Excerpted from "People Are Revealing The "Dead Giveaway" Signs That Someone Is A LOT Smarter Than They Let On" by Raven Ishak, which was based on a Reddit discussion [1]:

• "They gather information before making a judgment."
• "They are comfortable and confident enough to admit when they don't know something but will look it up."
• "They're funny. Fast thinkers come up with great jokes on the spot."
• "They ask substantial questions because they are actually listening to you instead of just waiting for their turn to speak."
• "They admit when they're wrong."
• "They don't argue when it is obvious that someone they are talking to cannot be convinced of alternative thinking or a different viewpoint than their own."
• "They ask interesting questions and are not afraid to look like a beginner."
• "They'll always add counterpoints or 'arguments against' whatever they're saying (e.g. '...but I need to add that there are people who say this blah blah...'). Most ignorant people I know always speak like their opinions are established facts that are infallible."
• "When their conclusions are challenged, they happily expose their thought process for you, laying their decision-making process out in plain terms and inviting you to pick it apart."

(cf Genius and Complexity (1999-05-25), Classy People (2000-04-01), ExtraOrdinary (2004-04-09), Characteristics of Superforecasters (2015-11-21), Learning vs Performing (2016-02-08), Superfluid Intelligence (2018-06-09), Six Secrets of Intelligence (2019-10-10), ...) - ^z - 2023-07-19