11 Things Average People Find Exhausting But Stimulate Highly Intelligent Minds
What you find interesting might show a secret side to your intelligence.
Andrii Iemelianenko / Shutterstock If you’ve ever met true geniuses, you probably already noticed that they don’t operate the way regular people do. It almost feels like people just know they’re smarter, doesn’t it? Truth be told, there’s no neon sign above people’s heads saying they’re intelligent.
Part of this is the way intelligent people react to certain aspects of life. Oftentimes, their eyes light up when dealing with things that most people find exhausting. These traits are what psychologists suggest might pique the interest of more intelligent, curious minds.
These are 11 things average people find exhausting but stimulate highly intelligent minds
1. Note-taking
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Does your boss insist on you taking notes about everything? If you’re like most other people, jotting down notes on everything is about as fun as watching paint dry. However, this is a common habit and hobby of highly intelligent people.
Some of the world’s best minds credit their success to note-taking, including Sir Richard Branson. Notes help intellectual people gain insight into their world and help jog ideas in their minds, effectively improving their ability to think things through.
2. Solving problems
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Most people can’t stand the idea of having to fix a problem. Whether it’s a broken pipe or a complex issue at work, problem-solving is something most people assume is an act of labor and drudgery.
Not the hyper-intelligent.
For many intellectuals, fixing a problem is the same as solving a real-life puzzle. They love working their minds on anything that involves finding a solution. The harder, the better!
3. Analyzing numbers
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This is one of those activities that applies to only some highly intelligent people. If you’re an analytical thinker, known in pop culture as “being left-brained," you are naturally inclined to think in numbers.
While the notion of having half of your brain devoted to science while the other half remains creative is a myth, there is a little truth to the way analytical thinkers behave. They tend to enjoy analyzing numbers and data. The reason why is simple: they often discover interesting patterns others wouldn’t ever notice.
Meanwhile, average people? Yeah, they can’t stand looking at numbers and charts all day.
4. Political and scientific debates
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Now, this comes with a big caveat. When I say “debate” here, I don’t mean arguments based on feelings or dodgy evidence. I mean debates that use actual studies, reliable news sources, and logic rather than screeching like angry parrots.
Highly intelligent people love to take a look at studies, read up on sources, and discuss the connotations of what they see. So, an intelligent debate absolutely will fit into their umbrella of fun things to do. Not-so-intelligent people just like the idea of being right.
5. Cultural exploration
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Plenty of people enjoy traveling to see new things or try new experiences. You don’t have to be Einstein to like that. However, you might need to have a certain level of intelligence to go all-out when it comes to exploring other cultures, including the stuff most people might find dry.
Highly intelligent people tend to be far more curious than a typical person would be. So, while most tourists might be interested in taking a photo with a geisha or a tayu, highly intelligent people will be more interested in knowing the history behind a geisha’s sandal style. Experiencing new cultures tends to enhance curiosity, which makes people more intelligent in the long run. This is also a reason why smart people tend to travel.
6. Questioning and updating procedures
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We've all met a person at work who constantly asks why something is done a certain way or demands to know how something works despite not being involved in that role. More often than not, that very person always finds a way to make things easier or more effective in their role.
Highly intelligent people don’t like to work hard if they don't have to. They would rather take the time to understand all the cogs in the proverbial wheel so they can make decisions to make their lives easier.
7. Learning new words
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Did you ever meet a kid who enjoyed reading the dictionary for fun? Believe it or not, there are some people like that out there. Learning new words was exhausting for many students in school, but for highly intelligent people, it’s a pastime.
It’s not without reason, either. Highly intelligent people like to expand their vocabulary because it makes them better at communicating exactly how they feel or what they’re thinking.
8. Exercising
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If you’re like many people out there, hitting the gym is something you’re not a fan of. It’s sweaty and gross. It can be physically exhausting, but we do it because exercising tends to lead to many benefits.
Believe it or not, the trope of the unathletic genius is a myth. A Harvard study revealed that exercise can help improve your mental acuity and memory. This means that highly intelligent people might actually be more athletic, even if it’s only a result of those days of hitting the gym.
9. Being corrected
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Most people can’t stand the idea of being corrected or told they’re wrong. It can be embarrassing at times or even done as an act of hostility. Highly intelligent people are unlike others because they often don’t mind being corrected as long as it’s done politely and with good intentions.
Rather than get angry about being told they’re incorrect, they tend to be more likely to ask questions so they don’t mess up again. It’s part of a “growth mindset.”
10. Experimenting
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Unless you’re a science major, chances are you haven’t experimented on your own in recent years. The average person only does experiments when they’re assigned one during school. It can be tedious, depending on what you’re doing.
Highly intelligent people are not afraid to experiment, even to the point of logging results. Why? Because they’re just that curious about how the world works.
11. Deep conversations
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For the last item on this list, we’re going to talk about the way intelligent people prefer deep conversations. Average people love small talk, such as discussions about the weather and weekend activities. It’s light. It’s fun. You don’t have to worry too much about it.
Deep conversations, on the other hand? They can be emotionally and intellectually exhausting for many people. Intelligent folks tend to be the only ones who don’t just crave those kinds of chats but also thrive on them.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Daily Dish, Newtheory Magazine, and others.
