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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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]

That they a.) possess a lot of basic common sense and that b.) they have the ability to think critically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

First PP, what you wrote about being "never fully present" sounds like it could be something like ADHD. Or maybe introversion to a very high level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I think those may be extroverts. Most introverts have minds running miles a minute coming up with question after question and idea after idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just outward signs/things that tell you someone is extremely bright.

I come from a line of highly intelligent people. I would say my brother and my father in particular are genius level, what stands out to me most are their curiosity, willingness to listen and learn, their inquisitiveness and their commitment to always finishing a task.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At work, the skill to work smarter, not harder. Is this a problem others deal with? I'm seriously confused at work when my coworker takes action on something of MINE, then emails me to tell me about it, and sends a second email containing the link, plus I'm going to need to review it anyway, so it would save us both so much time if she would leave my stuff alone in the first place. I've asked her to please not touch the items in my inbox. And explained that her way takes more time for both of us. But she believes she's being a team player by helping others.

She's the nicest person, too.

It's hard to complain when someone is just trying to be helpful.

The trait of efficiency is something I associate with high intelligence, not knowledge or being smart. If it is an innate drive, no matter what, especially true. If there is analysis paralysis or rigamarole for show it makes me want to claw my way out of any conference room. Or zoom session.

What is the difference between high intelligence, knowledge, and being smart?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People who make everything look easy.

+1 in school they had no tutoring or help but learned everything easily like through osmosis well before everyone else. It is easy for them and most of the time they were not even paying attention but get the highest grades. Parents don't need to encourage them to study, they just know it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

First PP, what you wrote about being "never fully present" sounds like it could be something like ADHD. Or maybe introversion to a very high level.

I don't think my mother has ADHD. She's just kind of slow. It didn't stop her from getting a PhD, but I simply cannot think of her as highly intelligent. She can't seem to process things quickly, or at all.

She's more of an introvert than an extrovert but I don't believe that's relevant here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I think those may be extroverts. Most introverts have minds running miles a minute coming up with question after question and idea after idea.

There are easily bored introverts, too. You said "most," though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny and quick witted. Clever.

Good recall on information and weaving it back into the conversation when relevant. Connecting the dots easily and quickly.

Excellent ability to concisely and accurately summarize disparate threads of a conversation and tee up decision points in a meandering group conversation. (This is a work thing.)

And then there is the traditional academic stuff - very good at math on the fly, etc.

Interesting. You think the bolded is a relatively rare skill? I don’t disagree but I’ve never thought about it this way.

Agree that I highly appreciate this when people do it.

Agreed. This is a very valuable skill a lot more rare than I thought, especially in large organizations. I’m a software project manager
and have had to learn this skill because so many ppl lack it.

[Anonymous]

The ability to recognize that they don't know what they don't know and the ability to shut up or say they don't know when they don't know.