Former Gifted Kids Usually Have 9 Experiences As Adults That Make Them Highly Unique
KP OBrien / Shutterstock There's lots of talk these days about kids who were part of the gifted programs back in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Kids who are identified as intellectually advanced often succeed as adults in prestigious industries and high-paying jobs, but that isn't all that sets them apart from their peers.
Gifted kids tend to stand out both when they are younger and as adults because of particular experiences they are more prone to have that others can't always relate to.
9 things former gifted kids usually experience as adults:
1. Feeling sensitive in casual environments
MAYA LAB | Shutterstock.com
Gifted people tend to be more sensitive than the average person, not because they react more strongly to specific sensory experiences, but because they have a lot more going on in their brains. This response, referred to as superstimulability, explains why gifted people hear auditory information louder and faster than everyone else.
That also means that former gifted kids, while stepping into a new adult identity, are likely still at risk for overstimulation in their daily environments. They’re both more sensitive to their environments and more observant of their surroundings, but also tend to feel and notice things that most people never realize are there.
2. Expressing emotions in unique ways
According to clinical psychologist Dr. Samantha Rodman, many gifted children get very comfortable early in life with the cerebral parts of their brains. They learn to tie their worth and comfort to their cognitive abilities and intelligence, overlooking opportunities to practice emotional expression.
This isn’t true for everyone with cognitive giftedness, and many adults now express emotions beautifully and are attuned to their emotional intelligence. However, some people do end up finding their own unique, out-of-the-box ways to express themselves that make them stand out in conversations and relationships as adults. Because they feel things more intensely and deeply than the average person, their emotional expression takes on a new face in adulthood.
3. Leaning into new challenges
Many of the most gifted kids do well academically and are praised by teachers, but they slip through the cracks when it comes to being challenged and supported. Teachers' attention gets placed on less capable students, and they’re left to fill time with things that don’t intellectually stimulate them.
However, as adults, they can lean into challenges as much as they want. They can stimulate their minds and think deeply about things most people avoid, even if most people stick to their comfort zones. While it often takes an adult appreciation for curiosity and depth, former gifted kids often enjoy putting in a little extra effort and leaning toward things they don’t always understand.
4. Appreciating complex issues
While most people avoid debates and complicated issues they don’t know where to start with solving, former gifted kids may crave the intellectual stimulation all of these things demand.
As adults, they often have a complicated relationship with expectations for themselves or hustle culture as adults, but they still enjoy the stimulation they didn’t always get from school or parents growing up. They may love reading complicated books or debating somewhat controversial topics because they’re interested in complexity.
5. Feeling like outsiders
Wasana Kunpol | Shutterstock.com
Many gifted kids are more than used to being different in some way. Chances are, especially in schools without the structures or standards to create a productive environment for their needs, they spent a lot of time disconnected from their peers and experiencing something nobody else did.
As adults, that feeling of being an outsider likely still lingers, whether in the workplace or in social situations. As kids, they believed they were different, for better or worse, and that likely shaped the self-worth and self-esteem they still operate with today.
6. Meeting people with the same intelligence
Many gifted kids were isolated early in life, whether in school or with their friends, because nobody had the language, tools, or resources to meet their needs. They ended up having to change themselves or do things entirely on their own, without the kind of community and social connection we all need to thrive.
However, meeting people who are also former gifted kids, with the same depth and curiosity they learned to engage in on their own, is a wildly profound experience in adulthood. They can finally relate to someone after years, sometimes decades, of feeling different and othered.
7. Changing their minds and lives
Gifted kids are unique because they’re open-minded. They’re not afraid to learn and try new things, even if the average person would run the other way.
There’s a reason why openness is so highly tied to intelligence and academic success, because it’s essential for growth. The most open-minded people experience more, and often also learn more from mistakes, growth, and newness.
8. Feeling drained by superficial interactions
People who were gifted as kids are often overwhelmed and drained in these situations as adults. It’s not that they’re socially unequipped. Most intelligent people are even more prosocial. However, they are sensitive, with an appreciation for depth and intellectual stimulation.
While it might feel easier for most people to skim the surface and keep their walls up in conversations, gifted people are craving stimulation and need the challenge. Even as adults, they need the depth, which usually means they’re looking inward to think and entertain themselves.
9. Investing in niche hobbies
PeopleImages | Shutterstock.com
While most people choose hobbies for distraction and mindless entertainment, former gifted kids who tend to set higher expectations for themselves often make these habits intentional. In a healthy way, they’re a cognitive practice that lets them use their brains and recharge. In unhealthy ways, they’re creating more stress, making gifted people feel like they have to excel at everything.
Regardless, these niche hobbies and passion-driven interests make them unique, because they want hobbies that make them think, rather than completely turn their brains off.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
