How do you know if someone is smart if they aren’t throwing it in your face?
Actually, I’ve found that the ones who DO throw it in your face usually turn out to not be that smart, after all…
So that’s why you gotta pay attention to the subtle signs that people sometimes give off that let you know they’re bright.
Check out what AskReddit users had to say about this.
1. How do they do it?
“I’m an industrial technician troubleshooter supervisor, And sometimes I have to work with the electrical engineers.
The head engineer is highly intelligent, and the way and the order that he asks questions so he can come to an understanding of the Issue forces me to think in a process that hurts my brain.
I don’t know how they can handle it day in and day out.”
2. Good one.
“They’re willing to consider different viewpoints when presented with compelling evidence, and accept when they make a mistake.”
3. Think about it.
“They are unafraid of the phrase, “I don’t know”.
It’s only the dumb ones who are unwilling to admit that they don’t have answers.”
4. Brain first, mouth second.
“I think the trick is to be comfortable with saying nothing.
Know that everyone else will be desperate to talk just to be heard, meanwhile you can sit back quietly and wait for the right idea at the right time.
If someone else gets there first, all good, the right answer was reached. But you’ll get it by thinking carefully more often than not.
Brain first, mouth second.”
5. On point.
“They are aware of their limitations and just how much they still don’t know.
As a consequence they also tend to underestimate themselves.”
6. I wish more people thought like this.
“The ability to change their mind when presented with new information.
Intelligence is, at its core, a constant reassessment of your own knowledge and the ability to acquire and apply more.”
7. Explain this to me…
“When it comes to a subject matter they know they can deconstruct in a way to explain it and use analogies to help it make sense to others.”
8. Looking at you.
“They have a look. Their eyes look AT things/people, not THROUGH things/people.
And that doesn’t necessarily mean direct eye contact (because a lot of people with ASD for example struggle with eye contact), but you can tell they are constantly observing, consciously looking at the world, not just witnessing it passively.”
9. Witty.
“Quick wit and humor.
Speaks to a certain sharpness of the persons attention and how fast they can communicate.”
10. An open book.
“It’s the people that are always open to a constructive argument (or conversation, depending on their knowledge on the topic), regardless of the topic.
One big condition: this only counts when they’re able to admit they don’t know everything on the topic, or ask people who know more about it to inform them.”
11. Yes!
“They are good at calm debates without resorting to insults, shouting or profanity.
In addition to this they know how to listen well and are able to accept that the person they are speaking to may know more information on the subject than they do and therefore alow their opinion to be open to change should new information and/or evidence be presented; equally they do not put others down for not knowing something.
They also do not interrupt.”
12. This is true.
“Intelligent individuals can be anything.
They could be apathetic, or impassioned. They could speak like a thesaurus, or fumble simple sentences. They could seek tertiary education, or lack both a High School Degree, and a GED.
Living situations dictate an individuals intellectual display more than personality quirks, so it’ll be complicated.”
What do you think about this?
Tell us what you think in the comments.
Thanks, friends!
