"Intelligent People Get Really Charged Up When They Do This": People Are Revealing "Telltale Signs" They Notice Right Away That Indicate Someone Is Very, Very, Very Smart
Sometimes, when someone shows their intelligence, it can be in the most subtle way. So when we asked: "What's a dead giveaway that someone is actually smart?" the BuzzFeed Community came through with their own answers. Here's what they said below:
1."I'm going to look at this more from a teacher's POV: When a student/child needs lots of stimulation, many students who have very high IQs have such quick thought processes that they seem like squirrels on crack to others, so they end up getting in trouble often."
"THIS! If someone tells me they have ADHD, I just assume they're smart because I know their brain is going a million miles an hour at all times of the day. When you constantly have three to five streams of thought happening at the same time, you're just thinking more than the average person, so I just assume that those streams of thought have been able to absorb some pretty helpful information unless shown otherwise. It sucks, though, because everyone else just assumes these kids are stupid since they can't sit still and don't seem to ever pay attention, but you just have to draw their attention in, most of the time."
2."In my advanced physics class 50 years ago, there was only one girl. The boys were snickering about her presence as if it was a scheduling mistake, or that girls were not capable of understanding the subject. She endured the taunting. She always focused her attention on the lectures. She rarely asked questions but when she did, those questions sounded as if she didn't understand a theory. However, the professor's answer was always enthusiastic because her question was always the prelude to the next theorem. She was the only 'A' student in the class. The rest of us were lucky to get C's and D's. It's the quiet, focused ones who are smart."
3."I’m pretty sure that the smartest people are the ones who listen to others rather than need to be heard."
4."Intelligent people get really charged up when there’s a topic being discussed that they enjoy. That’s not the same as people who are know-it-alls and are trying to show off what they know. I’m talking about a genuine enthusiasm for information and learning that spills over so they can’t contain themselves. This is the behavior that gets kids mocked in high school, unfortunately."
5."My smartest friends can spontaneously explain things in different ways for different audiences, depending on the context or needs/priorities of the listener."
6."They’re willing to change their mind about something when presented with new facts instead of doubling down."
7."My mom always says it takes a certain kind of intelligence to be kind, and I believe this to be true. It's easy to get nasty in a fight. Staying level-headed or even nice to the other person takes patience and the knowledge of how to keep debating without turning it into a full-blown argument."
8."Smart people adapt and know what they don't know."
9."They will take calculated risks but avoid obvious risks not seen by others. For example, they will approach wild animals for selfies, text while driving, and bet on Tesla self-driving cars with cameras when experts say it's not possible."
10."One of the things I can see is that really intelligent people allow others to have opinions without putting them down or kicking them to the curb somehow."
11."Not afraid to try and fail. They know they can come up with a new plan or however many it takes, and it's fine. They don't get tunnel vision (yes, I'm sure you know someone who thinks they are smart and gets set on one doing a thing. They are less smart than you think)."
12."Everyone is smart in something. Being smart to me means being able to find and use your resources correctly. And just because you or I don’t really have a use for something, say I don’t play certain video games, it doesn’t make that knowledge useless."
13.And finally, "Smart people never talk about how smart they are!"
Is there a subtle sign that indicates someone is actually smarter than they let on? Tell us what it is and why in the comments below.
