If someone gets good grades at school and is in the band and debate team, it’s easy to assume they’re smart. They are capable of juggling extracurricular activities with their school work while maintaining a high GPA. However, these aren’t the only signs of being a genius. Let’s look at several more understated signs that you’re secretly a bit of a brainiac—even if you got average grades in high school.
1. You’re super curious.
How much do you love learning new things? You’ve graduated from college, but just because you have finally closed the door on your studies doesn’t mean that you want to stop learning. Most people do, but not you. When you visit a museum, you take the time to read about each exhibition, learning as much as you can about it. Or, when you go to the library, you head straight to the non-fiction section and try to pick up as many books on things you don’t know as possible — like parasailing or quantum physics.
2. You’re a perfectionist.
When you set a goal for yourself, how do you achieve it? Do you try to get it done as quickly as possible so that it’s out of the way and you can move on, or do you agonize over it, redoing it over and over until it’s to your standard? If it’s the latter, then you’re secretly a genius. Say, for example, you go to an art class. They’ve set some homework due next week. You take it home and spend three endless nights on it, sketching and redrawing until you’re finally satisfied.
3. You’re sensitive.
If you’re secretly a genius, you might find you’re sensitive to certain sensations, like sight, sound, or smell. For example, when you visit the doctor’s office, sitting in the waiting room for too long is hard. You hear the constant drip of the water filter in the fish tank, the ticking of the clock on the wall, and the tapping of the ballpoint pen on the receptionist’s desk. When it comes to sensation, everything is heightened for you.
4. You’re a night owl.
Do you like to get to bed at a good time to get your eight hours in, or do you want to stay up as late as possible? If it’s the latter, then you might be a secret genius. Smart people often get creative and productive when the sun goes down. This may be when you feel most like painting, reading, or listening to a new podcast on bait casting. You struggle to go to sleep earlier than midnight most nights.
5. You feel nobody understands you.
As much as you’re comfortable with yourself and how you come across to others, you often find that people don’t understand you. For example, when you go to art class, you’ll ask a question, and most of the time, that question will be met with blank stares from peers. You get the feeling that your level of intellect is slightly beyond that of the average person, which leads to confusion and misunderstanding.
6. You require a lot of mental stimulation.
If you’re secretly a genius, you require a lot to keep yourself mentally stimulated. You need to constantly try to find new information or experiences to fill your brain up to avoid becoming restless, bored, and frustrated. This is why when you were at college, you not only held yourself to a high standard regarding your grades, but you were also on the debating team, the climate change council, and even a leader in your residence hall.
7. You daydream a lot.
While you love keeping busy and always having something to do, you find that your mind wanders if you do have a moment of respite. You have a vivid imagination, so much so that it easily captures your attention. If you’re in art class and you’ve finished what the teacher has instructed you to work on before everyone else, you find yourself sitting there letting your imagination get the better of you. This is your brain’s way of letting your creativity flow.
8. You like asking questions.
When you were in high school and college, what would people say about you? If you’re a secret genius, then there’s a good chance that they would say you were always the person who put your hand up in class and had a question. You often had multiple questions per class, enough to get a few eye rolls from your peers. This is because when you’re learning about a topic, you need to know as much about it as possible.
9. You put things off.
If you put things off, this isn’t a sign of laziness; it’s a sign that you’re secretly a genius. This ties in with being a perfectionist. Sometimes, you feel so overwhelmed by getting something right that you’re working on that you would instead not do it at all, then get frustrated. For example, a friend has asked you to help them with their resume, but you’re so worried that you’re not going to get it right that you keep putting it off, telling them you’ll do it tomorrow.
10. You’re known for being awkward socially.
When you’re in a social situation, are you the life of the party or a wallflower? If you find yourself feeling a bit awkward in social situations, you might be a secret genius. This is because you love stimulating conversations about things you’re passionate about, but you don’t have much skill when it comes to small talk. When everyone’s waiting for art class to start, you find that your peers all talk among themselves, but you prefer to keep your head down, pretending to be sketching something.
11. You’re messy.
What does your desk look like at home? Is it neat as a pin, with a place for everything, or is it messy to the point where you can easily misplace things? You’re most likely a secret genius if it’s the latter. Messy people are often known for being intelligent. Studies show that people who have messy workspaces are more likely to be original and innovative with their thinking.
12. You curse a lot.
When you talk, do you like to use swear words a lot, or do you keep it conservative? If you’re a secret genius, there’s a good chance you let one loose more often than not. For example, when you’re at a family reunion, you find it hard not to swear, and when you do, you always take your relatives by surprise. Studies show that there is a link between cussing and intellect.
13. Failure doesn’t stop you.
While it might take you a moment to get started on a project, when you do work on it, you agonize over it, are never satisfied, and failure doesn’t get in your way. This is why you’re not afraid to try to do something repeatedly until you get it right. You’re determined, pushing failure aside to achieve something to your standard. When you work on a painting, you climb determinedly back up on the horse when something goes wrong, unfazed.
14. You’re funny.
Do you have a good sense of humor? This could be key to understanding your genius side. Studies link humor and intelligence, but research aside, we all know that you have to be switched on to understand sarcasm. Were you the class clown in high school? There’s a good chance that you were.
15. You talk to yourself.
Even if you’re home alone, you might mutter things to yourself, whether when doing the dishes, focusing on a work project, or showering. When you work through things by talking to yourself, you can better achieve your goal.
