You could say that there plenty of not-so-bright people walking around, but it’s

not that there are so many of them, it’s just that they are usually the loudest.
There are a lot of extremely intelligent people out there, but they simply don’t
advertise the fact that they are smart. It comes natural to them, and they try to
live their lives freely and without consciously drawing attention to themselves.
You can call it modesty or plain old good manners, but these people tend to look
and sound quite average, until they surprise you with a gem of wisdom. Here are
some of the tell-tale signs that you might be one smart cookie, without appearing
so.

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1. You’re a night owl

As recent research suggests, those who prefer to stay up late, and do their best
work at night, average higher IQ scores than morning people. That being said,
staying up late won’t magically hack your brain into being smarter – smarter
people are just more likely to work and party during the night, and sleep in. While
all your friends are fast asleep, you are browsing the web for information, reading,
learning to play the guitar and finishing up different projects – since this happens
behind the scenes, your knowledge and skills will often be a surprise to people.

2. You’re the silent type

You’ll find plenty of misconceptions about quiet people, e.g. being labeled as
introverts, socially awkward and so on. This isn’t necessarily true, and while not
all quiet people are necessarily smart, highly intelligent people will often refrain
from speaking if they are accessing a situation. They will take some time to think
about what was said and prepare an adequate response, and they find silence
better than pointless small talk.
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3. You face your problems

You may find yourself faced with a bunch of difficult problems, but a smart
person won’t let that bring them down. A very smart person will know how to
prioritize and deal with problems as they arise, before things even get a chance to
start spinning out of control. If you are the type of person who faces problems and
welcomes challenges, always dancing on the age of your comfort zone, chances are
that you are fairly intelligent.

4. You hang out with smart and creative people

The company you keep is a good reflection of who you are as a person.
Exceptionally smart people will tend to hang out with people like them, i.e. smart,
creative and cultured. There are always some exceptions, but if about 80% of the
people in your life are intelligent and interesting, you probably fit that description
as well.
5. You strive for perfection

There might not be anything that hints at great intelligence in your appearance or
speech, the way you conduct yourself is an excellent indicator. Intelligent people
always strive for perfection, so each time you see them you’ll be able to notice a
few small improvements. They are always a bit different than before. This
perfectionist mentality is applied to all aspects of life, from trying to look their
best or working on being a great speaker, to spending hours practicing their golf
swing or dart throw.

6. You tend to be quite self-critical

There are plenty of narcissists out there who sometimes lie to themselves and
others about how good they are at something, so it’s a breath of fresh air to see
someone being self-critical and accepting critique. Although someone might not
be actively trying to impress and come off as smart, the ability to acknowledge
one’s own faults and the willingness to work on correcting them can give their
intelligence away.

7. You like to stay informed

Intelligent people like to be up to date with the latest development in a number of
different fields, always trying to improve themselves bit by bit. A smart person
will stay up to date with local and global news, as well as try to learn all he or she
can about topics that are directly related to their life or are interesting to them.
Gathering information, learning new things and developing useful skills is a
lifelong goal for highly intelligent people, and they will always have a way of
keeping themselves busy.

8. You’re constantly occupied with tons of different projects

Speaking of keeping busy, a good indicator that you are dealing with a very smart
person is the fact that they always have a few projects that they are working on.
They might be brushing up on their French and learning a few useful Mandarin
phrases, reading up on DIY home repairs, taking dancing lessons, working on
some new recipes in the kitchen, or compiling a book on early medieval
architecture. While a lot of people like to keep busy, a smart person will fill their
free time with activities that help them improve in one way or another. Not all
smart people are very productive, but it can be a good indicator of higher
intellect.

9. You ask all the right questions

When talking to a smart person who doesn’t blow his or her own horn, you’ll
notice that they don’t try to hijack the conversation or start long monologues.
They will actually sit there quietly and listen to what you have to say, allowing for
a few moments of silence here and there as they think things over. However, once
they ask a question it really hits the spot. They actually give helpful advice or even
get you to come to the right conclusions on your own. If your friends enjoy talking
to you and tell you that you are a good listener, you are probably a good friend,
and an intelligent one at that.

10. You don’t think that you are exceptionally smart

Due to something called the Dunning-Kruger effect people with a low level of
competence will tend to overestimate their abilities, whereas highly competent
people will tend to sell themselves short. This is due to the fact that the more
intelligent, informed and skilled you are, the more you realize just how much
space there is to further improve and you are not satisfied with your current
knowledge or skill level.

True intelligence cannot really be hidden away or masked effectively, nor is this
the point of exceptionally smart people who appear seemingly normal. They wear
their intelligence proudly, but they don’t flaunt it, although these ten signs are a
dead giveaway.