Two of these temperaments, sanguine and choleric, shared a common trait: quickness of response (corresponding to heat), while the melancholic and phlegmatic shared the opposite, a longer response (coldness).
These last four, named for the humors with which they were associatedthat is, sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic, eventually became better known than the others.
Its psychological equivalent holds people are either sanguine (social and happy, basically), choleric (egocentric and strong-willed), melancholic (focused and analytic) and phlegmatic (calm and thoughtful).
As indicated in the subtitle, each of its four movements is a musical sketch of a humor of the four temperaments: choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic, and sanguine.