17 things only deep thinkers would understand

Do you have profound insights about things? Do you love to think about the big questions of life? Do you spend a lot of time with yourself to get away from others and be alone with your thoughts?

If this sounds like you, then you’re likely a deep thinker.

Misunderstood by most people, deep thinkers are thoughtful individuals who prefer to take their time to understand themselves, the world, and those around them.

Here are 17 things you’ll understand if you’re a deep thinker.

1. You make your own opinions

Now, this doesn’t mean that you’re always going to go against the majority opinion for the sake of it. That’s called being a contrarian and that’s not what this is about.

Instead, deep thinkers simply don’t say or think in a certain way because someone else said so.

Whether their opinion is in agreement with everyone else or not a deep thinker can explain without having to say “because someone said this!” when asked.

You make your own opinions based on the things you’ve discovered and based on your own knowledge, wisdom, and intuition.

2. You’re thirsty for information

We all know this. Deep thinkers have a deep thirst for knowledge. They have the drive to remain informed.

Where others would find reading boring and tedious, you would find nothing but joy in it. The more information you take in and process, the more colorful your mental landscape becomes.

You’re often glued to books and newspapers, keeping yourself up to date or otherwise just immersing yourself in another person’s world.

In your free time, you listen to podcasts, watch the news, read books, watch documentaries, listen to debates, and talk to others who have a lot of things to share.

3. You analyze what you experience

Go to any crowded event or tourist spot and you’ll see countless people with their phones out, either taking pictures and videos of the experience or live-sharing it with their friends online.

The people without phones in front of their faces all the time? Those are probably the deep people.

A deep person understands the importance of living in the moment more than anyone else.

This is why they’re more likely to truly breathe it in, undistracted, than extroverted, social media addicts who constantly stare at their phone.

Because they know that nothing can truly recreate the memory of the experience.

Living it, and letting it wash over you, is better than recording it and watching it again afterward.

4. Everything is easier when you’re alone

When you’re with other people, you don’t always get to do what you want to. There’s always an element of compromise.

You can’t always pick your favorite movie or go to your favorite restaurant when there are other people involved.

And sure, every now and then it’s fine to try a new restaurant that your friend recommends.

But when it comes down to it, you’d rather just do what you want to do.

This is why you love being alone. You don’t have to compromise. You can work on your passion projects or watch your favorite TV shows. Everything is easy.

5. You can’t stand insensitivity, idiocy, or ignorance

You always take a step back and observe situations before making judgments.

So when someone makes instant simplistic judgments of other people, it irks you to your core.

You know that everything isn’t black or white. People always have reasons for what they do.

You think deeply about issues and situations. You’re well-considered and have learned to think for yourself.

In a world of Google and news feeds that feed you exaggerated and biased headlines, you know that thinking for yourself is one of the most important qualities one can have.

6. You feel compassion and heartache for those less fortunate than you

Deep introverts care deeply about the people who are not right in front of you.

You feel compassion and heartache for those who are less fortunate than you, and you want to help those you can’t help themselves.

You feel responsible for your share of the planet and take that responsibility to heart by doing your part to prevent further damage.

Your soul lights up when you do these things, and that’s good for everyone.

7. You are a keen observer

Deep introverts are able to pick up on even the littlest of details. This can include minor context clues, sensations, and feelings that others may often overlook.

When you’re outside, you may prefer walking slowly and constantly looking around. This is because you want to get a better look at your surroundings and to notice the people walking beside you.

It is also important for you to engage all of your senses at the same time so that you can get a clearer picture of the situation at hand.

In general, you’re just naturally perceptive with everything around you.

Perhaps you initially thought that everyone thinks the way that you do. But over time, you realized that the natural gift of perception is something that is only given to a select few.

Not everyone can immediately and correctly analyze one’s environment in the way that you can.

8. You can finally be your true self when you’re alone

You’re at peace with your soul when you’re sitting in silence.

But as soon as people are around, the peace you love is gone.

And it’s not even the other person making noise that upsets you. It’s their presence that makes you uncomfortable. It means you can’t fully relax and enjoy the moment.

It’s only when you’re alone that you can completely let go and be yourself.

9. Small-talk feels like a giant waste of time

We’ve all been there.

“How are you?” “Great weather today!”

Arrgh…such a waste of time.

For you, small-talk is meaningless and superficial. You don’t get to know someone for who they truly are.

Instead, the questions and answers lack so much meaning that it doesn’t need to be said.

It’s just a way to fill the silence, but for you, you’d rather bask in the glory of silence!

This is why you come across as a cold person to others.

If you’re going to talk to someone, you’d rather get to know them at a deep level. What makes them tick. What is their life plan?

You want to know the purpose behind someone’s actions and what they find joyful in life. That is what really gets your juices flowing.

But small-talk is so common these days that you’d prefer spending time alone.

10. You appreciate experiences more than the material things in life

When you’re a deep introvert, it can take a lot of time and effort to feed your brain and give it what it needs.

You’ve probably found that you don’t get a lot of pleasure out of material things, but a walk in the woods makes you feel alive and well.

People with deep souls need to look beyond the things they own to find comfort and to feel alive.

A new cell phone won’t do that for you. You probably spend time learning, getting outside, and going on adventures with those you love – that’s what a deep soul needs to thrive.

11. Gossiping isn’t fun

Gossiping…talking about people behind their back…one-upping people to make yourself look better. That’s just not your style.

In your mind, people spend way too much time on these toxic behaviors. It’s just wasted energy. For you, it doesn’t even make you feel good.

You’d prefer to focus on yourself while keeping the peace with everyone else.

Now of course you’d stand up for yourself and others if you need to, but this is different.

In the end, gossiping about who did what, who insulted who, and why so and so is a bad person only serves to make others feel bad, and that is the last thing you want to do.

12. Life is good just the way it is

You’re perfectly happy with how your life’s going and where you’re at. You don’t need to constantly see people and arrange nights out to feel better about yourself.

You accept yourself for who you are and you’re happy to spend time alone doing what you want to do.

There’s no FOMO (fear of missing out) when you miss social occasions because you know that you’d have a better time home alone anyway.

This makes it very easy for you to say “no” when someone asks you out.

13. You’re not as willing as others to share personal details about yourself

It’s a big ask for you to get emotionally close to others.

You’ve been hurt in the past when you’ve got close to others, and that is why you don’t take getting close to someone else lightly.

While you enjoy getting to know others for who they are and what makes them tick, you’re not as willing to reveal personal details about yourself.

It doesn’t mean that you never get close to others. It just takes you more time to trust someone to get close.

14. Working alone is better than working in a group

You are much more productive when you’re alone in your office than when others are near you.

This is because it’s hard for you to not get distracted when other people are around you.

People talking, random questions while you’re working, the sounds of people chewing their food around you. It irks you to your core and it can really upset your workflow.

Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that you’re not as comfortable around others as extroverts are.

You prefer to be alone concentrating on what you need to get done.

15. You take things to heart

Some might say you are too sensitive, but you know that you just feel things more deeply than others.

This can be a curse and a blessing. It allows your soul to connect with others on a deeper level, but it also means you expose yourself to pain at times.

Despite the occasional bad feelings, your deep soul is better for having experienced a wide range of human emotions, and you welcome them, regardless of what they bring.

16. You pay attention to the smallest details about a person or place

Just like detail-orientated people, when you meet someone new, you find things to like about them right away. When you visit a new town or city, you see things that appeal to you.

You don’t look for the flaws in anyone or anything. Your soul is more at peace when you are grateful for the new connection or new experience, so you like to live in that state as much as possible.

Your deep soul is uniquely you, and you find unique things about those people and places in your lives that you connect with and grow because of having met or experienced them.

17. You are a good listener

Deep introverts like cultivating the habit of listening first before speaking. They do this not just to be polite, but because they want to learn as much as they can about another person.

When listening, you don’t have any secret agendas to steer a conversation one way or another.

You don’t like interrupting anyone just so you can have the final say.

Even when another person is asking you for your advice, you don’t immediately give your opinion on an issue until you’ve absorbed everything the person has to say.

As much as you would like to help, you know that it would be more beneficial if you take the time to listen first.

You are also able to make others feel heard by acknowledging what they are saying.

This could be through simple gestures like nodding your head or briefly reacting to the things they share. Doing this makes others feel comfortable to share their thoughts with you.

Another mark of a good listener is if you actually remember everything that has been shared with you. This means that you have genuine care and concern for the people that you are talking to.