12 non-obvious signs of exceptional intelligence

We all think we know what high intelligence looks like. 

Whether it’s rapidly figuring out complex mathematical equations in your head or knowing the intricacies of astrophysics, we think we would know a genius if we met one.

However, that’s not always the case.

There are plenty of signs of high intelligence that aren’t immediately obvious unless you know what to look for.

So if you’re not sure if someone you’ve met is exceptionally intelligent, keep a lookout for these nonobvious signs.

1) Rhythm

I have to admit, this one caught me by surprise.

As someone who wouldn’t be found dead on a dance floor, I’m not sure I like what this says about me.

But you can’t argue with the facts.

Check out this study by Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet. In 2008, it found a correlation between people who score well in IQ tests and people who are able to keep time.

That doesn’t mean that highly intelligent people are all natural musicians. But it does mean that they have an innate sense of timing that enables them to tap out a simple rhythm more easily than other people might.

The study also found that these highly intelligent people had more of what is called white matter in the frontal lobes of the brain, suggesting an origin for intelligence in the physical structure of the brain itself.

The same study found that highly intelligent people tend to do better with planning and organization, which may have something to do with their greater sense of timing. 

2) Daydreaming

Do you ever lose yourself in daydreams?

I do. And I know I’m not the only one who sometimes finds themselves losing track of time because I’ve been absorbed in a particularly compelling fantasy or daydream.

Well, the good news is that if you’re a dreamer, it may be a sign of great intelligence.

Researcher Eric Schumacher scanned the brains of 100 people while they stared at a fixed point. He found that those who had more active brains while doing nothing also scored higher on tests of intelligence.

Maybe it’s not so surprising. The more powerful your mind is, the more it needs to do to keep it busy. So if you don’t give it external stimuli to focus on, it will turn inward and create its own inner world.

At least, that’s what I tell myself when I find my attention drifting away during a boring meeting.

3) Dark humor

Do you find yourself laughing at things other people don’t? Do you find humor in the darker side of life?

If so, it might be because you are unusually intelligent.

An Austrian study established a link between people’s ability to laugh at a cartoon featuring themes of suicide and suffering and the participant’s level of general intelligence.

Interestingly, of the three groups in the study, the group with the highest intelligence and most positive response to black humor was also the group with the lowest levels of aggression.

So laughing at dark themes doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. But it may well mean that you are smarter than most.

4) Freethinking

This one may be more obvious than some of the other signs of intelligence on the list.

Think about it: intelligent people usually know they are more intelligent than most, and so they trust their own brains and their own ideas to guide them through life.

That means they are less likely to go with the crowd and more likely to form their own opinions, whether it’s on the political events of the day or what movies to watch.

Most people just want to fit in. But highly intelligent people know that going with the crowd only gets you average results – at best.

That’s why they are not afraid to stand out and follow their own ideas.

5) Height

Bad news for the vertically challenged.

Not only are tall people better able to reach things from high shelves and often found more attractive – especially by women – but there is some evidence to suggest that they may be more intelligent, too.

Several studies have confirmed this link, but there is still debate over why it might be.

Some scientists believe it is because the gene for intelligence is also the gene for greater height. 

Others point to socioeconomic factors such as good nutrition during childhood, which helps people grow physically and also helps their brains develop better.

Whatever the reason, the link between height and intelligence is very real.

But the good news is, it doesn’t mean all tall people are smart and all short people are dumb.

6) Sleeping late

Finally, an excuse for showing up late for work or school!

Some studies have shown that people who stay up late and get up late do better in intelligence tests.

The theory is that a later sleeping pattern is a sign of self-agency, which itself reflects intelligence.

To put it simply, staying up late shows that you are in control of your life.

Of course, it doesn’t always feel that way when you have to run for the bus or sit in traffic while time ticks away, making you late for your appointments.

But at least it provides a handy excuse for why you couldn’t make it on time.

7) Mental illness

While it may seem that intelligent people have all the advantages in the world, that isn’t necessarily true.

A study by Ruth Karpinski published in the journal Intelligence found that members of Mensa, the high intelligence society, were around 26% more likely to have been diagnosed with a mood disorder and 20% more likely to suffer from anxiety.

The theory is that more intelligent brains are more sensitive to their environment, and so they are more vulnerable to stress, which can cause mood disorders.

What does this mean for you?

Well, suffering from a mood disorder doesn’t mean that you’re more intelligent than someone who doesn’t. 

But at the same time, it does mean that if you are intelligent, you may be at a greater risk for other psychological problems.

8) Large pupils

This is another surprising one.

But according to this study by the Georgia Institute of Technology, it’s true.

The study found that students who did well on intelligence tests had pupils larger than those who didn’t. And the bigger the pupil, the greater the intelligence.

It’s not clear why this would be the case. But the difference in pupil size was big enough to be visible to the naked eye.

So if you meet someone with exceptionally large pupils, it may be a sign that they are exceptionally intelligent too.

9) Being alone

There’s no real evidence to suggest that introverts are more intelligent than extroverts.

However, a study by scientists Norman Li and Satoshi Kanazawa found that unlike other people, highly intelligent individuals reported lower life satisfaction when they spent more time with their friends.

The theory is that during human evolution, less intelligent individuals needed to be around others to help them solve problems they couldn’t figure out by themselves.

On the other hand, smarter people didn’t need that, and so there was no pressure on them to be more social.

Whether that’s true or not, there does seem to be a strong link between intelligence and the desire to be alone.

10) Being lazy

Laziness can really hold you back from what you want in life.

That’s why it’s so surprising that it can also be a sign of high intelligence.

But that’s what this 2015 study found.

Now, it’s important to note that in this context, being lazy means being less physically active.

The study found that people with high IQs are less easily bored by intellectual pursuits, and so they are more likely to sit in one spot and work on a problem while others might go and do something more active.

So maybe lazy isn’t the right word to describe what these intelligent people are doing.

They are still working on something. It’s just that they are exercising their brain, not their muscles.

11) Curiosity

One of the more obvious signs of intelligence is curiosity.

Think about it: a more powerful and active brain needs something to think about.

As a result, more intelligent people are often more interested in the world than those of lower intelligence.

Maybe that means watching documentaries and reading books. Maybe it means talking to other people to understand what their lives alike.

But however it manifests itself, curiosity is a good sign of an intelligent mind.

12) Open-mindedness

Finally, being open-minded is one of the less familiar signs of a smart person.

Several studies have demonstrated a link between being open-minded and being highly intelligent. 

And in a kind of feedback loop, being open to the viewpoints of others helps intelligent people learn more about the world and seem even more intelligent thanks to their greater base of knowledge.

Intelligent people love to learn new things, and staying open-minded helps them to do that.

Subtle signs of intelligence

You might think that intelligent people can’t wait to show the world how brainy they are. But actually, it’s often not clear when you first meet someone just how intelligent they are.

However, some of these nonobvious signs can tip you off.

Keep an eye out for these signs in the people you know, and in yourself. They may be a sign of greater intelligence than you thought.