8 signs you’re more perceptive than the average person

Perception is one of those amazing skills that tend to be severely underappreciated.

But highly perceptive people have a superpower that allows them to better navigate relationships and the world at large – observation.

If you’re very perceptive, you will easily see through the masks people put on and will be able to determine what their ulterior motives are.

If you’re very perceptive, you will be resistant to manipulation.

And if you’re very perceptive… you’ll be able to forge stronger relationships as a result.

So, are you more perceptive than the average person? These are the 8 signs.

1) You can tell when the energy in the room shifts

The first part of your superpower is empathy. If perception is your strong suit, it’s very likely that you have a lot of it.

And I mean a great lot.

In fact, you may even call yourself an emotional sponge. When someone’s mood sours, you can immediately tell. When Kylie is in love with Jack, her attraction couldn’t be more obvious to you. And when Hugh and Kieran are having a secret feud, you can tell from the way they masterfully avoid each other at a party.

Emotional energy is fluid. It ebbs and flows, painting the world around you a rainbow of colors, and you’re so in sync with it that people’s emotional states immediately resonate with yours.

Of course, being an emotional sponge comes with its cons, such as the fact that you may feel other people’s sadness or irritation easily.

But there’s no denying that it makes you more perceptive than the average person.

2) You can read other people’s body language

Body language says a great deal about how we feel, and yet it’s something many of us ignore.

If someone’s hunching, we probably don’t think much of it.

But you’re an exception. You know what hunching means – it’s a sign of withdrawal. The person in question may be trying to minimize their presence in the room because they’re either shy or uncomfortable.

The same goes for crossed limbs, the way people’s eyes glaze over if you’ve been talking for too long, or the subtle gestures they make that reveal whether they’re nervous, confident, or unsure of themselves.

What’s more, you might often find yourself automatically mirroring other people’s body language to make them feel comfortable. Thus the wonderful side effect of empathy.

3) Your strong intuition helps you see through pretense

Not only do you have excellent empathy, but there’s another aspect of your superpower that often goes unnoticed: you have a very strong gut feeling.

And it’s usually right.

The importance of listening to one’s intuition cannot be overstated, and yet most people ignore it or shut it down, trying to give others the benefit of the doubt or rationalize their way out of the situation at hand.

Not you. You know just how crucial your intuition is when it comes to relationships, and that’s because it’s the number one thing that helps you see through pretense.

If someone’s “fake nice” or is pretending to be different than their true self, you can tell.

And oftentimes, you can’t quite put your finger on it – if a friend asks you to describe the feeling, you can’t come up with anything sensible to explain the sense of wrongness – and yet your feeling turns out to be correct.

This is because your body is so sensitive to other people’s energies that it often arrives at the right answer before your rational mind does.

4) You’re a manipulator’s worst nightmare

Have you ever been in a situation where someone tried to manipulate you and came up short because you immediately saw through them?

If your answer is yes, it’s a huge sign you’re more perceptive than the average person.

Manipulators thrive on the human hope that other people’s intentions are just as good as ours. We like to give others the benefit of the doubt. Many of us would rather doubt our own perception of reality than mistakenly accuse somebody else.

Here’s where your observational skills come in handy. Since you can see through people quite easily and since your gut feeling often warns you of potential danger before the realization crystalizes in your mind, manipulators can’t get to you.

If they try to twist the narrative, you refuse to fall for it.

If they tell you that you remember things wrong, you strongly disagree.

If they attempt to push your boundaries, you state them in clear terms again.

You are simply a manipulator’s worst nightmare.

5) You can connect the dots

I’ve always been quite perceptive, and if there’s one thing I’ve noticed that comes as part of the perception package, it’s pattern recognition.

You don’t just see random facts and events. You connect the dots between them in a logical manner. You’re highly aware of the forest made up of individual trees without forgetting the trees themselves, which is a very important skill indeed.

Why?

Because seeing the bigger picture helps you in every area of life. When you see the overarching frame of your life story, you’re more resilient to misfortune. When you see your goal on the horizon, you don’t give up easily. And when you understand the forest that all individual trees necessarily create, you will approach all issues in a much more critical manner.

In short, pattern recognition is awesome – and if you excel at it, it’s a sign you’re exceptionally perceptive.

6) You learn from other people’s lessons

Want to hear about a huge perk of having great observational skills?

Often, you don’t actually have to commit mistakes in order to learn your lesson. All you have to do is see your friends do it, and you can count that as a lesson learned.

While your friend is venting to you about the specific issues in her relationship, you’re automatically storing that information in your brain and analyzing it, making sure that you avoid the same mistakes if it ever comes to it.

I can’t even describe how much just listening to other people talk about their lives helped me choose the right path. While hearing their stories, I immediately place myself in their shoes and relive the situation through their eyes, which then helps me draw parallels between our situations and understand the consequences of my own future actions.

7) You remember the small things

Ah, what a fortunate thing it is to have a perceptive friend!

I speak from personal experience when I say that perceptive friends are absolutely amazing.

My best friend, for instance, remembers every little thing I tell her and brings it up long after I’ve forgotten it myself. She knows what I order in cafes, what I’ve read recently, and when my next date is happening.

Her memory never ceases to amaze me. Her perception is simply so on point that she makes for the most considerate friend you could ever wish for.

And if you’re the highly perceptive one…

Well, then your friends are incredibly lucky.

8) You’re very sensitive – and it can get too much at times

Of course, even excellent perceptiveness comes with its cons, namely the fact that everything can get a bit… too much.

You notice everything. You can see the dots connecting everywhere. You’re highly aware of the emotional shifts in the room.

And all this input can feel very overwhelming.

Therefore, it probably comes as no surprise that many highly perceptive people tend to enjoy spending time in their own company, recharging their batteries in peace. You might also try to avoid the news or social media because it’s all just so overstimulating that you can’t bear it.

Don’t worry – that’s completely normal. Every superpower has its limits, after all. Just make sure that you get a lot of well-deserved time to yourself.

And remember: as overwhelming as high perceptiveness can be, it’s also an incredible asset in life.