You may be wondering why highly intelligent people are almost always successful at what they do. Well, here are 19 traits these individuals possess that set them apart in solving problems and interacting with others.
Wittiness
A Forbes post also reveals “a strong connection between being funny and having high scores in both verbal intelligence and abstract reasoning.” Highly intelligent people are quick-witted and able to use their creativity to have intellectually stimulating humor.
Easily Adapting
Thanks to their flexible (and creative) way of thinking, highly intelligent people also adjust quickly to new information or different circumstances. You notice that they fit almost perfectly into different roles, making it easier for them to work through challenges. Part of this intelligent adaptability can be seen when someone influences or changes environments, too.
Intense Curiosity
Highly intelligent people always ask questions in a bid to understand statements or concepts more deeply. They’re interested in a wide array of subjects—not limited to their areas of expertise—and they don’t mind digging into topics others take for granted. For them, learning is a continuous, life-long commitment.
Communicating Effectively
These people also see communication as a two-way street and know that their counterparts must understand what they say. Hence, they share complex ideas with extreme clarity, and, as psychotherapists explain, they also listen attentively to understand what others have to say.
Remembering Everything
Highly intelligent people also recall information quickly and accurately, even after long periods of time have passed. One reason for this is that highly intelligent people typically utilize more efficient rehearsal strategies than others.
Thinking Logically
Complex issues aren’t an issue for them. Intelligent people evaluate information for logic or coherence, and they make decisions based on data rather than intuition. They know how to break problems down into smaller, more manageable segments. They do this to understand and solve these problems more easily.
Expressing Amazing Creativity
As you’ll know, intelligence is subjective. In different fields, intellectually gifted people come up with innovative solutions to problems or usher in more original, unique perspectives. These people can generate creative ideas to solve problems quickly.
Thinking Strategically
Extremely intelligent people also have enough foresight to plan their moves several steps ahead. They consider all the future implications that could result from their actions, know the difference between realistic and delusional goals, and come up with excellent plans to fulfill their ambitions.
Showing Amazing Self-Control
Their impulse control is undefeated, too! Highly intelligent people know how to weigh benefits against risks and end up ditching instant gratification if it doesn’t suit them. These people have great control over their emotions, especially in stressful situations, and they always have a disciplined approach to navigating their lives, both personally and career-wise.
Skepticism
Highly intelligent people don’t take everything at face value. They always question conventional thinking and avoid mindlessly jumping on the bandwagon. You’ll find them always criticizing loopholes in assumptions or arguments and never accepting information as valid without evidence to back it up.
Expressing Open-mindedness
As an extension of their curiosity, extremely smart people also try as much as possible to expose themselves to ideas or experiences that are different from what they have. This doesn’t just end here. They also incorporate new experiences into their lives when they determine they are better for them.
Possessing Self-Confidence
Highly intelligent people think independently of others’ opinions, and they don’t allow societal expectations or judgments to affect what they think of themselves. They’re confident in (and show) their ability to understand issues better than everyone else, and it’s because of this that you often find them in leadership roles.
Persistence
They also spend long hours trying to solve a problem and remain fixed on it—never giving up—until they get a breakthrough. What’s more, highly intelligent people enjoy problems like this that challenge them. They see these problems as a way to refine their ideas or the processes they already use.
Paying Attention to Detail
For highly intelligent people, the little things always matter. These people pay acute attention to every part of their work, interactions, or environment and can notice the tiny errors or changes that other people typically miss. They’re the best to place in roles to assure high-quality outputs.
Being Resourceful
Highly intelligent people also know how to maximize output from a limited pool of resources. They manage resources excellently by making the right choices with what they have to work with. They get the right results within short periods—often without sacrificing quality.
Preferring Depth
The need to dive beyond surface levels with brilliant people doesn’t end at topics, subjects, or professional fields. It extends to their conversations and relationships. This is because highly intelligent people love quality over quantity and so prefer deep connections over superficiality.
Prioritizes Tasks Better
Highly intelligent people are also very careful about what they focus on. They always choose to deal with what’s most pressing or impactful at the moment and to maintain utmost productivity and efficiency, they never pay attention to distractions. These people allocate their energies based on priorities to get the best results.
Quickly Recognizing Patterns
Highly intelligent people find it easier than others to form connections between seemingly unrelated concepts. They go the extra step to understand the relationship between different parts of a system and leverage their understanding in innovative ways to solve problems or predict the future.
Having Great Social Perceptiveness
Thanks to a mix of mental and emotional intelligence, these people also understand cues in social interactions better than many others. They discern the emotional states of people around them, figure out why behaviors change, and understand the implications of certain words or actions better.
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