8 Signs You’re Exceptionally Smart, Even If You Don’t Feel You Are

Habits that are considered bad, like biting your nails, respectfully complaining a lot, and chewing gum, are actually signs that you’re smarter than most. Of course, there isn’t just one type of intelligence, as social and emotional intelligence are also important. There seem to be some traits that highly intelligent people share that set them apart from the rest, making them shine with brilliance.

Bright Side has researched some signs of high intelligence for you to determine whether you have any of them.

1. You complain respectfully.

Respectfully speaking up when you notice something isn’t right, whether in the workplace or out and about, is a sign of emotional intelligence. While it may seem that you simply enjoy complaining, it actually shows that you’re aware and mindful of your environment. You understand the impact negative things can have on other people, and not just yourself, making you feel like you need to raise a complaint.

2. You talk to yourself.

Scientists believe there are huge benefits to listening to ourselves talk. To hear yourself say something has a different impact on your brain than reading or thinking it. It has actually been connected to being humbler, coping better emotionally, and being more capable of weighing decisions and other perspectives. This, in turn, indicates a higher emotional intelligence.

3. You have good self-control.

Being able to resist temptations and waiting is a sign of intelligence, especially among adolescents. Research has found that people who are smarter than average have greater self-control, especially concerning their diet. In fact, self-control has been found to be one of the best ways to have a healthy life, and the sooner, the better.

4. You can be alone.

People with high emotional intelligence are generally fine with being alone with their thoughts and ideas and don’t need to socialize all the time to be happy. Because they can be so caught up with their own agenda, they don’t feel afraid of missing out when they’re not attending social events. Instead, they only have a few close friends and enjoy the time they have to themselves.

5. You don’t think you’re very smart.

The Dunning-Kruger effect suggests that people who have a lower ability often overestimate themselves. However, people with higher intelligence neither underestimated nor overestimated their ability. People with higher intelligence levels are more aware of what they don’t know and, therefore, don’t see themselves as particularly smart.

This is probably something you have noticed in highly intelligent individuals, who never claim to know everything and are always curious and willing to learn.

6. You bite your nails.

A new study has found that nail-biting may not actually be a sign of anxiety. According to research, soothing habits like biting your nails and picking your skin are actually about perfectionism and your feelings of dissatisfaction. In fact, it seems that people who have extreme perfectionist tendencies may be linked to a higher intelligence than those who don’t have them.

7. You chew gum.

Chewing gum appears to be directly linked to performing better in tests and memory tasks, according to research. Your memory, attention, and both executive and intellectual functioning may increase when chewing gum. However, scientists have had some difficulties and disagreements when proving this, as it may also affect task performance.

8. You only have a few friends.

Smarter people are believed to have fewer friends and smaller social circles because they’re more independent. According to the Savanna theory, in the past, humans needed to be in larger groups to hunt and solve problems together. However, nowadays, we are less dependent, especially highly intelligent people, who can solve their problems on their own.

What do you think about these habits? Are there other traits that you have noticed in highly intelligent people?