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34 Unexpected Hints That Show A Person Is Secretly Very Smart
As much as it would make the world easier to understand, things like career success and advanced degrees don’t always actually mean someone is intelligent. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to identify someone’s mental abilities.
We’ve collected interesting and sometimes subtle examples of signs that someone is actually super smart from across the internet, from the ability to communicate with anyone to a superhuman skill at grasping new concepts. Get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own thoughts in the comments section down below.
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#2
When they are able to explain what they want to communicate succinctly and clearly, while having an awareness of the knowledge level of the audience they are speaking to.
I've had it happen in multiple fields that I see a colleague talking to someone outside the industry using industry-specific terms and expecting people to know what the heck they're talking about. I feel that comes from a level of emotional intelligence too to consider the understanding of the listener.
KitchenToto 14 hours ago
Good teachers do this all the time and good parents learn to do this with their children
#3
If a person hears or reads something and it sounds unbelievable, they go to other sources to verify the information.
#4
They don't blindly follow groups just to have an identity or because it's close enough.
#5
They can talk about politics and religion without getting angry. Lol.
Bartlet for world domination 11 hours ago
I will never not get angry when I talk to idiots about stuff they get to co-decide that affects millions. Better to avoid the subject.
#6
All these answers are just what an average intelligent person would do. Ask questions, don't try to sound smart etc... high intelligence is scary and unsettling when you actually witness it. It's like you realize "yea, we're definitely not created equal". The speed at which they grasp a complicated concept, put their spin on it and come up with new ideas from that concept. Their memory, processing speed and innovation just to name a few things. That usually comes with a few eccentricities though.
#8
Finding a connection between two VERY VERY unrelated concepts/topics. LIKE YOUR BRAIN REALLY EXPLORED THAT FAR IN A SPLIT SECOND?
i see this when they're presenting and they just make these really uncommon similes and metaphors that just make them stand out to people.
good communicators, too, oftentimes... until you let them talk about something they're really passionate about, then it's a lot of rambling and word vomit because they're too excited.
#10
They can explain things on anyones personal level. From 5 year old to the college graduate.
#11
Humor. Catching a joke fast means to me they were paying attention, understand multiple angles of a subject, think very quickly, and recognize and appreciate the absurd aspect of something presented as normal.
If you tell a quick joke and a bystander laughs fast but the person you're talking to takes a while you know which one is sharper.
#12
They’re able to understand hypotheticals and analogies. When you’re having a conversation (or debate) with someone and you make an analogy with metaphors, an intelligent person will quickly jump in and continue on the analogy. As soon as someone says ”but X is not Y” or ”but that’s not the same thing”, you know they’re not very bright.
Cerulean 13 hours ago
I agree with this only to some extent, bc analogies and metaphors can be traps. A human society is not a single human body ( needing a head etc, eg Leviathan) and your image of the human body may be wrong anyway. An atom is not a solar system at another scale. Cancer is not a human war. I love analogies, but you gotta be d**n careful to watch the built-in assumptions that slip through.
#13
Their statements and opinions are nuanced, they integrate multiple viewpoints yet remain easy to understand and correct.
Bill The Splut 11 hours ago
Being able to say "I didn't think of that!" and course correct. It takes a team to be a team. Genius Guy Who's Always the Correct Boss--not so much
#14
How and when they choose to correct people.
#15
They inherently take into account second and third order of effects. It’s not always some genius idea but rather an idea that takes the consequences and the consequences of the consequences into account with the decisions they make.
#16
Someone who doesnt take long to learn things in general
like i don't have to elaborate or explain much and they'll get it.
#17
This might not be instantaneous, but given time, you can determine intelligence by what someone finds funny.
#18
If they can intuitively identify first principles. They might not even know that they’re doing it in the moment, but you can always tell from their questions. These are natural systems thinkers and potential polymaths.
#19
I think EQ is as important as IQ. Showing humility and accountability. Being self aware. Being able to admit when you got something wrong. Reflection. Understanding other people. Being in a room full of others where everyone seems fine but you can read who isn’t fine.
#20
Their vocabulary.
When the other person has a different opinion about a subject with proper arguments.
#21
A type of eye contact during conversation. There is a certain look in a person's eyes when they engage you in conversation that instantly reveals how intelligent they are. Hard to describe, but definitely discernable.
#22
They are always learning and curious and never going around spouting off that they are 'high' IQ, or complaining about anyone else's IQ.
#23
They think constantly.
You can tell from the way they bring something up everyone has missed, have an eureka moment and so on.
#24
They see what others overlook. They possess unusually high-quality thoughts, recognize their own blind spots, and learn faster than expected. They absorb information quickly, adapt constantly, and understand situations at a deeper level.
A highly intelligent person can walk into a room, read the dynamics, identify what truly matters, and adjust their approach accordingly without needing recognition or showing everyone how much they understand.
#25
They know when to shut up.
If you only ever speak on subjects once you're properly familliar with them, you will always look educated.
#26
When they rise above. Example they say something is this way but the “smart” person is adamant to prove them wrong. They will say “oh maybe you are right” because it shows they don’t want to argue and waste their time on a halfwit.
#27
They don't disagree with you and just nod. The only time you will hear their opinion is IF you ask them directly, and when you do, he puts in a lot of disclaimers before he states it. Normally they approach things structurally instead of normal logical progressive thought. They also often start with definitions.
#31
I’ve found a correlation with intelligence and being able to understand more accents & odd ways of explaining something. Intelligent people are also naturally more cultured.
#32
They try atleast to do things with good, kind and clever intent. High positive impact on structure/society/systems, atleast tries to. Often quite kind but no nonsense. Organized, understands what it is like being a beginner at something and learns how to get experience, uses past experiences to adapt in the present. Questions things.
#34
Book smart: when they can tell you for a long time about their favorite subjects in detail
Social smart: when they tell you what they like and ask what you like?
Street smart: when they say "who asking"
Smart people also have a higher chance of becoming crazy.
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Geobugi🇰🇷🇰🇭 5 hours ago
This is a long list of what people wish intelligent people would be. I think everybody knows somebody who is pretty clever and i bet they are different in character like everyone else. Why would they be all the same? I know one guy who is a cardiologist and he is very good in his field. It feels like there is nothing he does not know about the heart but he can never, ever admit when he is wrong. He very rarely is, that is maybe the problem, he is not used to it. Another guy who has a doctor in physics and another one in mathematics does not care a bit if somebody does not understand what he is talking about, their problem. I could go on with this list for another hour but the point is, people are all different, some are very nice and some are absolute .....holes no matter how intelligent they are. Same is true for people who are not very intelligent. Some are very sweet, some are not
KitchenToto 14 hours ago
I read somewhere that though different cultures may have different definitions of what is physically beautiful in humans, they can all recognise intelligent people by the brightness of their eyes.
Geobugi🇰🇷🇰🇭 5 hours ago
This is a long list of what people wish intelligent people would be. I think everybody knows somebody who is pretty clever and i bet they are different in character like everyone else. Why would they be all the same? I know one guy who is a cardiologist and he is very good in his field. It feels like there is nothing he does not know about the heart but he can never, ever admit when he is wrong. He very rarely is, that is maybe the problem, he is not used to it. Another guy who has a doctor in physics and another one in mathematics does not care a bit if somebody does not understand what he is talking about, their problem. I could go on with this list for another hour but the point is, people are all different, some are very nice and some are absolute .....holes no matter how intelligent they are. Same is true for people who are not very intelligent. Some are very sweet, some are not
KitchenToto 14 hours ago
I read somewhere that though different cultures may have different definitions of what is physically beautiful in humans, they can all recognise intelligent people by the brightness of their eyes.
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