How do you know if someone is really smart or just putting on a show? Most people think of themselves as intelligent, but as we all know, this is far from the truth. Here we look at 18 characteristics that show someone is truly more intelligent than the rest of us.
Curiosity and Love of Learning
Intelligent people are naturally curious and have a strong desire to understand how things work. Most people see learning as a burden, but that’s not the case for intelligent people. In fact, many of them see learning as an opportunity to acquire new knowledge that could probably improve their lives, even if that knowledge isn’t directly useful at the moment. They’re happy to simply learn something new.
Emotional Intelligence
Harvard Business School defines emotional intelligence as “the ability to understand and manage your emotions, as well as recognize and influence the emotions of those around you.” Even though many of us only think of traditional intelligence, emotional intelligence can be just as important or even more important in some cases.
High Self-Control
One sign of intelligence is the ability to see beyond the present. This is why intelligent people have great discipline, as they understand that sacrifices made today can result in a much better future tomorrow. They also have great impulse control and are, therefore, able to avoid habits like impulse shopping and drinking too much.
Open-Mindedness
Intelligent people are usually open to new ideas and different perspectives from other people. They’re willing to reconsider what they already know and welcome opposing thoughts into their lives. For this reason, they’re more accepting of diversity in thought and culture.
Adaptability
Your ability to survive in abrupt situations is also another sign of intelligence. If you’re truly intelligent, you should be able to quickly adjust to new situations, no matter how different. This will not only help you grow but can also help you deal with unfortunate situations when they come along.
Problem-Solving Skills
A typical telltale sign of the most intelligent person in a group is that everyone runs to them when they have problems. It doesn’t necessarily mean this person carries everyone else’s burdens, but usually, they’re able to come up with quick solutions, and their peers know this.
Intuitive Thinking
Intuition often plays a crucial role in the decision-making process of intelligent people. They trust their gut feelings, not because they’re superstitious, but mostly because they know that feeling is coming from a place of concern. It’s often why everyone wonders how they manage to go through life with ease.
Strategic Thinking
While the rest of us are still thinking about what’s happening at the moment, intelligent people are usually far ahead, planning their futures. For example, most students will be concerned about exam results, while the truly intelligent are already putting in applications for internships to do after school.
Effective Communication Skills
Articulate and clear, intelligent people know how to convey their ideas effectively. There’s no point in having good ideas if you can’t communicate them to the people around you. Most of the greatest people in history are remembered because of how well they were able to put their ideas together and push them to the rest of the world.
Humility
Despite their capabilities, highly intelligent people often show humility. This is because they’re sure of their abilities and don’t feel the need to prove themselves to anyone who comes along. Most of them are even open to learning from others despite their lower intelligence.
Persistence
Inc.com mentions that Steve Jobs once said persistence is the most important trait of successful entrepreneurs. If you think about it, everyone fails; the people who succeed are the ones who persevere through failures until they find their moment.
Creative Thinking
Creativity is a significant trait that allows intelligent people to invent and innovate. You might not think that intelligent people would describe themselves as creative, but many of them are. Creativity isn’t just about the arts; you can also be creative in many other ways that don’t involve things like music, drawing, or design. For instance, inventing new software also takes some level of creativity.
Analytical Thinking
The Peak Performance Center defines analytical thinking as “the mental process of breaking down complex information or comprehensive data into fundamental parts or basic principles.” If you were to ask an intelligent person about something complex, they should be able to explain it to you even though it’s new to you.
Sense of Humor
A well-developed sense of humor can be a sign of intelligence. Comedians are some of the smartest people you’ll ever meet in your life. Many people don’t think about this, but it takes a certain level of intelligence to come up with jokes that the majority find funny. This sense of humor usually comes in handy when intelligent people are going through tough situations.
Memory and Recall
This one’s pretty obvious, as it takes mental ability to remember something. If you ask an intelligent person about something from the far past, they’re usually able to remember it with so much more detail. If you think about it, exams are mostly about memory, and that’s why intelligent people are able to ace them.
Focus and Concentration
A smart person should be able to concentrate for long periods, even with minimal distractions. At the end of the day, to complete anything, you have to have a tremendous amount of focus on it. It’s important to note that focus isn’t just about knowing what’s important but also recognizing what’s not important.
Skepticism
A healthy level of skepticism is essential in life; there are grifters at every corner, ready to take advantage of people, especially if they’re vulnerable. An intelligent person will know to look for evidence of whatever facts someone presents to them, and even when they get this evidence, they know to question where it’s coming from.
Resourcefulness
Life’s not perfect, and we must all be ready to come up with creative solutions when problems arise. Some people do this similarly well, while others struggle to maneuver even the easiest situations. The former often find unique and unconventional solutions and persevere regardless.
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