9 Signs that you're smarter than you realize

You're not easily distracted

Frank Zhu says "people who can focus for long stretches at a time and tune out distractions" are highly intelligent. As evidence, he points to a 2013 paper published in the journal Current Biology. The paper describes two small studies that found people with higher scores on an IQ test were slower to recognize large background movements in an image. That's likely because they focus on the most important information and filter out the rest.

You're a night owl

The smarter you are, the more you're inclined to stay up into the wee hours of the morning , according to research. One study , published in 2009 in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, looked at the link between childhood IQ and sleep habits among thousands of young adults. Sure enough, smarter individuals said they stayed up later and woke up later on both weekdays and weekends.

You'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."

You understand how much you don't know

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

You have insatiable curiosity

Albert Einstein reportedly said, "I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious." Or, as Keyzurbur Alas puts it , "intelligent people let themselves become fascinated by things others take for granted."

You'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."

You like your own company

Dipankar Trehan points out that highly intelligent people tend to be "very individualistic." Interestingly, recent research from the British Journal of Psychology suggests that smarter people tend to derive less satisfaction than most people do from socializing with friends .

You're really funny

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

You can connect seemingly unrelated concepts

Several Quora users suggested that smart people are able to see patterns where others can't. That's because they can draw parallels between seemingly disparate ideas. As April Astoria notes : "You think there's no relation between sashimi and watermelon? You'd be wrong. Both are typically eaten raw and cold."

You contemplate the big questions

According to Ram Kumar , intelligent individuals "wonder a lot about [the] universe and meaning of life." What's more, Kumar writes, "they always [ask] what's the point of everything?"

Picture: pixabay.com

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