Review: Personality Plus by Florence Littauer

 

Review: Personality Plus by Florence Littauer

Rating: 10/10

Florence Littauer’s Personality Plus is one of those books that does not only explain people — it helps you forgive them, understand them, laugh at them, and sometimes finally understand yourself.

At first glance, it may seem like another book about personality types. But very quickly the reader discovers that Littauer is doing something much warmer, more practical, and more human. She does not write like a cold psychologist sitting behind a desk. She writes like someone who has watched people closely, loved them deeply, struggled with them honestly, and learned how different temperaments can either create conflict or build beautiful relationships.

This book impressed me because it explains personality in a simple, memorable way. The popular sanguine, powerful choleric, perfect melancholy, and peaceful phlegmatic are not just theoretical categories. In Littauer’s hands, they become real people we recognize immediately: in our families, in churches, in workplaces, in marriages, among friends — and, of course, in ourselves.

What makes the book especially enjoyable is its humor. Florence Littauer knows how to teach without sounding heavy. She can describe human weaknesses in a way that makes the reader smile instead of feel attacked. And that is a rare gift. Many authors try to correct people by humiliating them. Littauer corrects through humor, warmth, and truth.

One of the strongest elements of the book, for me, was the presence of the author’s daughter, who adds so much humor, lightness, and real-life energy to the message. Her observations make the book feel more alive. She brings freshness, wit, and a sense of family conversation. Thanks to her, the book is not only educational but genuinely entertaining. She helps show that personality is not an abstract subject — it is something we live every day at the breakfast table, in conversations, during arguments, and in the funny little misunderstandings that happen between people who love each other.

Another idea that truly stayed with me was the Button Club.

I was honestly impressed by it. The idea is simple, but powerful: people wearing buttons that encourage kindness, attention, appreciation, or positive interaction. It may sound small, but sometimes small signs create big changes. A button can become a conversation starter. It can remind people to smile. It can make someone feel noticed. It can say, without a long speech: “I care. I see you. You matter.”

I even thought about activating something like the Button Club in my own town.

And I still think it is a brilliant idea, especially today.

We live in times when empathy has become almost exceptional. Many people are tired, distracted, defensive, lonely, or locked inside their own problems. We pass each other quickly. We judge quickly. We answer quickly. But we do not always notice one another deeply.

That is why the Button Club feels so relevant. It is not just a cute social idea. It is a quiet rebellion against indifference.

In a world full of cold communication, online arguments, artificial smiles, and emotional distance, a simple human gesture can become revolutionary. A button with a message of kindness may not change the whole world, but it can change one conversation. And sometimes one conversation is enough to change someone’s day.

Florence Littauer’s great strength is that she shows how understanding personality can lead to more patience. When we understand that people are wired differently, we stop expecting everyone to react, think, speak, organize, feel, or love exactly as we do.

The sanguine needs joy and attention.
The choleric needs action and achievement.
The melancholy needs depth and order.
The phlegmatic needs peace and stability.

None of them is perfect. None of them is useless. Each has gifts. Each has weaknesses. And each can hurt others if they do not mature.

That is the real value of Personality Plus. It does not give us labels so we can put people into boxes. It gives us language so we can understand them better.

This is also why the book is so useful in relationships. Many conflicts do not come from bad intentions. They come from different temperaments. One person wants to talk immediately; another needs silence. One wants everything planned; another enjoys spontaneity. One wants emotional excitement; another wants calm. Without understanding, these differences become irritation. With understanding, they can become balance.

Littauer teaches that personality awareness should not make us proud. It should make us humble.

Because when we recognize our own temperament, we also recognize our own blind spots.

Maybe we talk too much.
Maybe we control too much.
Maybe we criticize too much.
Maybe we avoid conflict too much.

The book invites us not only to identify who we are, but also to grow beyond our weaknesses.

 

 

That is why I consider Personality Plus a wonderful, practical, and deeply human book. It is easy to read, full of humor, rich in examples, and surprisingly wise. It can help families, couples, teachers, leaders, church groups, teams, and anyone who wants to communicate better.

For me, the most beautiful message of the book is this: people are different, but difference does not have to divide us. If we add understanding, humor, patience, and empathy, difference can actually make life richer.

And perhaps that is why the Button Club idea touched me so much. Because it captures the spirit of the whole book: notice people, encourage them, appreciate them, and bring a little more warmth into the world.

In times when empathy is rare, books like Personality Plus are not outdated.

They are needed more than ever.

Final verdict: 10/10
A warm, funny, wise, and practical book about personality, relationships, empathy, and the beautiful challenge of understanding other people.