Have you ever felt like you maybe weren’t like everyone else? You very well may be right, but it can be really hard to know for sure. A good way to find out if you are smarter than the average person is to keep track of your habits. The habits of intelligent people are unique, impressive, and sometimes just plain odd.
To make things easier for you, we are going to cover some signs you are smart, and go over some of the things that highly intelligent people do almost every day. And don’t forget to stick around until the end of the article, as we have a habit that many intelligent people don’t even realize they do!
Number 10: They don’t talk about their intelligence.
It’s quite possible that you are intelligent even if you have your doubts. Most smart people don’t really think that they are intelligent, as they just feel like that is everyone’s normal state. Intelligent people also won’t talk much about their intelligence, as they don’t think that it’s relevant. People who are smart tend to care more about their pursuit of knowledge or the development of skills more than they care about how they are perceived by others.
There are exceptions to this, of course, as some people have been told how smart they are for years, and internalize that a bit. Most of the time, however, the people who have the most brains are not talking about it almost ever.
Number 9: They will watch and learn before trying something.
One of the most common things intelligent people do is to watch an expert before trying something. While most of us prefer to learn from experience, many smart people would rather get an idea of what they should be doing before even attempting it. They will study a pro, watching closely to see why they are successful. Then, on their first attempt, they will try and reverse engineer a similar result through what they learned.
While we all look for guidance when it comes to learning a new talent or skill, most of us prefer the trial-and-error approach instead. This habit has its downside, as most do, since the intelligent person may begin to grow frustrated if they aren’t able to properly replicate success within the first few tries. Because of this, smart people can often alienate others as they seemingly get frustrated out of nowhere.
Number 8: They don’t like receiving help.
This might seem like the opposite of what we said in the last point but stick with us for a moment. While an intelligent person may be okay observing a person and learning at a distance, it’s unlikely that they would want anyone to help them. This is actually a sign of intelligence, even if to most people it may seem more like stubbornness. These people are okay with failure, even if it annoys them, as they understand that it can take time and patience to truly understand a skill.
Smart people tend to be extremely self-sufficient, and the last thing they want is for you to bail them out while they are struggling. It’s not because they are embarrassed or don’t think you can help them, though; actually, it’s the opposite. They just know that straining those brain muscles and having to problem-solve will help them more in the long run than the instant gratification of your help.
Number 7: Intelligent people only strive to apply knowledge.
You are unlikely to find an intelligent person who wants to boast about what they know. These people don’t learn anything just to be able to say they know about it, instead, they tend to narrow their focus down. This is known as tunnel vision, and it’s often something that geniuses have to actively fight against. As a result, many intelligent people have blind spots when it comes to things they don’t really care about.
They may know everything there is to know about mathematics, but can’t even point to where their femur is located. This can really surprise people since they seem so smart in what they know. But what is really happening is that these geniuses only really care about their interests, and don’t care to learn about something just to talk about it or to show off their mental abilities.
Number 6: They can easily come to the right conclusion.
Just because intelligent people have blind spots doesn’t mean that they can’t come to really extraordinary conclusions. One of the things that intelligent people do that most of us don’t connect the dots across subjects, fields, or disciplines. These people can use their higher reasoning abilities to make leaps that might seem totally unrelated to us, but end up being correct.
This is because they tend to have a better idea of how things operate, and sort of understand the world and its functions in a different way than most of us do. They are also more confident that they can jump to at the very least a close conclusion.
Number 5: They ask tons of questions.
One of the most publicized habits that smart people have is that they usually ask a lot of questions. Intelligent people don’t feel insecure about their intellect and are naturally curious. Because they don’t have this barrier of entry, they are much more likely to speak up when something confuses them or if they feel like they are lost. They may understand that there is no way that they can know how everything works, but that won’t stop them from trying anyway.
Intelligent people know that without a sturdy foundation of knowledge, they can’t build upon and learn new things. Because of that, they will try and cover their bases, and will sometimes ask hypothetical questions that they may never even encounter.
Number 4: They love puzzles and mysteries.
Geniuses can often get wrapped up in the unknown, as they find a lot of joy in it. For smart people, these mysteries are just discoveries waiting to be made, and they know there has to be an answer out there somewhere. Smart people don’t know for sure that they will be the ones to solve it, but they at the very least want to get as far as everyone else has. Things like paradoxes or things that exist but shouldn’t especially excite those of higher intellect, since these are extra unusual for them.
Geniuses usually grow their intelligence from the ground up, meaning that they have a clear understanding of how things work before they move on to more complicated matters. There aren’t as many unknowns in these people’s lives, so when they find one they try their best to understand it and break it down.
Number 3: They can freeze up before solving something.
An example of one of the odd habits of highly intelligent people is that they can often disappear from the situation altogether, to the point where if you didn’t know better you might even think they were being lazy. They are, of course, just thinking through the problem thoroughly before trying to solve it, but it can be jarring for people to experience. It can be strange seeing a person sit still for a few minutes only for them to quickly jump out of their seat and declare that they solved the problem.
This habit is great if you have the time, but can be a bit more difficult to put up with if time is of the essence. Smart people don’t like to admit any sort of defeat, and if they can’t come up with the perfect answer, a lot of the time they won’t want to do anything at all until they are 100% sure.
Number 2: They will give credit where it’s due.
There are a lot of people in the world who claim that they are smart, only for it to come out later that they actually took credit for someone else’s idea. This is almost always a clear sign that that person is not very smart, as the most intelligent people are great at dishing out credit. For them, the important aspect of a team environment is to get to the end goal, which is finding the correct way to do things.
They will be impressed if you come up with an idea better than theirs, and they won’t feel bad or inferior because of it. Because of this, working with smart people can often be thrilling, as they can create an electrifying environment to be a part of. Be warned, though, that they often expect a lot, and they won’t be shy about calling you out if you aren’t putting forth the same passion that they and the rest of the group are.
Number 1: They try to see things from your point of view.
One of the habits that smart people do every day is to be empathetic toward others. Intelligent people might sometimes be harsh, and they might accidentally do something that upsets you, but they will also try and see things from your perspective. Don’t be afraid to share your true feelings with a smart person, as they are constantly trying to see things from a different point of view. They will try and understand how the things that they say and do affect everyone, and this extends well beyond those close to them like friends and family.
Empathy is a rare trait in the world and one that is consistently found in smart people. We can sort of forget this when we picture our idea of a genius, as that word usually includes things like science and analytics. Smart people still feel things, though, and they will value you and your opinion even if it isn’t one that they happen to share.
Read More: 10 Signs You’re Not Smart, but Actually a Genius!
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