If you display these 9 behaviors, you’re more intelligent than you realize

How smart are you really?

Intelligence is a funny thing. We don’t always realize how intelligent we are.

After all, most of us will never take an IQ test. And even those who do don’t necessarily know any more about their intelligence, since IQ tests are very flawed as measures of intelligence.

Plus, not all of us are raised to respect or appreciate our intelligence.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Albert Einstein didn’t say this, no matter what the Internet would have you believe. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t some truth to this expression.

Sometimes, people display intelligence not so much with the things they say but the things they do.

And if you recognize the behaviors below in yourself, there’s a strong possibility that you may be more intelligent than you thought.

1) You are adaptable

Do you ever wonder how humans became the most dominant species on the planet, despite our lack of sharp teeth, claws, speed, or strength?

While I’m misquoting great thinkers of the past, here’s something Charles Darwin didn’t quite say, though it sums up his discoveries nicely: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

Change is the fundamental law of the universe. There’s almost nothing more certain than the fact that your life will change as you live it. Your success depends, to a large extent, on how you adapt to that inevitable change.

And while adaptability is a sign of intelligence, sometimes life’s changes can be overwhelming and leave us feeling lost or unsure of our direction.

If you’re facing a major life transition or are otherwise aware that change scares you in a way that hinders your ability to enjoy life, consider exploring Reset Your Life Compass.

This transformative program, led by Jeanette Brown, a seasoned career coach and educator, equips you with the tools and strategies to navigate life’s twists and turns with grace and resilience.

Intelligent people are lifelong learners.

Through applying your own learning to habit-stacking techniques and frequent self-reflection, you’ll learn how to set yourself free from rigidity. In exchange, you’ll be embracing an adaptable mindset, which allows you to bounce back from any setback.

“Smart people adapt themselves to survive in any setting,” writes psychiatrist Aneel Shafi. “Psychologists agree that adaptation of the brain to the environment is actually a key to understanding what intelligence is and what it does.”

In other words, an intelligent brain is an adaptable one.

So if you have noticed that you have an ability to adapt to make the best of any situation, it might be because you are smarter than you thought.

2) You are humble

You might think that people who are smarter than the average would be arrogant. But often, the exact opposite is true.

There are several reasons for this.

One is that when a person becomes arrogant, they often close themselves off to new information. Because they already think they know everything, they don’t feel any need to learn anything new. Over time, this can make them less knowledgeable, and even make them appear less intelligent.

Another reason that intelligent people are often humble about their intelligence is that they are smart enough to understand how much they don’t know.

This famous psychological phenomenon is called the Dunning-Kruger effect. It describes how, when a person first begins to learn about a subject, they estimate their own mastery. It’s only as they learn more that they realize how much there is to know, and their opinion of how knowledgeable they are goes down accordingly.

Weirdly enough, thinking you’re not all that smart might be a sign that you actually are quite intelligent.

3) You’re curious

Relentless curiosity is a huge sign of intelligence. In fact, it’s such a strong indicator of intelligence that you can see it even in the animal kingdom. Animals with greater intelligence tend to also be more curious.

This study by researcher Sophie von Stumm and others demonstrates that curiosity, or a ‘hungry mind,’ is one of the key predictors of high academic achievement. It’s just one of many studies to come to the same conclusion.

But there’s more.

While intelligence and knowledge are not the same thing, it’s true that exercising your brain by learning something new can help to improve your intellectual capability.

In other words, being curious enough to want to learn new things is not just a sign of intelligence. It may actually make you smarter.

4) You read

A powerful mind needs something to feed on, and a good book is one of the best sources of knowledge and pleasure for a smart person.

The link between intelligence and reading is a bit of a chicken-and-egg question. Is it that naturally intelligent people find reading easier and more pleasurable? Or is it that reading actually makes people smarter?

“Knowledge does play an important part in general intelligence, and reading offers an excellent way to boost your knowledge,” claims this article on Healthline.

Plus, reading something provides great exercise for your critical and intellectual skills.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that everybody who reads for fun is more intelligent than those who don’t. It’s more nuanced than that.

Still, if reading is one of your favorite pastimes, there’s a good chance you may be smarter than you think you are.

5) You’re open-minded

Being open-minded toward the views and experiences of other people is a good character trait to cultivate. But what is less commonly understood is that it is also a marker of intelligence.

Studies suggest that the more intelligent a person is, the more likely they are to have views outside the mainstream.

Partly, that’s because they are so curious. Intelligent people love to learn new things, they stay open-minded to learn from other people.

This, in turn, gives them a more nuanced view of the world and sharpens their intelligence even more.

6) You are sensitive to the people around you

Some people are highly empathetic and are very sensitive to the emotions and feelings of people around them. But it seems there is also some correlation between sensitivity to others and intelligence.

“The connection between intelligence and sensitivity has been noted by Linda Silverman, the director of the Gifted Development Center,” writes author and founder of IntrovertDear Jenn Granneman.

“In her work with more than 6,500 gifted children, she has found that there is a correlation between giftedness and sensitivity, with highly gifted individuals often exhibiting the traits of a sensitive person.”

The more you learn about people, the more sensitive you are likely to be to their feelings and opinions. So maybe you shouldn’t be surprised that more intelligent people are often more sensitive.

Therefore, if you’re an empathetic person, it may be a sign that you’re more intelligent than you realize.

7) You spend time alone

Are you someone who has no problem being alone? Do you actively seek out solitude to have some time to yourself?

It could be because you are more intelligent than you think.

Check out this fascinating study, which advances the savanna theory of happiness. The study found that people living in areas with high population density are less happy, but those who socialize with friends are often happier.

Except when it comes to highly intelligent people.

The study found that those with great intelligence are actually less happy the more time they spend socializing. Instead, the key to happiness for them is to spend lots of time alone.

It doesn’t always make sense to people who need to be around others all the time. But intelligent people know that sometimes, there is no better company than your own.

8) You’re skeptical

By now, you will have noticed that being open-minded is a common trait of intelligent people.

But at the same time, smart people combine that open-mindedness to new ideas with a healthy skepticism.

Now, skepticism doesn’t mean that you refuse to believe anything. Instead, it just means that you subject any new information to a rigorous process of analysis to determine whether it’s true or not.

This is how intelligent people often end up with better thought-out opinions than most. It’s because they are skeptical about everything that they can more easily get to the truth.

However, sometimes our skepticism can be clouded by limiting beliefs and toxic misconceptions we’ve picked up along the way.

These internalized doubts can hold us back from reaching our full potential and living authentically.

If you often find yourself questioning your own worth or abilities, or feeling trapped by societal expectations, our Free Your Mind program can help.

This transformative experience will guide you through a process of self-discovery, helping you unlearn those limiting beliefs and cultivate a greater sense of self-trust.

By freeing your mind from these constraints, you can embrace your true potential and live a more empowered life.

9) You are creative

Everyone is creative to some extent. However, it’s hard to deny that some people are more creative than others.

I don’t necessarily mean that you have to be writing symphonies or creating blockbuster movies. You can be creative in your work, finding solutions that other people wouldn’t. You can be creative in your home life, solving problems by looking at them in a way that wouldn’t occur to anybody else.

But no matter what form your creativity takes, it’s a good sign of intelligence.

Several studies have supported the hypothesis that creativity comes from a higher intelligence. So if you have a creative mind, it’s a good sign that you have an intelligent one, too.

Signs of intelligence

The signs of great intelligence are not always what we expect. And some people can go through their lives being highly intelligent without necessarily realizing it.

But if you notice some of these traits in yourself, it’s a good sign you’re smarter than the average person. Maybe it’s time you started recognizing that yourself.

Related: If someone uses these 10 phrases, they’re self-conscious about their intelligence