11 Subtle Things Highly Intelligent People Don't Realize They Do When They're Bored In Conversations
Intellectuals grow impatient when conversations lack substance.
VesnaArt | Shutterstock Feeling uninterested during a conversation is something everyone deals with, but the subtle things highly intelligent people don't realize they do when they're bored in conversations aren't exactly noticeable. These people might play with their phones to check the time or even zone out while another someone is speaking. And after a while, it can become incredibly offensive to the other person.
While some may think that highly intelligent people can't get bored, they certain do. That's especially true if they feel like the discussion doesn't stimulate them mentally. These behaviors aren't necessarily rude, but are likely an instinctive reaction to an underwhelming environment.
Here are 11 subtle things highly intelligent people don't realize they do when they're bored in conversations
1. Zone out while maintaining eye contact
fizkes | Shutterstock
Highly intelligent people have minds that move quickly where they're constantly generating ideas, connections, and questions. When they zone out in the middle of a conversation, it's a sign that they're no longer engaged in whatever you are saying. You can easily tell that they're doing this by the way they stare at others and nod while still holding eye contact.
To bring them back from dreamland, they have to either be snapped out of it or break eye contact. And according to a study published in the journal Cognition, active participants found it more challenging to generate appropriate responses when they were required to maintain eye contact, implying that breaking eye contact might help in accessing cognitive resources more effectively.
2. Redirect the topic
Pheelings media | Shutterstock
When people get tired of a conversation but don't want to come off as rude or dismissive, they will try to redirect the topic to something else. Intelligent people don't want to leave the conversation altogether; rather, they just want to talk about something more meaningful to them.
Licensed therapist Dr. Kevin Foss claimed that redirection helps people take action in a direction that matters to them, even while feeling anxious or uncomfortable. Leading someone into another conversation is not deception if what they are saying is making you uncomfortable.
Intelligent people are simply protecting themselves from certain triggers within that conversation. Another benefit to this is that they might discuss a brand new topic that stimulates both people's intellectual levels at the same time and forge a stronger bond from it.
3. Interrupt
fizkes | Shutterstock
One of the subtle things highly intelligent people don't realize they do when they're bored in conversations is interrupt the other person while they're speaking. They rationalize that interrupting someone else is the only way to get their sanity back from a dull discussion.
If they've been listening to another person go on about something for several minutes, cutting them off isn't a reflection of their impatience; it's more of a reflection of how dreary the topic is.
When intellectuals don't stop people from rambling, they can become irritable. The agitation can cause them to snap at others or kick themselves later on for not interfering. People want to talk about things that matter to them, but occasionally, what matters to them isn't as important to someone else.
4. Use humor as a mental escape
Inside Creative House | Shutterstock
People often make jokes to mask insecurities, but intelligent people actually use them to steer boring conversations to more interesting and light-hearted topics. The best conversations are the ones that add to the world rather than focusing on its impending doom. This is reflected in the way intelligent people use their wit for good and uplift others in a positive way.
A study from the Journal of Research in Personality found that people with higher emotional intelligence tend to employ self-enhancing humor in social situations. By joking about their lives in a positive way rather than dragging themselves or others down, they make other people feel at ease and cure their boredom.
5. Solve irrelevant problems
Perfect Wave | Shutterstock
Imagine sitting down in a deep conversation and the other person nitpicks the most irrelevant parts of the story to solve those problems. While others might sit there and agree with them, intelligent people will want to solve every problem they hear them say.
Conversations that lack depth don't hold a person's interest for very long. The downside is that they may miss those physical and social cues that tell them to stop. In this case, it's best to interrupt or redirect the conversation to interesting issues or opinions. Overall, being clear with each other is the only way to understand where they're both coming from.
6. Ask deep questions mid-chat
fizkes | Shutterstock
Asking follow-up questions is an intelligent person's way of staying engaged in a dull conversation. Sometimes it's because they genuinely want to know more, but other times it's an excuse for them to exit the conversation.
People with higher levels of curiosity tend to initiate more profound conversations, and a serious lack of it can cause them to do this. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Personality found that people with higher curiosity traits employ strategies to transform small talk into more engaging interactions so they can create stronger bonds.
The more questions intellectuals ask, the more interested they become in breaking the boredom. They actually care deeply about the relationship and want to be as honest as possible, but sometimes they just need all the details before they can make up their minds.
7. Give short responses
stockfour | Shutterstock
One of the more subtle things highly intelligent people don't realize they do when they're bored in conversations is give short responses that show their disinterest. This is because their minds have already processed the long responses, so rather than repeating the outcome and wasting time, they're terse.
Repetitiveness is an intelligent person's main weakness. They prefer to speak about new topics that engage them rather than focus on the old ones that pacify them. The ability to know exactly how a conversation is going to go before it happens is a secret power of someone with high intelligence.
This mental preparedness might seem like a supernatural force, but it's just pattern recognitions they made from previous experiences.
8. Fidget with their phone
fizkes | Shutterstock
If they reach for their phone and begin to mindlessly fidget with it, this is one of the many subtle things highly intelligent people don't realize they do when they're bored in conversations. But putting down the phone and paying attention to what someone is saying is a sign of respect. And unfortunately, there can be consequences to doing this.
Research from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology revealed that people who have their phones present during social interactions report lower enjoyment and increased distraction. Even participants who placed their phones on the table during a meal rated the experience as less enjoyable and felt distracted as opposed to those who didn't.
9. Speak faster
insta_photos | Shutterstock
Sometimes people just want to be done with the conversation as soon as possible because the boredom is too much to handle. People aren't trying to be rude but could be busy and have other things to do, whether it's at home or in the workplace. Occasionally, people will speak faster when someone else is talking endlessly.
But intelligent people will politely cut the conversation short rather than do it abruptly. The shift in pace can sometimes be noticeable by the person they're speaking to, but if they are called out on it, they think about their actions and become more mindful communicators as a result instead of dismissing the feedback.
10. Challenge the speaker
LightField Studios | Shutterstock
When someone makes a generalization, intelligent people feel the need to jump in to clarify and challenge that viewpoint. It doesn't come from a place of feeling right or winning an argument, but of making sure the other person knows the facts. They pass along the information without becoming emotional, challenging the speaker in the process.
They simply don't see the point in engaging with others who don't share their aptitude in intellectual curiosity. And as well-being expert Michelle McQuaid, PhD pointed out, low-quality interactions can drain a person's energy while high-quality conversations rejuvenate.
That's all intelligent people want when it comes to boring conversations. They know that engaging takes deep effort, and if the exchange isn't reciprocated they feel like they don't matter that much.
11. Appear aloof
TORWAISTUDIO | Shutterstock
When an intellectual's mind wanders, it's because they feel unchallenged by the conversation. They may glance away or simply remain quiet at this time, usually without realizing, as their internal dialogue is more fascinating than what's happening at that moment.
These people want complexity, not surface-level discussions that make them fall asleep. Their aloofness in these moments is a sign of their intellectual distance from the person speaking. Though it may appear rude, it just indicates that intellectual minds work at much a much faster pace.
Sylvia Ojeda is an author with a decade of experience writing novels and screenplays. She covers self-help, relationships, culture, and human interest topics.
