blood typw indicate abything about how people behave. Strewth, that is bonkers.
MeanRingo
I hate B-type blood people. They are the worst kind of person out there.
rurika
It's sad that this pseudo-science is used for choosing a dating partner or members of a work team. However there are some real scientific projects researching the correlation between blood types and certain illnesses.
borscht
Too late. People have actually used blood types when hiring people for jobs, especially back when everyone had too much money and not enough brain power (80s). One person asked me my blood type and I asked her to guess. She got it right on the third try and said, yappari (of course) you're so like that blood type. Which is why it took her three guesses?
jwills79
One day I went wall climbing in Tokyo for the first time with this girl(also first time). After a couple of hours of climbing the instructor praised my technique and ability to pick it up. She was still struggling. One reason was she didn't listen and just kept trying to do it her way. I told her to try the way we were taught and take it easy. During small talk she asked what was your blood type. I said O+. She said really I don't believe you. I said Why? She said because you are so careful and methodical. I am like we are climbing a three story wall with no previous experience and its dangerous. Her response was Oh, I see. I think it is cool conversation piece but I hope people don't start putting too much into it. I believe we are instilled at birth with certain traits and behaviors but you can't rule out life experiences to also shape who we are.
Yeah, this sounds like the beginning of another way to discriminate. Can someone say Gattaca?
Triumvere
Its the Japanese version of asking "What's your sign?"
Hotbox08
Yup, relying on blood types, astrology, palm reading, numerology, and birthdates are not very reliable sources for studying human behavior.
Nessie
You're welcome, USARonin.
I still remember a great post about this a while back from a poster here -- his "translation" of the blood types, in plain (hilarious) English. Who was that who wrote it? I'd like to see that again.
BlackFlag
I'm not comfortable with any situations where blood defines a person's worth, from this nonsense to whitepower idiots or HIV discrimination
omarbabilon
In fact human behavior depend about many aspects not exactly biological, as the relatioship with equals, the interaction with them, the cultural, social and economical enviroment, the influence of the parents, the existence of rol models (from the parent's image), the influence of conditioning, the education at school, the education at home, all the experiences between 3 and 7 years (the most important formative age)... all this kind of factors and much more... more than only be A+ B+ AB or negative... please... technology is not only make funny video games and nice electronics for home, technology must walk hand in hand with human knowledge. I AM SURE IF JAPAN WERE MORE INTERESTED ABOUT PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH, SERIOUSLY... NOT LIKE THIS JOKE ABOUT BLOOD TYPES, SURELY WE WOULD NOT HAVE PEOPLE STABBED ON THE STREETS AND MANY PEOPLE JUMPING TO THE TRAINS EVERYDAY.
omarbabilon
It seems to me as a superstition, because there are millions of people, so million kind of behavior, simply because no one is the same than others, it sounds almost like saying: "well your brain is big, then you are intelligent, but IT IS TOTALLY FALSE, because being intelligent depends about how much percentage(%) you use of some specific areas of your brain". In fact, it only shows how primitive and poor is the knowledge in Japan about Psychology and Psychiatry, for example if the mad man who stabbed people in Akihabara has the same blood type than me... what does it mean?... Would i do the same?. Please, does somebody know in Japan abou Gestalt, Jun, Freud and many, many other theories about behaviorism. Sostain any kind of institute and research about it... would mean... i'm happy and sweet person because i'm diabetic!!!!....
medievaltimes
archaic
USARonin
Nessie, thank you.
Nessie
The general idea originated in the West shortly after the discovery of blood types and with the rise of the eugenics movement.
...Before it was debunked as crank science, of course. More here for USARonin:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_blood_type_theory_of_personality
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=16459254
http://www.xenemag.net/e/archive/topics/culture/c_02.html
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V9F-46JYKJX-3&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=869437d88620738e39bb8f2cf3ceea9d
USARonin
-Anyone have a link to what individual blood types mean to the average Japanese schoolgirl in the streets?
Statistician
I'm curious to discover the origin of this perculiarly Japanese idea. Like wearing surgical masks, it can only have taken its current form after the introduction of Western medicine into Japan but it must have a much longer cultural history, like astrology in Europe