What would you say are the characteristics of very smart people?

[Anonymous]

Well, I don't know any well-adjusted geniuses!
All mine are neurotic, not that great in social situations and always being weird in some way.
Based on the posts above, I might be a super smart person. I am pretty well adjusted, I am geat in social situations, I have a good memory and I know when to listen and how not to put people down but smile and be polite.
I never thought those were the signs of smarts! That is just being polite.

[Anonymous]

People who make everything look easy.

[Anonymous]

Classic dcum! What would you say are....
They are this and this...
You are wrong, they are not!
And the more classic:
I am smart and these are my characteristics!
LOL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Usually, they are low key, not the self aggrandizing type. Maybe they get bored easily with activities normal people enjoy like small talk, tv shows, movies, novels. Like ok, Tina sees Bob. Tina talks to Bob. Tina has a secret past. Oh gee wiz, what will it be! Oh wow Tina and Bob, I love that brand of furniture. Oh Tina and Bob, you're going to Florida next week, oh wow sounds so mind blowing. Exhausting.

You haven’t seen smart people discuss furniture brands?

Most people, that's as riveting as a conversation will ever get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I encounter two types of very smart people a lot:

The type who are very engaged, listening to everything being said, asking questions, building on ideas as they come up, challenging assumptions, etc.

The type who say almost nothing but then when they do talk, say very insightful things.

I think it just depends on personality type. The quiet ones are stealth smart but then when you get a peak at how their brains work, it's intimidating. One of my best friends is like this. She is a huge introvert and doesn't volunteer much. But she's one of the smartest people I've ever met.

Yes to all of this. One is me. One is DH. It's interesting to see it play out in work and social settings. Two totally different vibes.

I'll also add that smart people are generally already a step ahead of the conversation or situation, especially in their field of expertise. And beyond that, are making many connections to other experiences to pull into the conversation.

There is also a subset of very smart people who just have amazing memories for quotes, articles, authors, etc. and can repeat them verbatim. Though many of the people I've met who are like this have a photographic memory.

[Anonymous]

If you know lots of very smart people, you will know there is no "characteristic" of very smart people. Some act like idiots, some have a stick up their butt, some like only high brow art, some love marvel movies, some hate work and like to veg out all day, others are workaholics who can't be bothered with entertainment, some are nice, some are mean. The real question is, what are the characteristics of dumb people. Try talking to a dumb person and it's like you're talking at a wall

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with a lot of what’s been said above. I’d have to add being aware and observant. I know a lot of people who are highly educated and smart in some ways, but a bomb could go off a block away and they wouldn’t notice. It’s like they’re never fully present. My mother is like this. She’s intelligent but she misses everything and is hard to talk to.

My mom is like this too. So curious, distracted, creative, and sometimes annoying. She just visited for my DC's graduation. I learned something I had never known before. She randomly mused, in a conversation about the valedictorian in my DC's class, that she had been valedictorian of her high school class at a large Catholic high school. She shared that the head of school had called up her mother to pressure her to allow the #2 in the class take the valedictorian honor because that student was disadvantaged in some ways (not economically) and it would mean more to that student and be the charitable thing to do. The nun laid on the Catholic guilt and her mother gave in, then regretted it greatly later. Interesting that my mom had no agency in the situation, they just took the honor from her and gave it to the salutatorian.

[Anonymous]

They eschew pop culture, the don’t like television, they read, the can delay gratification, they take disappointment or personal failures in stride and see either as an opportunity to learn and grow, they can read people, and they like to learn about things they aren’t skilled in or educated about formally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you know lots of very smart people, you will know there is no "characteristic" of very smart people. Some act like idiots, some have a stick up their butt, some like only high brow art, some love marvel movies, some hate work and like to veg out all day, others are workaholics who can't be bothered with entertainment, some are nice, some are mean. The real question is, what are the characteristics of dumb people. Try talking to a dumb person and it's like you're talking at a wall

I envy dumb people sometimes, though. I feel like my intelligence is akin to a party trick, considering what I've used it for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I encounter two types of very smart people a lot:

The type who are very engaged, listening to everything being said, asking questions, building on ideas as they come up, challenging assumptions, etc.

The type who say almost nothing but then when they do talk, say very insightful things.

I think it just depends on personality type. The quiet ones are stealth smart but then when you get a peak at how their brains work, it's intimidating. One of my best friends is like this. She is a huge introvert and doesn't volunteer much. But she's one of the smartest people I've ever met.

Yes to all of this. One is me. One is DH. It's interesting to see it play out in work and social settings. Two totally different vibes.

I'll also add that smart people are generally already a step ahead of the conversation or situation, especially in their field of expertise. And beyond that, are making many connections to other experiences to pull into the conversation.

There is also a subset of very smart people who just have amazing memories for quotes, articles, authors, etc. and can repeat them verbatim. Though many of the people I've met who are like this have a photographic memory.

Are people with photographic memory highly intelligent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Signs of geniuses are usually:
Overly worried,
Can't sleep because the mind is still working
talking to yourself
insane imagination...

But, of course, what kind of smarts are we talking about? There are so many different types of being smart.
Smart for math? Smart for emotions?
Smart like Nikola Tesla and you are a gift to men kind and make inventions that we can't live without?
I mean, people can be smart for different things and that expresses differently in life.

These are signs of neuroticism, not intelligence

Smart people are highly neurotic. Do you know any super-smart people? My points are spot on.
Maybe we are talking about two different things? You are talking bout socially well-adjusted people who are ok smart.
I am talking about geniuses. They tend not to be that well adjusted socially.

I know plenty of geniuses who aren't neurotic in the slightest, and are actually extremely chill, almost in another world where they find it hard to worry about "human issues", let alone spend half the night worrying about the thermostat or whatever else. Again, neuroticism and genius- two very separate things.

That just reminded me of an undergrad I knew when I was a grad student in math, at a state university. I'd heard people mention him but it was awhile before I met him. He had graduated h.s. early, his mom was a nurse and his dad blue collar, by his sophomore year all his math classes were graduate level. He was the nicest, most laid-back person and had a real variety of friends--different ages and interests (also had the most gorgeous very, very long chestnut hair). Ran into him about 8 years later and he was by then an asst prof at Yale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you know lots of very smart people, you will know there is no "characteristic" of very smart people. Some act like idiots, some have a stick up their butt, some like only high brow art, some love marvel movies, some hate work and like to veg out all day, others are workaholics who can't be bothered with entertainment, some are nice, some are mean. The real question is, what are the characteristics of dumb people. Try talking to a dumb person and it's like you're talking at a wall

NP. Primarily this, but I agree with “not that great in social situations and always being weird in some way”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I encounter two types of very smart people a lot:

The type who are very engaged, listening to everything being said, asking questions, building on ideas as they come up, challenging assumptions, etc.

The type who say almost nothing but then when they do talk, say very insightful things.

I think it just depends on personality type. The quiet ones are stealth smart but then when you get a peak at how their brains work, it's intimidating. One of my best friends is like this. She is a huge introvert and doesn't volunteer much. But she's one of the smartest people I've ever met.

Yes to all of this. One is me. One is DH. It's interesting to see it play out in work and social settings. Two totally different vibes.

I'll also add that smart people are generally already a step ahead of the conversation or situation, especially in their field of expertise. And beyond that, are making many connections to other experiences to pull into the conversation.

There is also a subset of very smart people who just have amazing memories for quotes, articles, authors, etc. and can repeat them verbatim. Though many of the people I've met who are like this have a photographic memory.

Are people with photographic memory highly intelligent?

I know someone with a near-photographic memory. It’s like having a bigger mental library to consult when a problem comes up. He’s had several jobs over the years in the same field, and remembers details about them all. It makes him a much better problem-solver. Memory is one attribute of intelligence, but you also need good processing speed and reading skills.

[Anonymous]

By the time you figure out you need a bridge to cross the river, they are already on the other side ready to sell you a way to cross. This is a metaphor for what thou describe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Truly bright people are never bored. The most brilliant man I ever knew once admitted that he doesn’t even know what boredom feels like. He said he could always think so how could he be bored.

Some highly intelligent people are easily bored compared to the general population or have ADHD. Some want external stimulation and new information and questions to think about.