What do you think of when you imagine a highly intelligent person? Maybe you envision stereotypical characteristics such as book smarts, glasses, or a photographic memory. But have you ever considered what other, less obvious qualities they may possess? Here are 18 traits that highly intelligent people commonly share.
Embracing Uncertainty
Truly intelligent people are usually able to see the limits of their own knowledge, which allows them to remain open to new perspectives and information. This also means that they can see the value in constantly questioning themselves and the world around them, embracing the uncertainty of the unknown.
Creative Disorganization
You may imagine that more intelligent people are more likely to be clear and organized in their thinking and workplace. On the contrary, many highly intelligent people have rather chaotic, non-linear thinking patterns that are frequently reflected by an equally chaotic and messy physical environment. According to MensXP, disorganized people are more likely to be intelligent.
Learning from Mistakes
Most highly intelligent people understand that every mistake is a new opportunity to learn and grow. By embracing every challenge as part of the natural learning process, they’re able to constantly improve their knowledge base, skill set, and learning approach.
Adaptability
As well as learning from their mistakes, highly intelligent people can overcome challenges using creative thinking and innovative approaches. According to Business Insider, this allows them to adapt to a variety of different situations and obstacles.
Insatiable Curiosity
By always remaining curious about the world around them, highly intelligent people have the motivation and drive to constantly pick up new skills and useful nuggets of information. A healthy sense of curiosity also helps intelligent people question and challenge the status quo when necessary.
Lifelong Learning
For most highly intelligent people, learning doesn’t stop when formal education ends. In fact, many intellectual individuals see themselves as lifelong learners who actively pursue knowledge and new skills way into their older years.
Open-Mindedness
In order to learn the most from every situation, it’s important to stay open-minded to new ideas and alternative viewpoints. Highly intelligent people usually have a great ability to do this, allowing themselves to consider the flaws in their assumptions without resorting to self-loathing.
Subtle Humor
Few people will truly resonate with a highly intelligent person’s sense of humor. This is because they often have a more nuanced, abstract, or intellectual taste in comedy that can be hard for some to understand.
Self-Control
Highly intelligent people who are able to get the most out of their knowledge and cognitive abilities display high levels of self-control and discipline. By prioritizing long-term goals over short-term desires and managing their impulses, they become significantly more effective in achieving their goals.
Comfort with Solitude
According to IdeaPod, many highly intelligent people value alone time where they can reflect and think creatively without external distractions. Time alone is often the preferred way for the intellectuals among us to recharge and find a sense of inner peace, calm, and stillness.
Calculated Risk-Taking
Intelligence often comes with the ability to see which risks are worth taking. By weighing up the potential risks and rewards of each decision, intelligent people can strategically assess the best risks to take and learn from every outcome.
Skepticism of Luck
Highly intelligent people usually have a good understanding of the effort and strategy required to achieve success. While there is an element of luck in most aspects of life, these individuals can appreciate the subtle actions and decision-making that contribute to the success or failure of a project.
Productive Procrastination
Nobody is completely immune to procrastination—not even the wisest among us. However, highly intelligent people often use “productive procrastination” more often than others. For example, during periods of downtime away from a task, they may be engaged in creative thinking or reflection that will later aid them in their productivity.
High Emotional Intelligence
We often think of intelligence as only relating to book smarts and IQ scores. However, highly intelligent people can also exhibit a higher than average emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is an extremely valuable skill in developing one’s personal and professional relationships.
Self-Doubt
Self-doubt can be both a blessing and a curse that highly intelligent people are usually all too familiar with. Intelligent people commonly question their abilities and decisions, which gives them a greater sense of self-awareness and helps them to learn and grow from their mistakes.
Attention to Detail
Highly intelligent people often have a great eye for details that others may not spot. Their eagle-eyed nature enables them to pick up on and rectify more mistakes in their work, as well as give them deeper insights into projects they may be working on.
Night Owls
Are you more of an early bird or a night owl? According to the National Institute of Health, if you prefer staying up long into the night, you’re more likely to have higher intelligence. It’s theorized that intelligent people commonly prefer nighttime, partly because its quietness allows them to engage in deep and creative thinking.
Innovative Rather Than Imitative
Highly intelligent individuals have a greater ability to actively create new solutions and come up with new ideas rather than simply imitating the work of others. Their constant questioning of things allows them to find improvements and solutions in most things they turn their attention to.
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