At first glance, it may seem that there are not very many outstanding people around us, but the point is not that there are few of them, they are just usually not the most noticeable. There are a lot of extremely smart people out there, but they just don't advertise the fact. This is natural for them, and they try to live quietly, without attracting attention to themselves. You can call it modesty or good manners, but such people, as a rule, look rather average until they surprise others with some wise saying. There are several signs that a seemingly ordinary person is actually extraordinarily intelligent.
He is an owl
Recent studies show that those who prefer to stay up late and do their work at night, on average, have a higher IQ level than those who like to wake up early. At the same time, if an ordinary person goes to bed late, this will not make him smarter. In the later hours, the intellectual will spend time searching for information, reading, learning to play the guitar, and completing various projects, and since this happens away from prying eyes, new knowledge and skills often come as a surprise to other people.
How much do you hate this job?
The last thing anyone wants to hear is how much their coworker hates their job. By complaining, you label yourself as a negative person who refuses to play on the team and is vocal about it.
Such complaints are quite “toxic” and greatly reduce the positive attitude in the team. Management very quickly identifies such whiners and, rest assured, firmly believes that at any moment they can replace them with personnel more interested in their work.
Silence
If a person is an introvert, there will be many misconceptions associated with him, especially regarding his weak social interaction skills. This is not always true. While not all silent people are necessarily smart, very smart people often refrain from unnecessary conversations. They also take some time to think about what has been said and prepare an appropriate response, and they believe that silence is better than meaningless small talk.
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Prince of Silence. The story of a man who was silent for 17 years
I became silent on my 27th birthday when I realized that I only opened my mouth to whine or say mean things. I poured shit on everyone I could get my hands on, although I only had to pour shit on myself.
It was 1973, the height of the Vietnam War, a difficult period for the United States. Among the hippies at that time, the “Back-to-the-land-movement” movement was in vogue, the essence of which was to leave the cities for the villages and love each other there. A good dream, but it was difficult to realize it. The dreamers did not understand how much work there was on the land, and when they reached the villages, disputes began. Everyone argued - and I argued more than anyone else, because I had terribly low self-esteem. Not least because I was black: the Civil Rights Act of 1964, of course, outlawed racial segregation, but passing a law is one thing and changing people's thinking is another thing. Even ten years after this law was passed, I felt second-class. Now black youth have heroes - Barack Obama, other politicians, athletes, musicians. And then we had no role models, we did not believe that we could become someone worthwhile. I yelled all the time, asserted myself at the expense of others, talked crap and lied. For example, if someone said, “I play the banjo,” I would say, “Yeah, I’m a hundred times cooler than you, because not only do I play the banjo, but I signed a record deal yesterday, okay? No, do you understand or not? - although, of course, there was no contract.
On my 27th birthday, I decided to give everyone a gift and keep quiet. My girlfriend was delighted. The next day I woke up and realized that I didn’t want to talk - I didn’t see the point in it
A year before going silent, I became completely unbearable. This happened after I witnessed an oil barge collision in San Francisco Bay in 1971. The leak was about 3 million liters. I looked at this spot, at the dead fish and birds, and was outraged to the limit. Birds were especially upsetting to me: growing up in Philadelphia, they were my biggest friends—the only big city animals I could relate to when people bothered me. I said: “Guys, I will never get into a car or any other vehicle with a motor again,” and began to walk. But it seemed to me that this was not enough - I still had to tell everyone how smart I was. And I blew everyone's minds and said a lot of empty words. Friends used to drive past me in a car and call: “Johnny, jump in with us.” I answered: “I can’t, I’m saving the planet.” And they: “You just want us to feel like shit.” It was true. And I also thought that when I started walking, everyone would follow my example. I called my parents and said: “Mom, dad, I don’t drive anymore and I’m happy.” Mom replied: “If you were happy, you wouldn’t need to talk about it.”
On my 27th birthday, I decided to give everyone a gift and keep quiet. My girlfriend was delighted. I spent the whole day on the beach, silently. The next day I woke up and realized that I didn’t want to talk - I didn’t see the point in it. When they addressed me, I indicated with gestures - my mouth is sewn up, sorry.
After a couple of weeks, the guys became worried. My girlfriend started asking me to say a word. Dad arrived on the first plane, he thought I was involved with some kind of cult
For the first week, everyone was wildly happy that Johnny had finally shut up. And I suddenly realized that I began to listen to what others were saying. It was a strange experience: before, during a conversation, I would speak myself, and then, instead of listening to what the other person was saying, I would prepare my next remark. Listen to your interlocutor? No never.
After a couple of weeks, the guys became worried. My girlfriend started asking me to say a word. I sent my parents a letter in which I told them that I had been silent for three weeks and was thinking about staying silent for a whole year. Dad arrived on the first plane, came to my house, told me to get into his car and immediately go with him to his hotel room. He thought I was involved with some cult. I showed my dad that I would walk. When we entered his room, he closed the door, looked at me carefully and said: “Well, son, now you can tell me everything.” I was silent.
I liked being silent - it brought peace. Only once did I accidentally let it slip - after six months of silence, I stepped on a stranger’s foot and said, “Sorry.”
I had to leave my job: who needs a music producer who is silent? But in those years it was possible to live without work. My girlfriend and I moved into the deep forest. Then it was easy to find some kind of housing, at least a house without water and electricity. Once we decided to visit friends in San Francisco - it took us all summer to get out of the forest, walk with friends and return.
Photo from personal archive
My girlfriend was at the same time with me until I suggested that she walk from California to Oregon - I was going to study there, I wanted to get a bachelor's degree in ecology. She said it was too much, that she just wanted to drive around and live a normal life, so I went to Oregon alone. I walked 500 miles in a month, went to the dean's office at Ashland University, showed them a newspaper clipping that described their program, and explained with gestures that I wanted to take part in it. When a couple of years later my parents came to my graduation, my dad said: “Son, we are proud of you, but you’ve been silent for a year now and haven’t driven a car—what are you going to do with your diploma?”
I threw my backpack over my shoulder and went traveling. Earning pocket money was not difficult - you could get hired at an oyster farm, or mow the lawn, or unload a truck. It was easy to negotiate money on the fingers.
A few months after graduating, I returned to California and got a job as a boatbuilder's assistant—I wanted to learn how to build ships. The boss liked that I was silent, he said that I was his best student, because I knew how to silently watch him carefully, understand, repeat and not bother.
I had 13 students and our lessons were quite funny: we gathered in a circle and I showed everything on my fingers. "What does he want to say?" — “I don’t know, he seems to be saying something about clear cutting.”
I built my first boat, sailed it, and then went to Montana to the University of Missoula, where I looked into a master's program in environmental science. Two years before that, I wrote a letter to that university, warning that I would come. And when I got there, the university paid for my tuition, even though master's programs cost thousands of dollars. In my free time I taught classes. I had 13 students. These lessons were quite funny: we gathered in a circle, and I showed everything on my fingers. "What does he want to say?" - “I don’t know, he seems to be saying something about clear cutting.” - “Yes, yes, clear cutting.” - “No, guys, look, he’s showing a hand saw, which means he’s talking about selective thinning of the tree stand!”
Two years later I received my master's degree and moved on.
On the tenth anniversary of my silence, I wanted to talk. I wanted to feel that I was silent of my own free will, that this was not a prison. I called my mother - she thought it was my brother. I had to tell her a story that only the two of us knew: a couple of years ago we were riding an elevator together, I was silent, and my mother said, “If you really cared that much about the environment, you wouldn’t be riding the elevator.” Only after that did my mother believe that it was me.
It’s funny that a man who spent a long time talking nonsense, wanted expensive clothes and a car, fell silent and walked for many years
At times I felt lonely. But loneliness is a part of human life. Sometimes I would go into the forest for five weeks, and when I came out and saw people, I felt joy. You need to learn to live in the forest alone, learn to love your loneliness, then other people will be able to love you. If you can't stand yourself, what can you expect from others?
I only stayed with those people who accepted me silently. I left other people. When my silence became a burden to others, I left. It happened that people harassed me in random bars. Then I would just take out the banjo and start playing. Or smiled.
I had no problems with girls - they adored me for being so silent. In a relationship, words are not needed; all the most important things in them are non-verbal.
In the late 1980s, I reached the University of Wisconsin in Madison - I wanted to write a scientific paper about oil spills, and I defended my PhD on this topic. So when the Exxon Valdez happened in 1989 ( the accident of Exxon tankers off the coast of Alaska, as a result of which more than 40 million liters of oil spilled into the ocean. - Ed.
), I was immediately hired by the US Coast Guard to write regulations for employees on how to deal with oil spills. I worked for a year, quit and moved on.
I can’t say that while I was silent, I made some incredible discoveries. Most often I just enjoyed nature and listened to people. It’s funny that a man who spent a long time talking nonsense, wanted expensive clothes and a car, fell silent and walked for many years.
I walked on stage and said, “Thank you for being here.” I didn’t recognize my voice, I laughed and thought: “My God, who just voiced my thoughts?”
I had no problems with girls - they adored me for being so silent. In relationships, words are not needed; all the most important things in them are non-verbal. When I entered the next village, the girls quickly found out that I was the same guy who did not drive a car and was silent - the news came from neighboring villages that I had already passed. Those who first of all thought: “If he is silent, how will he compliment me?” — they were not interested in me, and this simplified life: only those who thought: “How interesting he is, I want to get to know him better” remained.
In 1990, I reached Washington, where I was invited to speak at the Earth Day celebration. I walked on stage and said, “Thank you for being here.” I didn’t recognize my voice, I laughed and thought: “My God, who just voiced my thoughts?” My dad, who was sitting in the audience, rolled his eyes: “Well, Johnny is definitely nuts,” and my mother shouted: “Hallelujah, Johnny has spoken!”
Over time, I realized that human speech is like music, and to convey the meaning, sometimes an ordinary meaningless melody at the dinner table with a pleasant person is enough
In 17 years, I crossed the country, became a PhD, wrote a book, met thousands of people, played millions of banjo tunes and learned so much about the planet and pollution that I felt like I finally had something to say. I spoke in Washington, and then sailed on a sailboat to the Caribbean. I walked across all the islands, got to Venezuela, spent a couple of years there, until in 1994 I got on a bus at the border with Brazil - I didn’t want walking to become a prison for me, and I decided it was time to move on.
I've been teaching ecology at universities for the last 20 years and try to listen carefully to what others have to say. Every year I give myself four days of silence. When I first started speaking again, I decided that it would only be important things. But over time, I realized that human speech is like music, and to convey the meaning, sometimes such an ordinary meaningless melody at the dinner table with a pleasant person is enough. If you only talk about what’s important, and focus only on smart things, then you’ll deprive yourself of a concert.
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Communication with smart and creative people
The company they keep is a good reflection of who they are as individuals. Exceptionally smart people will tend to associate with people like them, that is, smart, creative and cultured people. There are always some exceptions, but if about 80% of the people in your life are smart and interesting, you probably fit that description too.
The pursuit of excellence
Human behavior is also an excellent indicator. Smart people always strive for excellence, so every time you see them, you will be able to notice some, albeit small, improvements. This perfectionist mentality applies to every aspect of life, from trying to look better or working on being a great speaker to spending hours practicing golf or darts.
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The desire to learn as much as possible new things
Intelligent people try to keep abreast of the latest developments in various fields. Such a person will always be aware of local and global news, and will also try to learn everything he can on topics that are directly relevant to his life or of interest to him. Gathering information, learning new things, and developing useful skills is a lifelong goal for highly intelligent people.
Permanent employment
These people always have several projects they are working on. They can brush up on their French and learn some useful phrases in Mandarin, read about home renovations, take dance lessons, work on some new recipes, or put together a book on early medieval architecture. While many people like to be busy, a smart person fills his free time with activities that somehow help him improve. Not all smart people are very productive, but this can be a good indicator of high intelligence.
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The right questions
When you talk to an intelligent person, you will notice that he does not try to pull the blanket over himself and does not start long monologues. He will actually sit quietly and listen to what you say, allowing himself to take a few minutes of silence to think about what seems important to him. At the same time, intellectuals always ask very precise questions. They actually give useful advice or even force you to come to the right conclusions on your own. If your friends enjoy talking to you and say you're a great listener, you're probably a good and smart friend.
Political Views
Are you tempted to discuss with your colleagues the territorial affiliation of Crimea, the problems of refugees in Europe, the bombing of Syria, Navalny’s political prospects, the characteristics of the presidents of the USA and the Russian Federation, and at the same time the Chancellor of Germany? Do not do that. Keep your political views to yourself. Especially if it seems to you that they are the most correct.
According to Travis Bradberry, politics is the worst possible topic of discussion in the office.
Political views shape so much of our self-identity, so it's a very personal topic and almost impossible to talk about at work without hurting someone's feelings.
Disagreement with a different point of view in this case can unexpectedly and greatly affect the attitude towards you on the part of even the most sane colleague. Going against someone's core values is one of the most offensive things you can do outside of work protocol.
Of course, different people approach political discussions differently. But any attempt to defend your values can just as easily alienate some people from you as it can intrigue others.
Often, simply voicing a hot topic, without even trying to defend your point of view, is enough, and this can easily lead to a conflict out of the blue.
People build their lives based on personal beliefs and ideals, and any attempt to add your two cents is extremely risky. It’s better to be patient and listen to your colleague if he suddenly decides to share his thoughts about the world order with you. And don't interrupt him, because any response other than full agreement with the speaker can start an unnecessary and completely unproductive conflict.
Political views are so deep inside their bearer that any attempts to change them, especially at work, will lead more likely to condemnation than to a change in someone's views.
He doesn't think he's exceptionally smart
Due to something called the Dunning-Kruger effect, people with low levels of competence will tend to overestimate their abilities, while highly skilled people will tend to underestimate themselves. This is because the smarter, more informed and more experienced you are, the more you realize how much room you have for further improvement and you are not satisfied with your current knowledge or skill level.
True intelligence cannot actually be hidden or effectively disguised, although intelligent people may appear ordinary at first. They just don't show off their intelligence.
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“When I was a child,” Bradberry shares his experience of his own careless behavior, “I told my basketball coach that I was leaving the team in 2 weeks.
For the next two weeks I sat on the bench. It got even worse when after 2 weeks I decided to stay and turned into the “who doesn’t even want to be here” guy.
I was very upset, but it was my mistake, I voiced my decision without being sure of it.”
The same thing happens when you share your plans to find a new job with your colleagues without having a real offer in hand. As soon as you declare this, you automatically become a person who is no longer worth wasting time on.
Additionally, there is a chance that your attempts to find a new job will not be successful, so it is better to wait and keep your mouth shut until you actually find a job. Otherwise, you will find yourself on the bench.
Source: thebigplans.ru
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