People Can Tell You're Highly Intelligent If These 11 Things Are On Your Phone
The smartest people leave little clues on their phones.
Maria Markevich | Shutterstock If there’s one thing people love, it’s their phones. We live in a society where it’s completely normal — even expected — for everyone to be constantly glued to their devices. They’ve become more than just tools for communication; they’re also a way to develop skills and promote personal growth. There’s an app for almost everything, and that small rectangle in your hand holds a lot of power.
It’s no surprise, then, that when Harmony Healthcare IT surveyed how much time people spend on their phones, they found that the average American spends five hours and 16 minutes using their phone each day. Phones have just become a part of daily life, and there’s probably no real way to go back to a time when they weren’t used so often. Instead, you can focus on using them for good instead of just doomscrolling. You can tell a lot about a person by looking at their phone, including whether they’re highly intelligent.
People can tell you’re highly intelligent if these 11 things are on your phone:
1. An organized home screen
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There are two types of people in the world — those who have apps scattered across their home screens with notification badges popping up on half of them, and those who have their apps organized neatly into separate folders, maybe even with some aesthetically pleasing widgets to top it all off. Having a more random home screen doesn’t necessarily mean you’re unintelligent, but many intelligent people have a propensity for organization and would rather have their apps neatly categorized.
It’s not surprising that staying organized has some major benefits. According to California's PIH Health, organization can lead to decreased stress, better sleep, and improved health. Clinical psychologist Dr. Tanya Diaz noted, “With less stress and more time, you’ll be able to take care of the things that are important to you and can have more fun. That’s not only good for your mental health, but it’s also good for your physical health.”
Some people naturally struggle with organization regardless of intelligence level, so not having an organized home screen doesn’t mean you’re lacking in intelligence. However, brilliant people do tend to want everything to be sorted well and kept as orderly as possible. This means a home screen with apps randomly placed in whatever order they were downloaded could frustrate them. If you keep your home screen organized, you’re probably highly intelligent.
2. A way to read
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With so many advancements in technology, there are multiple ways to read on your phone, depending on what your preferences are. Maybe you’re more of an audiobook person and like to listen whenever you have a spare moment or are performing a mundane task like cleaning. On the other hand, you could prefer looking at actual words and may like to read e-books on your phone. Whatever it is you like, there’s an app and a subscription for that.
While not every smart person is required to enjoy reading or to do so regularly, choosing to read can be a sign of intelligence. According to health and wellness writer Crystal Raypole, reading can improve your fluid, crystallized, and emotional intelligence. Raypole also noted that books expand your horizons and teach you about new things you may not know about otherwise. “If you have access to books, in short, you can access new concepts and information, no matter where you live or what you do,” she said.
Reading isn’t just a hobby that intelligent people enjoy, but it’s also a way to learn more. It affirms intelligence and boosts it. Smart people know there are so many different ways to carry books with you on your phone, and they take full advantage of it. If you have e-books, audiobooks, or both on your phone, people can tell you’re definitely intelligent.
3. Language-learning apps
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Smart people are all about learning and increasing their knowledge of the world around them. One of the best ways to do this is to learn a new language that will not only help you communicate with others, but also help you learn about a new culture you might have previously not really known anything about. There are so many apps that teach you a new language, whether they’re free or paid, resemble a game, or are more serious. If people see these apps on your phone, they’ll know you’re intelligent.
The great thing is you’ll do more than just expand the group of people you can communicate with. According to Dr. Roy Hamilton, trustee of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation, “Learning a new language can be immensely helpful for cognitive health, particularly as we age. This is because language learning engages a wide range of complex cognitive abilities, including memory, attention, and problem-solving, which can help to create and strengthen connections in the brain.”
So, learning a new language isn’t just a hobby that intelligent people pick up. It actually boosts brain health in the process, making you even smarter. Leaping to learn a foreign language is a definite sign that you’re highly intelligent, and if someone sees Duolingo or Babbel on your phone, they’ll know this is true for you.
4. Trustworthy news sources
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Sometimes smart people actually avoid the news, other than the absolute necessities, because they know it’s better for their mental and emotional health. Still, a hallmark of intelligent people is a desire to keep up with current events. Having a selection of news sources you can choose from that are actually legitimate and trustworthy shows that you’re intelligent because it means you pay attention to where your news comes from, and you want to stay caught up with the world you live in.
A Pew Research Center survey examined people’s attitudes toward news sources and how unbiased they were. 50% of Americans thought the organization the news story came from was very important when it came to deciding how trustworthy it was. Similarly, 47% thought the sources cited were vital. Other factors considered that received lower results were gut instinct, the reporting journalist, who shared the story with them, and the kind of reception it had received on social media.
Since the most important factor for Americans was the source of or organization behind a news story, that shows that people understand that some organizations are more trustworthy than others and have a stronger reputation for reporting facts without any spin. Intelligent people will choose to get their news from sources that are as unbiased as possible. Seeing those sources on your phone means someone will recognize you as smart.
5. Meditation apps
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Intelligence is about more than just book smarts. Emotional intelligence is also an important aspect of how smart a person is. Part of emotional intelligence is knowing how to take care of yourself and what to do to support your mental health. One of the best ways to do this is by practicing meditation. This provides a break for your brain and allows you to connect fully with the present moment.
Researcher Dr. Sara Lazar conducted a study to determine the differences between the brains of those who meditated and those who did not. Michaela Jarvis summarized her findings for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. “The study, using scans of the subjects’ brains, showed that the meditators had more gray matter, which equates with more neuronal activity and better performance, in certain areas,” she said. “The insula, which is associated with the integration of thoughts, senses, and emotions, was thicker in gray matter in the meditation practitioners. So was the prefrontal cortex, which handles working memory and fluid intelligence, or IQ.”
Not only does meditation improve your emotional intelligence and mental health, but it can actually make you smarter in the traditional sense, based on Lazar’s findings. Intelligent people know the importance of doing things that improve their mental and emotional hygiene, like meditating. Whether you choose to pay for an app like Calm or Headspace or go with a free option like Insight Timer, people who see your phone will know you’re intelligent if you have a meditation app on your phone.
6. Strong security features
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You can have all the apps in the world that make you look smart, but if you don’t have good security to protect them, are you really highly intelligent? From a strong passcode required to get into your phone to passwords that are hard to guess needed for different apps and accounts, it’s important to make sure you have good security features on your phone. Doing so shows that you are intelligent and prepared for any eventuality.
Writing for Norton, Ellie Farrier noted that people are using their phones for things like shopping and banking in increasing numbers. “Real security means taking extra steps to improve your digital safety habits and using software that recognizes and stops threats before your devices are compromised,” she said. This can include anything from two-factor authentication to encryption to ensuring your operating system is always updated to the latest version, which will have the best security features.
Having strong security on your phone may not be as obvious or as noticeable as other things on this list, but it is a sure sign of intelligence. Smart people take care of their personal information and make sure it is protected properly. If someone tries to look at your phone and can’t even get into it, they’ll know you’re pretty intelligent.
7. Budgeting tools
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One way you can show your intelligence is by being smart with your money. You don’t have to be rich to take charge of your finances and make sure everything is in order, and you don’t have to be a penny pincher to budget effectively. There are so many apps out there that will help you keep track of your money and make a budget for the week or month. You can also simply use a note-taking tool for this if you prefer to do it yourself without a middleman.
Finance expert Rachel Cruze said, “Budgeting is the first step to go from surviving to thriving, because budgeting puts you in control of your money.” She pointed out that budgeting is not only the best way to take control of your money, but also to reach goals and be held accountable while still giving yourself the okay to spend some instead of having to save every single cent.
Intelligent people understand this and keep track of where their money comes from and goes to. Taking a cursory glance at your phone and seeing some kind of tool for budgeting will show people that you’re financially responsible and smart with your money. This translates to just being smart in general and being respected for your intelligence.
8. Notes and list apps
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Of course, most phones come with built-in Notes and Reminders apps that are great ways to take notes and make lists when you’re in a pinch, and smart people will take advantage of those. However, they also know that sometimes these basic apps just don’t cut it, and you need something a bit more advanced to meet your needs. This is where programs like Evernote and Notion can come in handy. Not only can you use them on your computer, but, of course, they also have apps available that let you take your productivity on the go.
Intelligent people are likely to make lists and take notes. They have a lot of information inside their brains, and it can be beneficial to get some of that information out of their head and onto metaphorical paper to make thinking a bit easier and less overwhelming. Intelligent people are also likely to have a proclivity for productivity, meaning making to-do lists is a must for them.
Psychology professor Art Markman, PhD, said, “Keeping a list of tasks you need to perform is like taking notes when you’re reading a book or listening to a lecture. When you take notes, you need to filter external information, summarize it in your head, and then write it down. Many studies have shown that note-taking helps us distill the information we hear and remember it better than we would if we’d just heard or read it.” If you’re highly intelligent, you already understand the importance of taking notes and making lists for your mind.
9. Educational apps, books or podcasts
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Some people use their phones purely for entertainment — streaming, gaming, social media, and the like. Intelligent people know they are tools that can help us do far more than just watch funny videos. Instead, you have access to all sorts of educational resources at your fingertips. Whether it’s an app, a book, a podcast, an article, or something else entirely, technology is a great conduit for learning, and phones are no exception.
Cornerstone University’s Ellie Walburg noted that phones can be used specifically in school for things like recording lectures or taking notes. She also said that you can use your phone to do things like read, especially if you want to use multiple formats for doing so, like an e-book and a print book. And, of course, you can listen to podcasts on virtually any subject. Some may be reserved for gossip and drama-filled celebrity news, but others actually teach you new things.
Utilizing any of these educational resources, or even others that you think of yourself, will show people that you’re highly intelligent. Your phone isn’t merely a vehicle for doom scrolling. Instead, you use it to better yourself and increase your knowledge. This is a sign of serious intelligence because you’re rejecting the conventional way of doing something in favor of something more beneficial for you.
10. Self-care or habit trackers
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Again, your phone can be used to boost your emotional intelligence. There are plenty of apps that allow you to track your habits out there, and some have a particular focus on self-care. These things aren’t necessarily exclusive to the highly intelligent, but smart people will definitely have a desire to keep track of the habits that benefit them the most and will want to watch how doing those things consistently over time affects them. Smart people also know that taking care of yourself is just as important as stretching your mind.
According to research published in Annals of Neuroscience, both emotional intelligence and “general intelligence” are linked to stress responses. It’s a bit of a vicious cycle, because lower levels of intelligence can leave you more susceptible to stress, while stress can also lead to lower levels of intelligence. Meanwhile, having a high amount of emotional intelligence can lead to less stress.
Emotional intelligence and general intelligence are closely linked, and if you neglect your emotional intelligence, your general intelligence will suffer. This is something many people have learned the hard way, and when they see that you have habit trackers and self-care apps on your phone, they’ll know you have a high level of both kinds of intelligence.
11. Only the apps you actually use
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How many of us are guilty of downloading a new app that we’ve heard great things about, and we’re sure we’ll use, just to leave it sitting there on our phone virtually untouched? These apps that no one really needs or uses take up space on your phone, as do random, unnecessary screenshots and old photos you no longer care about or look at. Smart people clear their phones out and get rid of the things they don’t even use to make space for what they need.
Lifestyle writer Brittany Anas realized she was paying $120 a year to have extra storage space on her phone, so she used the 90/90 method to do a digital declutter. The technique was created by The Minimalists, Netflix stars who help people cut down on the clutter in their lives. According to Anas, “[The method] involves asking yourself a couple of questions: ‘Have you used this item in the last 90 days?’ and, if not, ‘Will you use this item in the next 90 days?’ If the answer is no, go ahead and let it go.”
Most people just leave their phones cluttered with unneeded apps, photos, songs, texts, and other things. People will recognize that you’re highly intelligent if you regularly clean out your phone and get rid of stuff you don’t need anymore. Only keeping the things you actually use is a sign that you’re smart, and you’re smartly using your technology.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
