8 common traits of highly intelligent people (2024)

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They're highly adaptable

Several Quora users noted that intelligent people are flexible and able to thrive in different settings. As Donna F Hammett writes, intelligent people adapt by "showing what can be done regardless of the complications or restrictions placed upon them."

Recent psychological research supports this idea: Intelligence depends on being able to change your own behaviors in order to cope more effectively with your environment or make changes to the environment you're in.

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They understand how much they don't know

The smartest folks are able to admit when they aren't familiar with a particular concept. As Jim Winerwrites, intelligent people "are not afraid to say: 'I don't know.' If they don't know it, they can learn it."

Winer's observation isbacked up by a classic study by Justin Kruger and David Dunning, which found that the less intelligent you are, the more you overestimate your cognitive abilities.

In one experiment, for example, students who'd scored in the lowest quartile on a test adapted from the LSAT overestimated the number of questions they'd gotten right by nearly 50%. Meanwhile, those who'd scored in the top quartile slightly underestimated how many questions they'd gotten right.

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They have insatiable curiosity

Albert Einsteinreportedly said, "I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious."

Or, asKeyzurbur Alas puts it, "intelligent people let themselves become fascinated by things others take for granted."

Research published in 2016 suggests that there's a link between childhood intelligence and openness to experience (which encompasses intellectual curiosity)in adulthood. Scientists followed thousands of people born in Great Britain for 50 years and learned that11-year-oldswho'd scored higher on an IQ test turned out to be more open to experienceat age 50.

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They're open-minded

Smart people don't close themselves off to new ideas or opportunities. Hammett writes that intelligent people are "willing to accept and consider other views with value and broad-mindedness" and that they are "open to alternative solutions."

Psychologists say open-minded people — those who seek out alternate viewpoints and weigh the evidence fairly — tend to score higher on the SAT and on intelligence tests.

At the same time,smart people are careful about which ideas and perspectives they adopt. "An intelligent mind has a strong aversion to accepting things on face value and therefore withholds belief until presented with ample evidence," saysAlas.

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They like their own company

Richard He points out that highly intelligent people tend to be "very individualistic."

Interestingly, recentresearch suggests that smarter people tend to derive less satisfaction than most people do from socializing with friends.

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They have highself-control

Zoher Ali writesthat smartpeople are able to overcome impulsiveness by "planning, clarifying goals, exploring alternative strategies and considering consequences before [they]begin."

Scientists have found a link between self-control and intelligence. In one 2009 study, participants had to choose between two financial rewards: a smaller payout immediately or a larger payout at a later date. Results showed that participants who chose the larger payout at a later date (i.e. those who had more self-control) generally scored higher on intelligence tests.

The researchers behind that study say that one area of the brain — the anterior prefrontal cortex — mightplay a role in both helping people solve tough problems and demonstrate self-control while working toward goals.

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They're really funny

Advita Bihani points out that highly intelligent people tend to have a great sense of humor.

Scientists agree. One study found thatpeople who wrote funnier cartoon captions scored higher on measures of verbal intelligence; another study found that professional comedians scored higher than average on measures of verbal intelligence.

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They're sensitive to other people's experiences

Smart people can "almost feel what someone is thinking/feeling," saysHe.

Some psychologists argue that empathy, being attuned to the needs and feelings of others and acting in a way that is sensitive to those needs, is a core component of emotional intelligence. Emotionally intelligent individuals are typically very interested in talking to new people and learning more about them.