Wendy Kaur
I think my late father was low-key really smart. He wasn’t the type to talk a lot to show how much he knew.
But he showed his intellect in subtle ways: for example, he was an avid reader and could converse on a wide range of topics.
My dad was an engineer by trade but he had vast interests. He had an avid interest in astronomy and he invested heavily in the stock market.
He was also very interested in what was happening in the world (I think that’s where I get my zest for current affairs from).
He was also an amazing painter: he did beautiful landscapes that were so vivid and real (my niece, his granddaughter has inherited this talent from him).
Psychologists say that there are actually a number of subtle signs that point to how smart someone is.
Here are five of them.
1) Their memory isn’t limited to their mind
I can tell you in minute detail about big and small things that happened in my childhood. But ask me to give you a play-by-play of what I did yesterday and I would honestly only be able to generalize.
I’m not the only one.
Many people have great long-term memory—they can tell you every detail about an event that happened years ago. But ask the same people exactly what they did three days ago, and they’ll draw a blank.
The ability to store more items in short-term memory indicates a higher fluid IQ, according to psychological research.
“While there may be no limit to long-term memory, short-term memory is smaller,” says the team at PsyBlog.
“The average number of things people can store in short-term memory—whether words, numbers or whatever—is four.”
So if you can store more than that, well then, you’re certainly a smarty-pants.
But intelligence can come up in a physical context too, experts say.
“Maybe you can’t explain how to get to a specific restaurant, but your body knows the way—even though you only walked to that part of town once, several years ago,” says Karin Gepp, PsyD.
“Or perhaps you pick up complicated dance steps after your instructor demonstrates them just once. High bodily-kinesthetic intelligence can translate to better dexterity and coordination,” Gepp adds.
“You remember patterns of movement and you can also replicate them without much effort.”
These are the people who are naturally good at sports and other kinds of okay so activity, yes, but it can also improve your skill with fine details, says Gepp.
2) They definitely have an eye for detail
We all know someone who is really good at picking up seemingly insignificant details in a movie and pointing out its possible relevance to the plot.
These people never just watch a movie, rather, they are analyzing every aspect as they go.
It’s no wonder: people with high IQs are able to show analytical thinking and attention to detail, says the staff at PsychoLogs Magazine.
“Intelligent people are highly capable of thinking out of the box, making them creative and adaptable and versatile.”
For another thing, may also be able to zero in on sequences or patterns.
“Maybe your observations show up in your creative work,” says Gepp. “These are elements of spatial-visual intelligence.”
3) They make sure not to make the same mistake twice
Smart people see mistakes as something that will make them smarter.
Kelly McGonigal, PhD, a psychologist at Stanford University, says that people will react one of two ways when they make a mistake: they’ll either pay attention or they’ll shut down.
Researchers say one typical brain response is to see the issue as a “wake up call.”
“The brain hones in on the negative outcome, and treats it like a problem that needs solving,” explains McGonigal. “What happened, and why? The brain also increases its attention during the next decision, as if trying to prevent a repeat of the mistake.”
McGonigal says that when this happens, people are much more likely to improve their performance and learn from the mistake.
The thing is, many people will shut down after making a mistake.
That’s because the brain reacts to the negative feedback itself as a threat, says McGonigal. So to escape feeling bad or doubting their abilities, the brain simply chooses not to even think about the mistake.
Smart people think that mistakes can be part of the plan—providing of course that they learn from them.
4) They possess a strong sense of self-control
Low-key smart people know better than to react to every little annoyance. They don’t waste their energy on minor inconveniences but rather only react when something especially important to them is on the line.
That’s because intelligent people have a strong sense of self-control, says Howard Gardner, who is a professor at Harvard University, and the writer of the book, Frames of Mind.
“The idea of self-control includes the idea of a sense of self that intelligent people are highly aware of themselves. Intelligent people are highly disciplined and are able to self-regulate in managing emotions, impulses, and behaviors.”
Under-the-radar smart people are not impulsive and are calm to any sense of discomfort. They are able to solve problems with clear and calm focus.
5) They are active—as opposed to passive—listeners
Smart people listen to all of what someone says, not just the last thing they said, and then respond based on that.
“People who are able to perceive an interaction holistically, rather than just being in the moment and responding to the last thing you said with the first thing they thought of are usually highly intelligent,” says psychotherapist and career coach Jenny Maenpaa.
Basically what low-key really smart people have is a skill called active listening and it requires a whole lot more than just sitting in silence while someone speaks, says Maenpaa.
“Active listening is when someone can listen to you at length, truly taking in what you’re saying, and not interrupt,” she says.
Active listeners thoughtfully respond with follow-up questions because they’re truly curious about what the other person is saying. They have the intellectual ability to keep their questions in mind instead of “interrupting to clarify or to share a thought they had just because you reminded them of it.”
While many people might think they’re active listeners, 70% of them actually exhibit poor listening habits, according to a 2020 report by the University of Southern California. This is the reason for misunderstandings as well as damaged relationships.
But active listening can foster relationships and build trust with colleagues, bosses, mentors, or anyone else.
