Signs of a Truly Brilliant Person

1. Intellectual Flexibility

Do you know someone who's a walking encyclopedia? Someone who riddles off facts like the back of their hand? These people seem to know everything about everything, so we see them as highly intelligent. They're admired for their intellect, but many encyclopedic people aren't as smart as they seem. Our society frames intelligence as something logical, scientific, and numerical. People with good memories are treated like brilliant innovators, but memory can be misleading. Memorizing facts doesn't make you an intelligent person. You may be knowledgeable and well-informed, but not necessarily smart.

Memory is one small aspect of **intelligence**. Many encyclopedic people struggle when you push them outside their areas of expertise. Why? Because they can no longer rely on their memories. **Brilliant people** thrive across the board. They don't know everything about everything. They make mistakes and they get facts wrong, but their thinking is flexible and it's sharp. Brilliant people can solve a wide variety of problems, tackle unknowns, and synthesize new information. They innovate solutions instead of mimicking others. Someone may seem to know everything, but truly brilliant people have more than just a good memory.

2. The Circle of Discipline

How does self-control relate to **intelligence**? The two seem like entirely different subjects, right? But one can hardly exist without the other. Self-control builds your intelligence and intelligence improves your self-control. So how do you know if someone is truly brilliant? They have an astounding sense of discipline. They look into the future before making decisions. They weigh their long-term goals and ambitions, and they have the forethought to control their behavior when it counts.

You'll find that intelligent people wage an active war against their bad habits. They're always looking for new ways to be productive. They shape new routines, they incorporate motivational habits, and they reject devices that bring them down. **Brilliant people** are often patient and disciplined, just as disciplined people are often sharp and wise.

3. Thriving in Solitude

Do intelligent people socialize? Are they more or less social than the average person? The answer is a little confusing. For now, let's think about **intelligence** as a scale from zero to one. People below 50 struggle socially. They have a difficult time understanding others, which creates conflict in their social lives. People between 50 and 90 are usually successful in the social world. They can navigate a wide variety of environments and use their emotional intelligence to bond with others.

But what about people at the top of the spectrum from 90 to 100? There's a significant drop in social success. This comes from a 2016 study in the British Journal of Psychology. Researchers found that brilliant people struggle to maintain social relationships. So what's wrong? Why aren't brilliant people making friends? With so much brain power, socializing should be easy, right? Brilliant people can form friendships and relationships, but they prefer to be alone. **Highly intelligent people** thrive on their own. They like to socialize every once in a while, but most brilliant people are diehard introverts.

4. Communication Confusion

Introversion is not the only reason brilliant people spend their time alone. If you're a brilliant person, this may sound familiar. Extremely intelligent people are misunderstood on a daily basis. When they communicate with others, their thoughts fly over people's heads. Now we're not talking about philosophical questions and scientific mysteries. We're talking about basic communication.

**Brilliant people** think differently than the rest of the world. They notice different patterns. They use different lines of logic. They observe, prioritize, and respond to things that others just might overlook. A brilliant person may try, for example, to explain their emotions to a friend, yet their friend doesn't understand 90% of what they're saying. These misunderstandings can be frustrating and lonely. That's why brilliant people spend their time with other brilliant people. The average person just doesn't understand them, but other intelligent people do. This is another sign that you or someone you know is truly brilliant. If you click with someone who's hyper-intelligent, you're likely in the same boat. **Hyper-intelligent people** attract each other because brilliant people understand each other better than anyone.

5. Challenges in Change

How do you react to change? Do you stubbornly resist, or do you embrace change when it comes? **Brilliant people** understand that change is unavoidable. Careers change, friendships change, environments change. But why can't things stay the same? Why do brilliant people like change? Because change exposes us to new experiences. Change teaches you lessons you never would have learned otherwise. It's comfortable and easy to keep things the way they are. Change is a challenge, but brilliant people love to be challenged. They're never satisfied, they never settle, and they're always searching for opportunities to grow.

6. The Humility of Failure

Can you admit when you're wrong? Are you embarrassed by your mistakes? Most of the world gets defensive when they fail. There's a common misconception that failing means you're stupid, weak, or lazy. Society assumes that all successful people are intelligent, while anyone who fails is not. That just isn't true, but the possibility still scares us. Most people are terrified of failure. They don't want to look stupid. They're worried the world will think less of them, and they might be right.

But brilliant people know a single truth about success. Every successful person was once a failure. They failed again and again for many years until finally, they found success. They became brilliant not because of their memory, problem-solving, or cleverness. Their most brilliant quality was their humility. A **brilliant person** owns and admits their mistakes. A brilliant person takes risks but recognizes when they've lost. Most of all, a brilliant person doesn't view failure as an attack on their intelligence. Instead, they see failure as a chance to improve and succeed the next time around.

7. Freedom in Diversity

**Brilliant people** are always tinkering. One week they're diving into the analogs of history. The next, they're exploring complex mechanics or learning a new language. To a brilliant person, these projects are a form of freedom. They satisfy their curiosity and expand their horizons. Each project widens their perspective by challenging them to do something they've never done before. Over the years, brilliant people accrue a huge bank of knowledge, skills, and talents. A project may only last a week, but that knowledge can last a lifetime.

Down the road, brilliant people apply their diverse interests in fascinating and innovative ways. Their projects bleed into their work, and their passions flourish, fueled by dozens upon dozens of miscellaneous ideas. Does this sound like someone you know? Maybe you're the kind of person who has too many hobbies. If the answer is yes, you or someone you know may be truly brilliant.

8. Insightful Listening

Do intelligent people spend more time talking or listening? We expect intelligent people to talk more than they listen. After all, they have the most intelligent things to say. But the truth is, brilliant people spend most of their time with their mouth closed. **Brilliant people** are extraordinary listeners. They could ramble and monologue, but instead, they let others talk. They're receptive to new perspectives. They're quiet and patient, no matter what subject you want to talk about.

But what separates a brilliant listener from any other quiet person? It's their questions. When a brilliant person finally does open their mouth, they re-ignite the conversation with insightful and stimulating questions. They don't just listen to your points; they build upon them. Thanks to this quality, brilliant people make great conversationalists. They don't mind when other people talk about themselves. **Intelligent people** can find an interesting angle anywhere. Best of all, a brilliant person makes you feel interested and involved. They don't talk at you or above you. They talk with you, exchanging ideas and covering new ground. So think about your favorite people to talk to. Why do you love talking to them? Are they active and insightful listeners? If they are, they may be highly intelligent.

9. Bizarre Exploration

We talked about how many projects a brilliant person has, but the nature of those projects is even stranger. It's common for highly intelligent people to adopt obscure and mismatched hobbies. Why? Well, because **intelligent people** enjoy exploring untouched and bizarre subjects. They're drawn to niche interests because these hobbies spark their curiosity. Most strange hobbies are also creative, complicated, and confusing. They're done best in solitude and require lots of research. All of these things attract intelligent people. So don't be surprised if the smartest people you know have some strange hobbies.

10. The Price of Perceptiveness

Many brilliant people have exceptional observational skills paired with high emotional intelligence. They're perceptive in a way most people are not. This perceptiveness is one of their greatest strengths and one of their greatest weaknesses. On the strong side, brilliant people notice cues and signals that others overlook. They're the first to identify changes in their environment. They'll notice subtle shifts in mood, atmosphere, or body language. These observations give them a social advantage and help them better understand the world around them.

But perceptiveness comes at a price. **Intelligent people** are labeled too emotional, too anxious, and too sensitive. If you notice too much, others assume that you're looking too deep. Even if you're right, people will not understand your observations or feelings. So if this sounds familiar, the problem isn't you. You're not too emotional or too anxious or too sensitive. You're just more intelligent than most.

Sign	Description
Intellectual Flexibility	Ability to think flexibly and innovate solutions
The Circle of Discipline	Strong self-control and foresight in decision-making
Thriving in Solitude	Preference for solitude and independence
Communication Confusion	Unique thought processes and communication style
Challenges in Change	Embrace of change and new experiences
The Humility of Failure	Ability to learn from and improve through failure
Freedom in Diversity	Exploration of diverse interests and projects
Insightful Listening	Exceptional listening skills and insightful questioning
Bizarre Exploration	Adoption of obscure and creative hobbies
The Price of Perceptiveness	High perceptiveness paired with social challenges

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