[News Terms] Is There an MBTI for My Body Health Too? The 'MomBTI' Craze

Combining Genetic Testing with MBTI Psychological Tests
MZ Generation Shows Early High Interest in Health
Digital Healthcare Market Seen as Future Growth Engine

Recently, among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), there has been a craze for the ‘Body BTI’ test to find out their innate body type. The Body BTI test is a concept that combines the psychological test 'MBTI,' which explains one’s tendencies in perception and judgment as one of 16 personality types, with genetic testing services. In March, the MBC entertainment program 'I Live Alone' featured broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo checking his body condition through the Body BTI test, drawing attention.

[Photo by AI Image]

The reason for the popularity of the Body BTI test is the MZ generation’s high interest in health and healthcare. According to the ‘Generation Z Trend Report 2023’ released by the consumer data platform Open Survey last September, Generation Z ranked ‘mental health’ (43.8%) and ‘appearance and physical health’ (35.4%) as essential elements for a happy life, following income and assets (61.8%). This shows that the number of young people interested in health from an early age is increasing.

Broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo viewing his body analysis results through an app
[Photo by MBCentertainment on YouTube]

Another factor contributing to the popularity of the Body BTI test is the trend of ‘self-analysis.’ Unlike older generations, the MZ generation shows more interest in the individual than society. Self-analysis extends beyond MBTI tests to various fields such as personal color and body shape analysis. There are even cases where students obtain their elementary, middle, and high school records online through the government’s integrated administrative service platform ‘Government24’ and share them on social networking services (SNS). This is done to check the strengths and potential evaluations they received during school days and share them with others to gain positive energy.

They do not hesitate to spend money on paid tests for more accurate self-analysis. According to a survey conducted in August last year by ‘Carrit,’ an MZ generation trend analysis service operated by the campus magazine ‘University Tomorrow,’ 91.3% of 150 Generation Z respondents had experience using self-analysis-related services. Among them, 44.7% paid directly for paid services.

The Body BTI test, which allows easy access to one’s health information, fits well with these tendencies of the MZ generation. The Body BTI test method is simple. Users install a mobile app from a digital healthcare platform that provides body analysis services, purchase and register a usage ticket, then perform a self-test using a genetic testing kit received by delivery. After sending it back, they can check the test results related to skin, obesity, nutrients, etc., through the app within a few days.

Another reason for the popularity of the Body BTI test is the ‘Healthy Pleasure’ trend. Healthy Pleasure is a compound word combining ‘Healthy’ and ‘Pleasure,’ meaning pursuing health without losing enjoyment. In other words, instead of continuing difficult exercise with tasteless diets, people use the Body BTI test as a means to understand their bodies and engage in appropriate exercise accordingly.

Supported by this trend, the digital healthcare market is gaining attention as a future growth engine. According to the ‘2023 Domestic Digital Healthcare Industry Survey’ released by the Korea Digital Health Industry Association, the total sales of related industries in Korea have grown to 5.7206 trillion won. The global market size is also expanding. According to the Korea International Trade Association, the global digital healthcare market size is expected to grow from $106.3 billion (about 137 trillion won) in 2019 at an average annual growth rate of 29.5%, reaching $639.4 billion (about 826 trillion won) by 2026.