Signs of Intelligence

Number One: The Natural Explorer

Intelligent people have a knack for exploration. You're passionate about learning, constantly asking questions, and genuinely curious about the answers. This curiosity motivates you to pursue knowledge throughout your life. You read, listen, and absorb information well, not because you have to, but because it's fun.

Intelligent people like you are genuinely excited by obscure facts, niche subjects, and theories that make them think. You enjoy burying your nose in a book or listening to an expert share their new discoveries with the world. But how do we know curiosity is a reliable sign of intelligence? Well, because of a 2013 study, we now have definitive proof. Their goal in the study was to investigate whether or not investment affected intelligence.

In this study, investment means dedicating your time toward the pursuit of knowledge. In other words, the most invested participants were the ones who were really excited about learning new things. After looking at a sample of 60,000 participants, the data was more than clear: intellectual curiosity is an incredibly strong predictor of intellect and cognitive growth. So if you're a natural explorer, there's a good chance that you're one of the smartest people out there.

Number Two: Problem Solving with Self Instruction

Smart people share a lot of the same strange habits, but talking to yourself has got to be one of the weirdest. You know what I mean, right? Most people imagine geniuses quietly solving complex problems in their heads, but the best problem solvers think out loud. You're using something called self-instruction to essentially talk yourself through a problem.

Normally, when you're juggling so many different things in your head, it's easy to get confused. Your thoughts feel like a jumbled mess, but self-instruction pulls the important information to the surface. It turns your thoughts into physical steps so that you can propel yourself from one idea to the next.

According to a 2012 study, self-instruction also works wonders for your concentration. It's especially helpful when you're trying to multitask. It lets you tackle a range of variables without losing focus. So don't be afraid to talk to yourself. People may give you funny looks, and you might sound a little bit crazy, but more often than not, self-instruction is a marker of brilliance.

Number Three: Unexpected Complexity

You can't turn off your intelligence, just like you can't get rid of your face or the sound of your voice. So you can tell whether someone is actually intelligent by listening to a casual conversation. Alright, let's say someone asks you a question. Most people would give a quick, simple answer, right? But you see different sides of the question that no one else really notices.

Once you start talking, you end up diving much deeper than anyone expected. You give too many details and start connecting stories or ideas that seem completely random on the surface. It may take you 10 minutes to loop back to the original question. So, to the rest of the world, you just seem like a talker. But that's not what's really going on here.

This kind of unexpected complexity is a surefire sign of a sharp and clever mind.

Number Four: Unconscious Humility

Truly brilliant people are surprisingly humble because they know how much they have left to learn. They've only interacted with a tiny sliver of the limitless knowledge at our disposal. So they don't see themselves as smart, curious yes, tenacious maybe, but measuring intelligence doesn't mean much. Someone who's actually brilliant doesn't feel the need to claim that title because they've got nothing to prove.

On the other hand, if someone just can't stop gloating about how smart they are, it's usually meaning the opposite. They're desperate for other people to believe something that just isn't true. So if you love to learn but don't really think of yourself as smart, you probably are.

Number Five: Early Reading Ability

In 2014, a psychological study found that childhood reading ability actually predicts adult intelligence. Researchers looked at sets of identical twins over the course of nine years. During that time, they measured their cognitive growth to find out which sibling would be more intelligent and why.

It turns out the sibling that learned to read first was almost always smarter. They performed better on cognitive tests and got higher grades, even though both twins were raised in the same setting. That's actually the main reason why this study is so useful.

Most intelligence studies are impossible to validate. You never know what factors could have influenced someone over the course of their life. But twins experience the same environments, interact with the same teachers, and learn from the same lessons. Yet one of them somehow grows up to be noticeably smarter than the other. Thanks to this study, we know now that reading ability can predict which one.

Number Six: Giving Less Than Your Best

Many of the smartest people accomplish amazing things without putting in much effort. They score in the highest percentiles on tests, earn prestigious awards, and grasp incredibly challenging subjects without batting an eye. Others may complain about how exhausted they are, but you may not feel like you're trying that hard. You're just going through the motions.

In fact, you may not remember the last time you had to give something your best. If this sounds like you, I've got some good news: you're a lot smarter than you think.

Number Seven: Enjoying Your Solitude

If you're secretly brilliant, it'll show in ways that you probably won't expect. For example, your intelligence affects your social preferences. A study from the British Journal of Psychology found that smart people are especially fond of being alone. You might spend your time thinking, practicing, and asking questions. In other words, you don't need other people to enjoy yourself. You can almost always find new ways to spend your time wisely.

Now, this doesn't mean you don't value your friends. No matter how intelligent you are, you do rely on social bonding as much as anyone else. In fact, many smart people are incredibly extroverted. But as much as they enjoy the company of others, they're usually more than comfortable flying solo.

Number Eight: Complex Comedy

Some of the most intelligent people have a notoriously weird sense of humor, but it's not actually that strange. It's just more complex. You see, the best jokes work on multiple levels and have different meanings depending on who's listening. Some jokes are funny to everyone. Think about stand-up comedians. They tell the kind of jokes that anyone can laugh at.

But other jokes appeal to a very specific audience. They require a certain subset of knowledge for them to make sense. A physicist, for example, may laugh at a physics joke that no one else really understands. The same thing happens to most intelligent people. You might have a more complex sense of humor because you can understand why those jokes are funny.

Number Nine: Identifying Your Weaknesses

Everyone has strengths and everyone has weaknesses. There's no way around that, and smart people know that better than anyone. They're great at identifying their own shortcomings because they can look beyond their personal biases. But smart people take it one step further.

Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, they're more likely to make a change. They'll confront their sore spots by taking risks and stepping outside their comfort zone. If you're the kind of person who's always looking to improve, then you've definitely got a good head on your shoulders.

Number Ten: Powerful Memory

People talk about cognitive skills like they're each separate and independent, but they're not. They're all woven together in a big ball of cognition. That's why being talented in one area often affects the others. Memory is a great example.

If you have a strong memory, you're probably more observant, more careful, and more insightful than most people. You might shine in all kinds of intellectual pursuits, all because you have the memory to back it up.

Number Eleven: Resistant to Boredom

If you're more intellectual, you might have a hard time feeling bored. Most people have trouble entertaining themselves on a regular basis, especially when they're doing something they don't want to. As an intelligent person, you might not have that problem. No matter what you're doing, you can usually find something worth exploring.

Number Twelve: Impenetrable Concentration

When a smart person gets invested in something, it's almost impossible to distract them. They'll work and work for hours on end. Some forget to do basic things like eat and sleep. They're just too excited about whatever they're working on.

If you have this impenetrable concentration, then you might be secretly brilliant. Most people struggle to stay focused for an hour, but you have a harder time pulling yourself away. This is a rare and powerful skill that will help you learn, create, and succeed throughout your life.

Number Thirteen: Continuous Experimentation

Smart people love to experiment. They enjoy tinkering with all kinds of different solutions. Why? Well, because they're excited by the idea of solving problems. They like taking advantage of their natural creativity to think outside the box and pave new roads.

But it's more than that. Intelligent people aren't nearly as afraid to be wrong. They aren't worried about what the world will think of them if they fail. Even the most famous geniuses were wrong hundreds of times before their theories changed the world.

That's why intelligent people are more willing to take chances. They'll risk making a fool of themselves because they're interested in solving problems, not saving their ego.

Conclusion

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