Do you ever wonder if maybe you’re a little deeper than the people around you?
I don’t mean that in a judgmental way. It’s just that not everybody has the same preferences and approaches to life.
While some people like to experience the world on a fairly simple level, others can’t avoid thinking a little more deeply.
One isn’t better than the other.
However, it’s possible to be a deep thinker without necessarily realizing it at first. After all, we don’t know exactly what other people think, so it’s not always easy to realize when our thoughts are on a different level from theirs.
Still, there are certain character traits that are classic signs of a deep thinker. If you notice these traits in yourself, chances are you are more deep than you give yourself credit for.
1) You don’t accept things as they are
One of the major traits of a deep thinker is an inability to accept things as they are.
I don’t mean that you don’t accept reality. What I mean is that you question everything.
Lots of people accept the world as they find it, saying things like, ‘that’s just the way it is.’
But if you’re a deep thinker, that answer is never satisfying. You need to know why things are the way they are and not some other way.
Why is long hair more commonly associated with women than men in our society?
Why do people in the English-speaking world get horrified by the thought of eating horsemeat, while other people throughout the world have no problem with it?
These may seem like very trivial questions, but they are the kind of things that get under the skin of a thinker. You can’t help wanting to know why things are as they are, and being told that’s just the way it is will never be good enough for you.
2) You’re curious
Linked to that last point, a deep thinker is often insatiably curious.
Deep thinkers want to know the reason behind everything. Just like a child, they will constantly ask ‘why?’.
They apply that curiosity to everything. They want to know how stars form just as much as they want to know why people behave in the ways that they do.
This insatiable curiosity is a sure sign of a deep thinker. And the increased knowledge base that comes from always asking why fuels more deep thoughts.
After all, the more you learn, the more you discover there is to know.
3) You ask big questions
Deep thinkers aren’t afraid to ask the big questions about life.
Why are we here? Is there any purpose to life? Is there anything after death?
Many people are intimidated by these big questions. After all, the quest for answers can often be unsettling. The path to wisdom is paved with shattered illusions, and many people prefer to keep their worldview intact.
But deep thinkers have to know the truth, even if it’s painful.
This causes them to ask those big questions that most people shy away from. And it causes them to seek out knowledge wherever they can find it, in the bowels of old libraries or in some of the less-visited corners of the Internet.
4) You are open-minded
Just because you think deeply about issues doesn’t mean you are closed off to the opinions of others. In fact, open-mindedness can be a major sign of someone who thinks deeply.
“Open-mindedness involves being receptive to a wide variety of ideas, arguments, and information,” writes psychologist Kendra Cherry. “It also encompasses the belief that other people should be free to express their beliefs and arguments, even if you do not necessarily agree with those views.”
Being open-minded allows a deep thinker to understand the opinions of others. It also means they are always open to the next big idea.
The truth is, you never know where your next insight might come from. So deep thinkers keep an open mind that’s ready to learn from just about anyone.
5) You know yourself really well
We all like to think that we understand ourselves pretty well. After all, we spend 24 hours a day with ourselves.
However, that’s not really the case. If you don’t value introspection, then you don’t really know yourself that well at all.
Introspection “is a means of learning about one’s own currently ongoing, or perhaps very recently past, mental states or processes,” according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
In other words, it means paying attention to your own thoughts and analyzing them critically.
And introspection can be the key to a better life. As psychologist Anthony M Grant discovered, people who are given to thinking about their own thoughts enjoy stronger relationships, a clearer sense of purpose, and greater well-being and happiness.
Because of their tendency toward introspection, deep thinkers often know themselves really well. That means they understand both their strengths and their weaknesses.
They know about their own biases and prejudices, and they use that knowledge to overcome the blind spots we all have and learn more about the world.
6) You are creative
Often, being a deep thinker means being creative.
Because you spend so much time in your own head and understand your own thoughts so well, you’re capable of coming up with creative solutions to problems no one else would have thought of.
Your creativity may manifest itself in different ways. You may enjoy creative habits like making music or creating art, or you may just enjoy the creative output of others.
However it shows itself, creativity is a good sign that you are a deeper thinker than you may have realized.
7) You’re comfortable being alone
Not all deep thinkers are necessarily introverts.
On the other hand, as Susan Cain points out in her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, “There’s zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.”
And often, thinkers tend to be introverted because they are happier spending time alone with their own thoughts than among the chatter of other people.
Cain goes on to argue that: “Introverts… may have strong social skills and enjoy parties and business meetings, but after a while wish they were home in their pajamas. They prefer to devote their social energies to close friends, colleagues, and family. They listen more than they talk, think before they speak, and often feel as if they express themselves better in writing than in conversation.”
All of this demonstrates the strong link between solitude and deep thinking. So if you are happy spending time by yourself and are exhausted by constant social interaction, it may be a sign that you think more deeply than most.
8) You are an independent thinker
Deep thinkers tend to be independent thinkers.
That means that they form their own conclusions based on the evidence they see instead of just adopting the viewpoints of other people.
Sometimes, that can put you at odds with those around you. They may have views that clash with yours that they haven’t bothered to think to carefully about.
Being an independent thinker doesn’t mean always being contrary to everyone else. But it does mean that you aren’t afraid to form your opinions, which may clash with those of the people around you or even society as a whole.
If you often find yourself struggling to understand why people believe the things they do when the opposite seems so obvious to you, it could be a sign that you are a deep thinker.
9) You prefer deep conversations to small talk
Finally, one of the biggest signs of a deep thinker is that you would rather talk about deep topics than make small talk.
For a deep thinker, idle chitchat about the weather or what was on TV last night is boring.
It’s much better to talk about something deeper and more interesting, whether it’s philosophical arguments, history, or human behavior.
Most people aren’t interested in making the mental effort to have discussions like that, which means deep thinkers are often somewhat isolated.
But if you do find someone you can have those deep conversations with, count yourself lucky.
Being a deep thinker in a shallow world
If you recognize these traits in yourself, chances are you’re a deep thinker. And often, this can set you at odds with the people around you who would rather not think about the challenging topics that most interest you.
However, being a deep thinker comes with all kinds of benefits. It makes you more creative and more knowledgeable about your strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately, it can make you much happier.
So if you are a deep thinker, embrace it. The world needs people who think as deeply as you.
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