Some people have minds that are just wired for jumping from idea to idea without pauses, says Siadat. For example, she says, one particular personality type that might be prone to overthinking is intelligent folks.
“Overthinking is a plague of the brilliant,” Siadat asserts. “The capacity that brilliant people have to think quickly and with great depth can be astounding. It can also be difficult to turn off, especially in a culture where we are so frequently stimulated.”
Tanchanco also sees overthinking as common among certain personality types. “I identify as and work with people I call ‘Anxious Perfectionist Givers’ (APGs),” she says. “We are notorious overthinkers and often got far in life because we tend to be planners, high achievers, and work in service industries such as nursing, education, and other care-related jobs. Because we are juggling many things and empathizing with others as part of our work, we tend to overthink past what is helpful or necessary.”
