10+ Odd Habits Of Highly Intelligent People
By Jack Clark
1 year ago
1. They Constantly Learn New Things
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Highly intelligent people are like sponges, always seeking to absorb new information. Whether it's reading books, watching documentaries or taking online courses, they embrace every possible opportunity to learn something new. They are often quite restless in their pursuit of learning new things, and this keeps their minds sharp and adaptable regardless of the subject matter.2. They Read All The Time
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You will often find that highly intelligent people will have their noses deep into a book, and they will make time for reading something every day. It doesn't matter what the book is about or if it is fiction or non-fiction, highly intelligent people understand that reading is one of the best ways of increasing their cognitive flexibility, along with it being a great way to learn new things.3. They Are Critical Thinkers
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For the most part, people with high intelligence will be incredibly critical thinkers. They almost never take things at face value and instead choose to look at information with an analytical approach. They tend to be very good at digging deeper into a subject and can put aside their own biases to find logic and flaws in any given piece of information or opinion.4. They Tend To Be Highly Curious
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Curiosity kills the cat, but not the highly intelligent person. Curiosity is often the engine that drives their intelligence, and highly intelligent individuals have a rather unquenchable thirst for understanding how things work and why. They never let go of their childlike wonder about the world and they harness that curiosity to constantly learn and discover new things.5. They Have An Open Mind
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Open-mindedness can be tricky for a lot of people, but highly intelligent people have no problem embracing things and ideas that they do not know or don't currently agree with. In fact, they actually appreciate the idea of challenging their own views, and they actively welcome people to discuss different points of view with them. This habit allows them to see the bigger picture in most situations.6. They're Persistent
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How many times have you tried something new and given up on the second or third try? We're hard-wired to avoid doing hard things and we find it hard to view things long-term. Highly intelligent people rarely give up and they're some of the most persistent people on the planet. Where we might give something up on the third try, they'll try something 10 times in 10 different ways.7. They Have Clear Goals
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Goal setting really can be a superpower when it comes to visualizing your future and improving your current situation. Highly intelligent people know this idea intimately and they harness this power to ensure their continuous improvement. Their goals will often range from short-term to long-term, and they are meticulous in making each goal practical along with having a deep understanding of the steps required to reach each goal.8. They're Time Management Gurus
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Time-management is a hard skill to master, especially when we live in a world of constant distractions. Highly intelligent people see time as a valuable resource and they know how to make the most of it, and they HATE wasting it. They are masters of prioritizing their to-do-list based on a tasks importance and urgency, and they can juggle multiple responsibilities without sacrificing quality.9. They Keep A Journal
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No, this isn't a "dear diary" type of journal, but rather a regimented practice that allows them to write down their thoughts, plans and insights after a long day. Getting things out of your brain and onto a page can really declutter your mind, and highly intelligent people have mastered this. Thoughts can come and go at a moments notice, and highly intelligent people don't like to forget a good idea.10. They Can Solve Problems Easily
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Highly intelligent people are often very good at problem solving, so much so that they actually welcome the challenge. Their ability to think critically aids them greatly when it comes to solving a complex problem, as they can often see things from a logical perspective. This, in turn, allows them to approach problems with a creative and often innovative mindset.11. They Seek Feedback
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No matter how intelligent a person is, they understand their own pitfalls and weak points in any given subject. Because of this, highly intelligent people are keen feedback receivers, and they're constantly looking for people to evaluate their work, efficiency or thought process. In doing this, it allows them to improve on any weakness that they might have.12. They Embrace Failure
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Failing is incredibly disheartening and it can be difficult to come back from a particularly big set back. However, highly intelligent people openly welcome the idea of failure. In fact, they don't even view it as failing, but rather that they didn't succeed in that particular idea or attempt. Highly intelligent people reap their failures for lessons on how they can improve and move forward.13. They Practice Mindfulness
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You'll often find that highly intelligent people are calm, even stoic at times, and this is because of their continuous meditation and mindfulness practices. Having the ability to remain calm in stressful situations is a skill that isn't easily acquirable, and highly intelligent people continuously test their ability to stay calm. Meditation is also a great way for them to tame their wandering thoughts and keep their concentration.14. They Have Broad Interests
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Whilst highly intelligent people often have one or two skills or subject matters that they are particularly good at or knowledgeable in, they still have very broad interests and hobbies. They understand the power in learning about lots of different things, as they can use insights from their interests to improve the skills and subject matters that they're particularly strong at.15. They Understand The Power Of Networking
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Networking is hard, and it's difficult to approach people that you don't have a mutual connection with without it coming across as 'networking'. However, highly intelligent people don't seem to have that presupposition - in fact, their curiosity almost always wins, and they'll find themselves speaking to anyone and everyone if it means they can learn something new.16. They Have Mental Flexibility
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Mental flexibility is a rather hard concept to define, let alone practice. Highly intelligent people are particularly good at adapting to new information and processing it quickly. They can also adapt very quickly to changes in conversations, beliefs and ways of doing things. In fact, they welcome changes to processes as it gives them and opportunity to expand their skillset and mind.17. They Have Emotional Intelligence
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Emotional intelligence means that someone is very in tune with their own feelings, and because of this they're great at managing their emotions so they don't affect certain situations. Also, it often means that they have a great deal of compassion and empathy towards other people, better yet it comes from a genuine place. Highly intelligent people are often very emotionally intelligent.18. They Practice Healthy Habits
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Eat your fruits and vegetables, do some exercise. It sounds so simple, but the majority of people struggle with it. Highly intelligent people however actively prioritize their physical and mental heath over everything else. They understand that a strong body is a healthy body, and that a resilient mindset will get them through the majority of situations.19. They Enjoy Solitude
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Not everyone enjoys being on their own, but highly intelligent people actively welcome this. They enjoy have moments to themselves to reflect on their day or on a project, and they understand the importance of being able to decompress their mind and thoughts in order to remain at peace. Solitude for a highly intelligent person often means they can gain some clarity and generate fresh insights.20. They Have Humility
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Humility is a defining trait of highly intelligent people. Despite their broad knowledge and insights, they still understand that they don't know everything. In fact, they deeply understand their own limitations and actively seek to improve those aspects of themselves. Humility is one of the traits that allows highly intelligent people to learn so much - it makes them receptive to learning.21. They Engage In Debates, Not Arguments
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It is quite common now to see people arguing on social media over really trivial things. Highly intelligent people on the other hand, rarely, if ever, get into arguments with people. In fact, they engage in debates about different things. Debates and arguments have one key difference: in a debate, you're actively trying to learn something from the other side, which is something highly intelligent people relish.22. They Seek Challenges
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We all enjoy comforting things, but the comfort zone is the last place you'll find a highly intelligent person. In fact, they actively try to pursue things that are exactly out of their comfort zone. Highly intelligent people understand that by pushing yourself to do something that is hard and uncomfortable, you'll end up learning something new, whether that's about the thing they're doing or about themselves.23. They Visualize Their Success
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Highly intelligent people are masters when it comes to thinking about their future. They actively visualize different outcomes and they trace back the steps to work out how they might be able to achieve certain things and goals. They often create vivid mental pictures of their desired outcomes, and they approach every single day with those outcomes in mind.24. They Exercise Their Mind
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Mental exercises are more than just pastimes for highly intelligent people - they understand that their minds are much like their muscles, and they need a consistent and regimented program of training and rest days in order to gradually improve. They will engage in puzzles, logic games and brain teasers, or even just sit down and read something difficult in order to get their brains working.25. They Delay Gratification
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Delayed gratification is a recent online phenomena, often preached by business gurus who are trying to sell you a course on how they got super rich. However, the principle is sound, and the highly intelligent people of the world practice delayed gratification. They understand the power of denying short term rewards and treats for long term success.26. They Teach Others
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Highly intelligent people didn't get to where they are by themselves; they actively went out of their way to seek guidance from people smarter than them and mentors who could guide them on a certain path. They understand the value of listening to and learning from someone who has done what they're trying to do, and they often end up teaching people and becoming mentors.27. They Have A Creative Outlet
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For highly intelligent people, life isn't just all about work. They will often engage in various different creative outlets, whether than be playing a musical instrument, writing music, creating art or writing a blog. Highly intelligent people understand the value in having a hobby that is separate to their work and academic life, and it can often give them a different way of viewing things.28. They Analyze Their Mistakes
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Instead of fearing making a mistake, highly intelligent people embrace them as opportunities for growth. They conduct thorough post-mortems of their failures, analyzing what went wrong and why. From here, they work out how to improve a situation based entirely on what they learned from it going wrong in the first place, and this constant self-assessment leads to vast improvements.29. They Keep Informed
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For highly intelligent individuals, keeping abreast of different issues and subjects is something that really interests them. They understand that keeping up to date with different global trends and current events can give them insights into their own field of expertise. Their broad perspective on things actually allows them to see the bigger picture in most situations.30. That's It For Now!
