When you think of someone smart, what comes to mind? Is it someone with big nerdy glasses and a book in hand, boasting about their straight-A report card?
Intelligence isn’t something that’s measured merely by an IQ number or a test grade, it’s demonstrated and shown through our personality and lifestyle.
Are you curious to find out if you’re someone of great intelligence? If so, here are nine signs of a secretly intelligent person.
1. You’ve got a great sense of humor
Everyone loves someone who can make them laugh. It makes you more approachable, attractive and someone fun to be around.
But did you know that humor is strongly linked to intelligence?
How else could someone easily crack a hilarious joke if they didn’t have the smarts to do it? Research shows that funny people, especially the ones that love dark humor, have higher IQs.
And are also highly capable of both verbal and nonverbal skills which include self-expression, problem-solving and more.
2. You’re empathetic
Being empathetic makes you a great friend and is also linked to higher levels of intelligence.
The ability to respond according to other people’s emotions, ranging from happiness to sadness, is a skill that not everyone has mastered.
People with lower levels of intelligence are often unable to identify or show concern for other’s feelings.
Showing empathy reveals that you’re someone who’s able to read through people and their emotions by analyzing their verbal cues and body language.
3. You’re a night owl
It’s generally thought that people who wake up early and on time are more productive, energetic, motivated, and overall better off than people that are night owls and wake up late.
However, research proves that this isn’t always the case. If you tend to stay up late at night and sleep into the next day, you might just be a secretly intelligent person.
A study published through the “Personality and Individual Differences” article in 2009, showed that people with higher levels of intelligence stayed up and woke up later in the day throughout their week, regardless of whether it was a weekday or a weekend.
4. You sweat the small stuff
Do you get anxious when you don’t have your homework done for class or making a good first impression on your significant other’s family?
While constantly feeling worried might not be the most desirable quality, there could be an upside.
According to psychologist Dr. Edward Selby from Psychology Today, a study done on 126 undergrads regarding how often they find themselves feeling worried revealed that those who tend to worry a lot more than others were more verbally intelligent.
Which meant that they’re able to analyze and process information, read and write at a higher level.
5. Romance doesn’t come easy for you
When it comes to finding a partner, it just isn’t as easy as the movies make it seem.
Your destined partner isn’t always going to be the person who lives next door or the new coworker who shares your cubicle.
If you find yourself less experienced than your peers in romance and relationships, your family and friends have probably advised you to lower your standards.
But upholding your high standards for potential partners is a sign of intelligence.
Knowing exactly what you want in a partner and not being easily swayed by looks is linked to being smarter than average.
Also, as an intelligent person, you’re most likely introverted and independent.
When in a relationship, your independence and the need for alone time might not work well with a partner who craves frequent attention and time together.
As a result, this could leave them feeling neglected and could spark conflict.
6. You’re a messy person
Have you ever bothered to make your bed? Is your workspace cluttered and unorganized?
In a study done by Dr. Kathleen Vohs of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, participants were asked to think of new ways ping pongs could be used.
With people being placed in tidy rooms while others were placed in messy rooms.
Although participants from either room generated around the same amount of ideas as the other, the far more interesting and inventive ideas came from the people who brainstormed in the messy room.
So if you find that you’re someone who tends to work in a more cluttered workspace without much care for tidiness, you’re most likely more innovative and full of ideas.
7. You’re a procrastinator
Procrastination is a sign that you have a creative, imaginative mind, one that can analyze, process, and visualize different scenarios and circumstances.
When it comes to procrastination, you approach the task at hand in a different way, instead of focusing on the end result.
Instead, you visualize and focus on the entire process you’d have to go through before reaching completion.
This could be thinking about every single step you’ll have to take, how much time you’ll spend working, and even all the things that could go wrong.
All these overwhelming thoughts brew within your head before even getting started and it feels consuming.
Your sense of motivation dims and you put off the task, so you don’t have to deal with how overwhelming it feels.
8. You use curse words
While it may not be the best to curse in front of your mom or in the middle of class, swearing isn’t as bad as it seems.
Not only is it an outlet for anger and frustration but it’s also a sign of a more vast vocabulary and higher abilities in reading and writing.
According to a 2015 study conducted by a Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts psychology professor, Timothy Jay, participants who could come up with as many words possible starting with a certain letter in under a minute were also the ones who could name the most curse words.
And they knew under the same amount of time which demonstrated a link between fluent speaking and the use of swearing.
9. You doubt your intelligence
With social media, you’re subjected to a constant game of comparison, you see news of your friends, family, and role models posting of all their accomplishments or special projects.
And it’s easy to fall victim to feelings of jealousy. You can start to compare your own successes to others and label yourself as not smart enough.
Maybe you’ve been overlooking the gifts and talents you already have.
Based on the Dunning-Kruger effect, people with lower levels of intelligence usually overemphasize their abilities.
While those who are truly intelligent tend to be more humble regarding their skills and feel that there’s endless room for improvement and are open to learning.
Everyone has their own personal gifts and talents to bring to the table.
Did you relate to any of these signs of secret intelligence? Let us know in the comments below.
Worth Reading
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