6 signs you have above average level of intelligence

Intelligence has always been an intriguing subject in psychology, and a complex issue at that one. Intelligence, at its best is referred to as the ability to acquire knowledge, understanding, to be able to adapt and deal with ones social environment. There are multiple ways to look at intelligence, you might have heard about the concept of IQ (Intelligence Quotient), but is intelligence really all about IQ? IQ as a test, only covers memory, reasoning and problem solving.
There is creativity, which is something independent of intelligence, there is something known as Emotional intelligence, which means to be able to understand, analyze and regulate ones own emotions, also being able to understand and influence the social scenario.
So, who generally are people with an above average level of intelligence and how do you spot such people, are YOU one of them? These are some of the traits which, as found out by studies, generally point out towards an individual with higher level of intelligence.

You are empathic

Empathy is being able to understand and feel what the other person is feeling. It is the ability to place yourself in someone else’s position and that is when you truly understand other’s emotions. People with high intelligence seem to have this quality, their emotionally adept minds have deep insight as to what human emotions are, how they operate, they can imagine and place themselves in that position where they truly understand what is going on with the other person.

Good with managing your own emotions

A person who is good with managing his own emotions indicate that one also have insight about one’s own self. What can trigger what kind of emotions, and then, regulating them in the most efficient manner. This can also be called as ‘Personal Competence’ which can be linked to higher intelligence.

Good sense of humor (particularly dark humor)

The ability to understand and appreciate humor, particularly dark humor, is also a trait to look upon. It puts into work both cognitive and emotional ability to process humor. Research also found out that humor actually enhances confidence and competence making such people influential in the social settings.

You are generally an anxious person

Now this has been an increasingly developing study. According to a research, anxiety can be linked with intelligence, and it can be a highly adaptive trait in that sense. While high levels of anxiety can be generally dysfunctional, very low levels of anxiety end up making people lethargic and unmotivated. But to effectively deal with problems of everyday life, certain levels of anxiety is needed. If you are someone who generally struggles with anxiety, then it might be an indicator.

The constant need to know more

Curiosity is what drives the best of people, such people will always strive for knowing more, about oneself as well as about the external world. This means they are willing to learn more, put in more efforts to know more, along the way, enhancing their existing knowledge and upgrading themselves. If you are someone who constantly needs to know things, or have an inquisitive nature as such, that’s a good sign.

You were an early reader

A study was conducted for 2000 pairs of identical twins, according to which, despite the identical genes, the one who started reading earlier had a higher IQ score. But also, it wasn’t because the one who started reading earlier was smarter already, but it was more that learning to read earlier had a developmental impact on the kid, making them smarter. So you being smarter can actually be a result of learning to read earlier in this case.

Now, these are just rough estimates, it does not mean you have a lower IQ if you didn’t relate to any of these, intelligence might reflect itself in various, innumerable ways and there are actually a number of different aspects of intelligence. And that just means, you’re smart and capable in your own unique little ways!