These Are The Not-So-Obvious Signs Of Highly Intelligent People

There are so many different forms of intelligence outside of scoring well by academic measures, possessing certifications and licenses, or being a “professional.” It’s hard to find someone who you’d be able to classify as intelligent in every way, shape, and form. You can have the desire to learn new things but may have a poor memory. While some may be psychically gifted, others may pick up foreign languages easily.

There are some traits tied to intelligence, however, that certain people are just born with and other traits that are learned through the way people are raised. While some measures of intelligence are obvious, there are several other signs of intelligence that aren’t noticed quite as easily. These are the not-so-obvious signs of highly intelligent people…

They’ve Taken Music Lessons

Whether they took lessons as a kid or even picked up an instrument as an adult, studies show that those who have taken music lessons tend to have higher IQ scores than those who don’t partake. The trend is most notable in children aged four to six years old, but there’s still a correlation for older ages, too.

There have been countless studies done on the subject. It has been widely concluded by various researchers that learning an instrument helps people in more ways than one. It helps them interpret and analyze things differently from those who steer clear of instruments.

The Eldest Sibling

Here’s a fight waiting to happen. For those with younger siblings, you likely have a chance at being smarter. Don’t flaunt that without learning more, though. It has nothing to do with your genes. It’s simply because the eldest sibling received all of the attention from adults until their first sibling came along.

Once that happened, they also had the experience of interacting with their sibling as they became more aware of their surroundings. The eldest child is the first to experience all new things and learn lessons from making mistakes. They also set examples for the other kids.

They’re In Better Shape

Some studies have come to the conclusion that people with lower body mass indexes (BMI) can have enhanced intelligence. BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women. The findings stated that more intelligent children may grow up to be more financially successful than those who are less intelligent. But what does that have to do with being in shape?

Making more money when you’re older allows those people to take better care of themselves. They can afford gym memberships or personal trainers, for example. They’re more likely to pay a premium for healthier foods and have quality healthcare plans to keep them at peak performance levels.

They’re Cat Owners

There are cat people. There are dog people. There are a select few who love both. While the fierce debate of which companion is best continues, cat lovers rejoice. There may be a connection between owning a cat and higher intelligence for the parent. Bring that up next time you talk about why you love your cat so much.

According to one study from 2014, these “cat people” may display better cognitive abilities than their “dog people” counterparts. This is most likely because they’d rather spend time at home reading and doing other similar isolated activities. Dog owners tend to be extroverts and enjoy being out and about with others as opposed to being home alone.

They’ve Experimented With Drugs

Researchers had some eyebrow-raising findings at the end of their 2012 study on drug use and intelligence. Kids with higher IQs at 11 years old were more likely to use selected illegal drugs later in life. Further, they found that a high childhood IQ may lead to behaviors that are potentially harmful to health later in adulthood.

Although most drugs are dangerous, those with higher intelligence could be more inclined to try them when their curiosity peaks. Hopefully, those who do experiment with drugs at some point in life don’t get carried away. Drugs may lead them down a dark path of destruction later in life.

They’re Left-Handed

It seems like a lot of machinery is built for right-handed people. Also, left-handers have to deal with smearing ink and graphite constantly as their hand sweeps across the writing surface. However, dealing with those headaches may not be all bad for people who write left-handed.

Maria Konnikova, a psychologist and writer, authored a piece in The New Yorker back in 1995 that her left-handed readers probably enjoyed. She stated that researchers found that left-handed males in a study group were better at tests of divergent thought. Since the majority of people are right-handed, it’s interesting that left-handed people may have the upper hand in intelligence, pun intended.

They’re Tall

How tall you are may be a factor in determining your intelligence, which could sound great or terrible depending on your height. Per one study, the height of a child may show how smart they are, even before they ever attended school. The study conducted research on kids as young as three.

They found that those who were taller as kids and as adults performed significantly better on cognitive tests than their shorter peers. Being tall doesn’t automatically make you smarter, but it may have some kind of obscure effect on your intelligence, so don’t go calling yourself a genius just because you’re 6’5″.

They Ask Big Questions

Intelligent people are often open to learning new things or discussing controversial topics. They aren’t content with plateauing in any part of life and they always seek to better themselves. Topics that may be taboo for others such as politics and religion are fun for these people to dive into.

There’s arguably no right or wrong side to be on in topics like those, but they enjoy participating in conversations on those subjects nonetheless. They ask questions that others won’t. This could inspire them to research and read more than most others.

They Drink Alcohol

Surprisingly, there’s a correlation between people having a high IQ and frequently drinking alcohol. Per psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa’s study, American and British adults with high IQs as kids or teens drank more alcohol later in life. You’d think it should be the opposite way – that those with low IQs drink more, but that wasn’t the case.

While it has been proven that drinking alcohol doesn’t actually kill brain cells, it still affects them negatively. So don’t start throwing them back more often in an effort to get smarter, as alcohol has plenty of other negative effects on your body and won’t magically make you a genius.

They Started Reading Young

It may pay off to try and encourage your toddler to start reading at a young age. Those who learn to read earlier have a big advantage over those who take longer to pick up the necessity. Reading is one of the best ways to improve intelligence, so it’s no surprise that there’s a correlation.

Twins tend to be great subjects in studies, as they’re genetically identical. In a specific study on twins from 2012, those who learned to read earlier tended to score higher in tests of cognitive ability and verbal and nonverbal skills than those who didn’t pick up reading until later.

They’re Naturally Curious

“Curiosity killed the cat” is an old saying used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation. However, that’s exactly what smart people want to do – learn through their actions. They’re not content if they don’t understand something. They want to figure it out for themselves.

Tomas-Prezumi, a professor of business psychology, said that curiosity “leads to higher levels of intellectual investment and knowledge acquisition over time, especially in formal domains of education, such as science and art.” In other words, curious people seek answers and gain knowledge during their research.

They’re Disorganized People

Research and development labs are spotless and meticulously maintained. That doesn’t mean that the brilliant people who work in them are that way themselves. Some people pride themselves on their organizational skills, but many very intelligent people are messy. Their disorganization has been attributed to being highly creative.

A perfect example is Albert Einstein. He was known to look disheveled and had his work in a frenzied layout. Being unorganized doesn’t necessarily mean that somebody is lazy or flustered, though. It can mean that the person thinks their work is more important than being neat and tidy.

They Don’t Believe in Luck

The Mega Millions jackpot had made headlines in the last few years for reaching the $1 billion mark. Countless people bought into the game. Smart people would note that the odds of winning the jackpot are less than one in 302 million, so it’s basically throwing money away. Intelligent people don’t believe in the concept of luck and likely don’t partake in lotto games.

That’s because they have a better understanding of how the world works. They know that hard work pays off way more often than being lucky. If something lucky happens to them, they’re happy about it, but they never wait and hope for luck. In a way, they make their own luck.

They Were Breastfed

Breastfeeding helps with bonding between the mother and baby. It also provides better nutrients while building the baby’s immune system with the help of the mother’s milk. This way of feeding has also been shown to improve intelligence in later development. Studies have concluded that babies who were breastfed are more likely to have a higher IQ than babies who were reared on formula.

One specific study from 2007 had that finding. It compared the IQ scores from a test between breastfed kids and formula kids. The children who were breastfed scored approximately seven points higher than the children who were not. However, it only applied if they had one version of the FADS2 gene, which is a type of fatty acid.

They’re Night Owls

Those who stay up into the late hours of the night and then sleep in until way after the sunrises are more likely to be higher in intelligence than those who have what can be called regular sleeping patterns. Research has shown that those who wake up later on their own are less likely to get tired as fast as those who rise early with the help of an alarm.

These night owls may enjoy being awake at night because they finally have the opportunity to be alone with their own thoughts. Also, they may be in the groove of a project and not want to lose their train of thought by taking a break, so they power through it.

They Appear Lazy

Laziness is not something most of us associate with highly intelligent people, as they tend to be successful through hard work. However, not putting extra effort into something doesn’t necessarily make that person lazy. They may know something that others around them don’t.

Smart people try to solve a problem or get something done in the most efficient and effective manner, which may make them appear lazy in the process. This is perhaps why some intelligent people come across as unorganized since they can still operate just fine the way they are and see no problem.

They’re Funny

400 psychology students participated in an experiment that analyzed the link between intelligence and humor. They wrote captions for New Yorker cartoons, which were ranked by independent judges. The results showed that students with higher intelligence wrote the funnier captions.

The link between intelligence and humor is a debated topic. This experiment sheds light on their relationship. While it’s unclear if intelligence leads to a better understanding of humor or if a good sense of humor indicates intelligence, the results suggest a connection between the two.

They’re Not Easily Distracted

Zoning out in the middle of a conversation or when you’re trying to comprehend something is quite common for most people. It’s hard to stay focused and they find their mind wandering off topic. Being able to naturally focus for long periods of time can be a sign of intelligence.

While many people have started using medications in order to focus, others are gifted with the discipline of concentration. They minimize outside distractions and deal with what’s at hand in order to get it done faster so they can move on to whatever is next.

They’re More Anxious

Those with higher IQs tend to be more anxious than less intelligent people, so it’s not all good for smart people. They may over-analyze situations or become troubled with existential questions. Worrying about issues and problems that are out of their control is typical, too.

Anxiety is no fun and affects a lot of people in different ways, regardless of their level of intelligence. While people who are anxious have scored higher on tests of verbal intelligence, those without anxiety have scored higher on tests of nonverbal intelligence.

They Admit When They’re Wrong

Everybody makes mistakes. It’s just human nature. Even supercomputers make mistakes. That shouldn’t be surprising, considering they’re created by humans. Nobody is perfect. What happens after making a mistake is what separates normal people from smart people. The ability to learn from a mistake is a sign of higher intelligence.

Smart people reframe their mistakes as an opportunity to learn and develop. They review what went wrong so that they can understand and learn from the mistake. Next, they identify the skills, knowledge, resources, or tools that will keep them from repeating the error.

They’re Often The Silent Type

Surely not all of the smartest people are introverts, but those who are quiet for the most part are often automatically labeled as introverts and socially awkward. While it may be true in some cases, it’s not universally true. Not all silent people are smart, just like not all loud people are dumb.

The smart silent type of person seems quiet and shy at first. Later on, they start to open up and may come across as totally different people. They assess their situation at first and may seem out of place. Then, they reply only after thoughtful consideration.

Challenges Welcome

Challenges can appear daunting to a lot of us, but that’s the whole point. Intelligent people love challenges, as long as there is a reward or feeling of accomplishment at the end. They have no interest in all of the stupid social media challenges made famous by influencers.

Smart people face and conquer different types of challenges. When they’re faced with difficulties in professional or personal settings, they welcome them. To make life easier, they prioritize their problems and take care of them one at a time. Sometimes, they can even see problems coming to plan for them in advance.

Monogamous Men

Intelligent men tend to be monogamous. Perhaps that’s because they know what their significant others may do in retaliation. Or maybe they know how much it can hurt somebody else and they wouldn’t want to feel that themselves or live with the feeling of guilt. Whatever the actual reason, there’s always an argument for the other side.

It’s male nature in the animal kingdom to try and produce as many offspring as possible. Humans are just sophisticated animals, whether they want to believe it or not. However, smart men are less likely to have multiple mates, even if they’re suppressing the temptation deep down.

High Maintenance Minds

There’s a lot going on in the brains of almost everybody, regardless if they’re super smart or not. We’re able to keep our bodies functioning without even thinking about it and that’s a monumental task in and of itself. Highly intelligent people tend to have more high-maintenance minds, though.

They’re consistently digesting and analyzing new information, which puts a strain on everything they already know. It’s difficult to try and retain everything in their minds when they’re routinely learning new things. This is a dilemma that a lot of smart people deal with.

Sense Of Humor

Here’s a new topic to make a joke about. Having a good sense of humor is usually a telltale sign that somebody is intelligent. In an effort to prove that theory, a study brought together 400 psychology students. The idea was to judge the abstract reasoning skills and verbal intelligence of them.

The student subjects were asked to create their own captions for New Yorker cartoons. The captions they came up with were rated by an independent group thereafter. The results showed that those with the funniest responses were also the students with higher levels of intelligence.

What’s Your Number?

A study that linked a man’s index fingers to their argumentativeness also found a connection to ring fingers and fertility. Similar studies noted that men with longer ring fingers are four times more likely to have a partner who has outward signs of fertility, a larger bust and hips, and a smaller waist.

An Oxford University study found that both men and women who have longer ring fingers may have a predisposition to having multiple romantic partners. There’s nobody saying that you should measure your date’s fingers before getting serious, but the correlation between finger length and relationships is there.

Alone Time

Although some people thrive in social settings, that’s not always the case for smart people. Whether you’re an extrovert or introvert, everybody needs some alone time every now and then. Research has even shown that when smart people socialize, they often feel less happy afterward.

One study published in the British Journal of Society kept tabs on young people between the ages of 18 and 28. It found that people who socialized reported feeling better, except for the subjects who were highly intelligent. The smarter people had lower life satisfaction with more frequent socialization.

Follow The News

It’s much easier to stay on top of the news these days with technology at our fingertips. Back in the day, people had to wait for the news on TV or in the newspapers to learn about current events. Now, it’s as easy as glancing at the notifications on your phone or browsing through your favorite news sources online. Smart people don’t fall out of the loop.

Staying up to date with what’s happening around them and around the world is important to highly intelligent people. It helps them learn new things and adjust their own lives accordingly. Whether it’s good or bad news, they want to know about it.

Maybe That’s Why It’s Called The Ring Finger

The ring finger seems to be an ironic name since it that finger may have to do with a man’s devotion to a relationship. A man with a longer ring finger may be more prone to being promiscuous, due to being more attractive.

When a group of women were surveyed about the attractiveness of dozens of men, the men with longer ring fingers scored higher than the ones with shorter fingers. According to another study, men with longer ring fingers were found to be more prone to compromise, smile, laugh, and were better listeners. Men with longer index fingers were associated with arguing often with their significant other.

Cursing

Most people were raised in a way to try and limit or eliminate bad words. There are rules set in place in the school and workplace to try and prevent foul language. Perhaps the system should be reviewed if we want kids to turn into smarter adults, at least according to one study.

In 2016, Language Sciences conducted a study. It showed that people who curse more have larger vocabularies than those who don’t use profanities, which could make those who curse be considered smarter. It debunked an earlier study that tried to prove the more one cursed, the dumber they were.

Admitting They Don’t Know Everything

The smartest people are those who know there is always something more they can learn. There’s always the possibility of a new and perhaps better way of doing something and these people are open to it. Many of them aren’t afraid to admit that they don’t know everything or that they were wrong, which makes them more humble at that moment.

Often, they seek suggestions from subordinates or rake the brains of others around them. That helps breed innovation and a new way of thinking for all involved. It may spark curiosity and help them find an answer to the problem at hand together.

Smart Friends

It’s easier to get along with those who share things in common with you. Regardless of if you’re highly intelligent or not, it’s just a way of life. People feel more comfortable around those who are most like them. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that smart people tend to hang out with other smart people.

That doesn’t necessarily mean everybody is smart in the same sense. Perhaps one friend is a teacher, while the other is a financial advisor. They’re both intelligent in their own way and they both can learn from one another because it’s always good to get a different perspective.

Perfectionists

From something as small as doing the dishes to as big as writing a thesis for your capstone class, perfectionism comes in many shapes and forms. Smart people have their own way of doing things and if it doesn’t work the first time or doesn’t look just right, they don’t stop until it meets their standards.

This can be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, their work is usually extraordinary. On the other hand, they may have spent way too much time on it. Being a perfectionist can also take a toll on the mental state of people. It’s important to know when it’s time to stop and accept an outcome.

Questioning Themselves

Highly intelligent people constantly question themselves. That definitely doesn’t mean they lack in the self-esteem department. It means they don’t lie to themselves when they’re not good at something or when they could be more sensitive to those around them.

They’re not actively trying to impress those in their inner circle by constantly questioning themselves. They recognize their own faults as people and are willing and able to work on themselves to create a new and improved version for all to enjoy.

Project Juggling

Many people find it difficult to multi-task. If they attempt to do so, each project often gets less care and attention as it should, which could lead to errors and poor quality. Smart people have the ability to balance several projects at once without sacrificing the end product of each one.

Not every project is necessarily work-related, either. Projects can range from something as simple as practicing a sport to researching online how to fix a plumbing issue to avoid having to overpay for a professional to come out. Intelligent people have ideas of things they want to complete and they strive to cross each project off their to-do lists, often bouncing back and forth between projects.

Not That Smart

Those who are highly intelligent usually sell their abilities short and tend to think they’re not that smart. Some could even call it being humble. It’s the opposite of the Dunning-Kruger effect, which is a cognitive bias hypothesis that people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability.

Intelligence can be hidden, but it can’t be taken away from somebody. Even people with less natural abilities can improve through effort. Smart people constantly look for ways to improve, even if they’re already superior at something because they think they could always be better.

Limit Electronics

While it’s nearly impossible to stay away from electronics altogether in this day and age, highly intelligent people try to limit their screen time. It helps them avoid what some call “information overload.” They’re not constantly playing on their smartphones or binge-watching TV or playing video games all night long.

Here’s a great real-world example. A study conducted by Hewlett Packard, one of the leading technology companies out there, concluded that employees who were overloaded with information were less productive and more easily distracted at the office. The nagging urge to sift through personal email and social media was more important than doing their jobs.

Opinions Based On Facts

Smart people are known to be skeptics and they also sometimes play devil’s advocate in certain settings. They’re well-informed. As a result, their opinions are usually well-informed and based on facts. They don’t just believe everything they see at first glance. They end up doing further research themselves before coming to a conclusion on something.

They look at the argument from both sides and try to be open-minded before forming their own opinion. When going back and forth with somebody, they present their side with facts, not subjective thoughts. Their ability to be objective helps them get along with more people who may not share the same abilities.

Caring About Others

Empathy is common among intelligent people. It’s a key trait of intelligence and is very hard to learn if you don’t naturally have it. One of the major types of intelligence is emotional intelligence, which is the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.

Smart people realize that only caring about themselves won’t get them far in life. They care about the way others around them feel and want them to be happy. If somebody is hurting or sad, intelligent people want to know why and they want to help them.

Internet Savviness

Thanks to the internet, information is more readily available than it ever has been in history. Unfortunately, not all the information that is fed to the masses is true. Some people believe that just because they read stuff online, it makes them smarter. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Studies have shown that those who spend a lot of time on the internet lack deep-thinking skills.

As stated elsewhere in this article, highly intelligent people limit their time on electronics. They also go to credible sources to learn and form opinions. Blindly scrolling through feeds is a waste of time. The less time they spend looking up information, the more time they have for other projects.

Resourcefulness

Intelligent people don’t just solve problems and find better ways to do things. They’re also extremely resourceful. When they’re faced with a problem, they use all the tools available to them to find a solution. If at first, they don’t succeed, they go back at it in a different way.

There’s a saying that “the definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Smart people understand that. They’re not afraid of failure, but they try their best in several different ways. Oftentimes, they eventually succeed, but they also know when to give up and move on.

Riskier Decisions

A Finnish study tried to show that smarter people tend to make riskier decisions. When the study concluded, the research showed that teenagers who made more dangerous decisions also had better decision-making skills. This was confusing to some, as you’d think it should be worse decision-making skills for those who make dangerous decisions.

Breaking down the science, the people in the study who made more dangerous decisions had more white matter in their brains. This white matter is associated with cognitive function. The behavior might not look smart, but these adolescents might end up being smarter than most.

Trust Others

This may come as a surprise. Intelligent people tend to be more trusting of the people around them. You’d think smart people would only trust themselves, but that’s not the case, at least according to Oxford University. The esteemed school declared that trust was linked to high IQ.

It’s not that they’re more willing to trust any and everybody who they cross paths with. They just choose who they trust more carefully. Intelligent people are very observant. They vet you thoroughly over a period of time before they give your their confidence.

Liars

The ability to lie convincingly enough to get away with it is linked to higher intelligence. The brain has to be more developed in order to be good at lying. Anybody can try to get away with a lie, but if you’re truly committed to the lie, you need to memorize it and not slip up in the future.

Once you tell a lie, you need to remember to be consistent with the lie when you speak with others. The ability to memorize lies greater in smarter people. This isn’t something to be proud of, but it’s definitely something that smart people are known to be good at.

Lie Detectors

Fittingly, smart people also know when they’re being lied to most of the time. A good liar should be able to tell when they’re being lied to. That’s why researchers associate smart people with their ability to see through liars. High intelligence comes with high emotional and spatial intelligence, too.

People who are smart are able to quickly pick up another person’s intentions, motivation, and wishes from the way they talk and act. Then, if what the person is saying doesn’t fit with their true intentions, intelligent people can spot the lie and decide if they want to call out the other.

Pent Up Emotions

In the past, holding in your emotions was considered tough and was quite normal, especially for men. It’s now widely accepted that bottling up emotions and building mental walls isn’t a healthy habit. With that said, there are times where restraining emotions to get the job done is essential. Smart people are able to do so.

Research has shown that this ability to ignore emotions comes from the part of the brain that compartmentalizes tasks. Highly intelligent people are good at doing that. They’re also able to separate different parts of their lives like work and family to make it easier.

Don’t Speak If They Don’t Know

Smart people usually know what fields they’re experts in, so they won’t try to come across as an expert if they know they aren’t. They’ll do their best to refrain from giving an opinion on topics they don’t have a lot of knowledge. This is further proof that they want to have all the facts before speaking on something.

This trait is a way to be humble or at least not come across as ignorant by voicing a weak or flawed opinion with others. Highly intelligent people don’t want to seem like they’re trying to be more than what they are, so they avoid putting themselves in such scenarios whenever possible.

Moving Their Eyes Without Moving Their Heads

Most of the topics in this article are based on scientific studies. This one is definitely not, but it’s intriguing nonetheless. A teacher used the Reddit platform to voice a hypothesis on students from observations over the years. This teacher stated that students who are the most self-aware tend to direct their eyes without turning their heads.

This could be because the more intelligent students have greater intent on where they’re looking and what they’re paying attention to in the classroom setting. Perhaps they don’t want attention to be drawn to them by making noticeable movements or they’re saving energy by not moving as much.

Stumbling Over Words

With so much going on in their minds all at once, some highly intelligent people can’t always communicate without a few verbal hiccups, which may be embarrassing. In other words, some smart people stumble over their words or even appear to have a stutter.

Speech impediments could be a reason behind that, too. It’s proof that whatever speech issues a person may have doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not intelligent. They could be geniuses who just prove their intelligence easier by other means than through speech.

Clear And Concise

Smart people don’t mince words. They get to the point and sometimes are brutally honest in their opinions. This may be because they rehearse what they’re going to say over and over again beforehand. It enables them to look good among peers most of the time.

Whether in speech or writing, you know that a highly intelligent person means every word they say. This trait was attributed to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by many who knew her. Her legal briefs were said to have power in each and every word.

Use of Puns

This one may not seem obvious at first, but it’s believed that smart people like using puns. Their brains are always going at a million miles per hour. They seem to have the special ability to mix and match words at a moment’s notice to create something that gets a chuckle out of others.

While puns are labeled by some as a low form of humor or even as “dad jokes,” they’re reliant on analogies and linguistic rhyming, so it actually takes an intelligent person to come up with them in a split second. Sometimes it even takes some time after the delivery of a pun for other people to even understand what was just said.

Delay Gratification

There’s a link between the level of intelligence and the ability to control personal actions. Pubmed, which comprises more than 30 million citations for biomedical literature, published the results of a study that dealt with delaying gratification. Participants were asked to choose between a smaller reward that came immediately and a larger one that would come later.

The study found that the people who chose to be patient and wait for the bigger reward tended to score higher on intelligence tests. These smarter people likely used “delay discounting,” a process of the part of the brain involved with processing diverse information, to come to their choice.

Think They’re Wrong Sometimes

Smart people may come across as self-doubters here and there. They admit that they don’t know everything and don’t try to act like they do. While some hard-headed people force their way through an argument without taking into account other facts or opinions, smart people operate in a different way.

They’d rather find out what is actually right than try to prove that they’re right. They tend to start their thoughts with “I think” as opposed to “I know,” which is less confrontational and eludes that they’re giving an opinion that shouldn’t necessarily be taken as a fact on a subject.