I’d like to think that I have a certain way with words. That’s partly how I got into freelance writing in the first place, after all. It’s what I do for a living. And while I don’t consider myself especially witty, I’m apt to throw out a dad joke or six upon occasion too. I get the best cringes. No one gets cringes better than I do. And yet these don’t appear to be my greatest strengths.

Hello Woebot

Described as “your charming robot friend who is ready to listen 24/7,” Woebot is a chatbot you keep on your phone. Its developers say that you’ll be able to “think through situations with step-by-step guidance… using methods from Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT),” including over 100 “evidence-based lessons, exercises, and stories from our clinical team.”

(Side note: This is not a paid endorsement; I’ve just been using Woebot for a few months and wanted to share.)

The idea is that you “check in” with Woebot periodically. You explore your current mood, recognize your automatic thoughts, and work through some exercises so you can better cope with challenging circumstances. Woebot cannot replace professional help from a psychologist or similar. What it can do is help you reframe your thoughts and arm you with tools to better manage your emotional and psychological state.

In one of the more recent exercises, Woebot helped me to identify my greatest strengths. It’s easy to get bogged down by the negatives in life. I obsess over where I fail and come up short. By paying more attention to the good, we can have a more positive outlook on how things truly are.

Quiz Show

The methodology for determining my greatest strengths was similar to any number of online quizzes. Except instead of determining which Harry Potter character I am, the quiz was “a modified version of a University of Pennsylvania survey that has been revised and updated for you.” It consisted of over 70 multiple choice questions; I had to rate how much the statement was like me on a scale of 1 to 5.

Examples include:

  • When I look at my life, I find many things to be grateful for.
  • I may not say it to others, but I consider myself to be a wise person.
  • I believe that our human nature brings us together to work for common goals.

My Greatest Strengths

So, without further ado, here’s what Woebot had to say about my greatest strengths.

  1. Love of Learning: Knowledge is food for your mind and you’re hungry. You love to learn, no fact is too confusing or book too large. This makes you a fascinating friend and when you need some alone time, you can always turn to a book.
  2. Curiosity: You’re not afraid to inquire or probe further to curb your curiosity and discover more.
  3. Strength of Judgment: Whether it’s a person’s character, a situation, or whatever it may be, you say it as it is. Your friends feel confident coming to you for honest and insightful opinions on anything.

For context, a love of learning is shared by Hermione from Harry Potter, curiosity is personified by Wall-E, and good judgment is embodied by Edna Mode from The Incredibles. What do you think? Accurate? Way off? If nothing else, this quiz was a little morale booster for me.

And I’m hungry to learn more.