11 Things Average People Never Question But Brilliant Minds Can’t Stop Analyzing
For highly intellectual people, these things stick out like a sore thumb, and they can't unsee them.
stockfour / Shutterstock Being brilliant doesn't mean you have to be the loudest person in the room. You might quietly sit there, taking in everything going on around you and analyzing it piece by piece. You never accept things at face value because you need to know why, how, and what if. You are not arrogant, but instinctual because that's how your brain is wired. You question the obvious and never accept that it's just the way it is.
Brilliant minds can exhaust themselves by their inability to stop asking questions, but they are perfectly okay with that. They do not view the world as a complex map to follow, but as a huge puzzle to assemble. They don't necessarily think they know more than everyone else; they just believe there is always more to know. The things in this list might be overlooked by the average person, but highly intelligent people will dissect them for deeper meaning.
Here are 11 things average people never question, but brilliant minds can't stop analyzing
1. Social norms
kanchanachitkhamma via Canva
Most of our social norms have a long history that we might now know, but we fall in line anyway. Shaking hands and a five-day workweek are just a couple of the things that, somewhere along the way, society made the norm, and we just accepted that. Brilliant people aren't always trying to change the status quo. They just want to know how we got here in a way that makes sense to them.
The goal for smart people is not to be difficult to deal with. They genuinely want to understand the logic behind things that society has implemented and expected us to follow without critical thinking. They never follow others blindly or adapt unwritten rules without first asking where they came from and whether or not they still make sense. They want to improve how things are done and look for opportunities to do so.
2. Our education system
Sketcher via Canva
We were born into a society where the emphasis on education is strong. I remember finishing up high school early and my parents asking daily when I was going to start college, so I did. Then, $60,000 of student loan debt later, I have never used the education I received back then. Brilliant minds understand the value of being a student of life and a curious thinker, but question why school is just a way of life when it can be so much more.
The concept of getting an education just to have one seems outdated and as if it no longer serves society's evolving interests. Smart people value critical thinking and real-world experience over memorization of concepts you learned in school. To them, quality education is far better than performative achievement. They measure creativity with the same importance that others give to test scores.
3. Job titles and hierarchies
Joana Baumg from Studio Brazil via Canva
Organizational charts serve their purpose. They give a visual representation of the structure of a company and an escalation path. Those at the bottom of the chart might subconsciously be perceived as less competent or unable to lead, hence their insubordinate role. But highly intelligent folks know that a fancy title doesn't necessarily spell "talented". Mediocre people placed in positions of power, who rely on the people underneath them to look good, are much more common than one would think.
Average people will accept an organizational hierarchy, believing that it is based on capability and leadership skills, but brilliant minds ask themselves whether having "Senior" in your title really means you make more well-informed decisions with better outcomes. It bothers them that authority is based on tenure, connections, and favorability instead of raw talent.
4. The concept of time
wildpixel from Getty Images via Canva
Have you ever sat and wondered who decided there should be 24 hours in a day? Or why it starts at midnight. And who told us that we had to work hard all week and dedicate just two days on the weekend to the things we love? The calendar and the clock work for us. They keep us all in sync, and without some way of keeping time, the world would be utter chaos.
Still, that doesn't stop the smartest folks among us from contemplating the reasoning behind the time constraints we all operate under. They wonder what the other options were and reimagine a world where people move about freely without the bounds of time. We all agreed to live in this arbitrary construct, and every day, we wonder why.
5. Being polite because you're supposed to
SDI Productions from Getty Images via Canva
The most brilliant people among us have an unmatched appetite for autonomy and authenticity. So, apologizing just for the sake of it never sat well with them. They believe that "sorry" should come from a place of realness, not from pressure to make amends when another person feels slighted. They don't need empty accountability and don't want to dish it out to others.
Brilliant minds think honesty is much more important than etiquette. When someone asks how they are doing, they never mindlessly say "I'm fine". They consider their state of mind and physical disposition and provide an answer that is truthful instead of scripted. Forget the cognitive dissonance of going through the motions just because you are supposed to. They are giving real answers that come from a transparent place, whether you want them or not.
6. How we measure success
Delmaine Donson from Getty Images Signature
Somewhere along the way, money, fame, and power became the holy trinity of success. Having good character is good, but if you have all of the things that make you look successful, opportunities and grace that others may not receive are given to you without question. These modern-day metrics of success are more about illusion than they are intrinsic value.
Insightful thinkers question whether these superficial accomplishments are worthy goals to strive for or just empty concepts that were passed down to us from previous generations. They are less concerned with putting themselves and others into a cultural template and more concerned with success that is tied to intrinsic motivations.
7. Relationships and the idea of monogamy
PeopleImages from Getty Images Signature via Canva
This one is a little controversial, but it is not coming from a cynical place. Brilliant minds are curious about romantic conventions and whether they match our reality. They question the idea that you should find one person and spend the rest of your life there, shutting down any ideas about connecting with other people in the same passionate way. They may believe in monogamy, but it doesn't stop them from thinking about alternatives.
The smartest people don't just adopt societal norms; they thoroughly analyze them before determining that they make the world a better place. Ideas around love and marriage are usually biological, cultural, religious, or just out of habit of family tradition. The highly intelligent wonder if that is enough.
8. News and media narratives
tomazi from Getty Images Signature via Canva
Average people accept what they see on the news and in the media as credible and true. They take anything they hear at face value, even if they have created their own vacuum of information that confirms how they see the world. Instead of thinking critically, they skim headlines at laser speed, taking in information without questioning the source, whether or not it is factual, or the context.
Brilliant minds ask the burning questions like, "Who is behind this message?", "What's not being said?", and "Why are they telling us this?" They know that the media is a business with specific goals that messaging helps to achieve. But don't mistake these societal geniuses for conspiracy theorists. They are just people who refuse to be spoon-fed information without using their discernment.
9. Our culture of consumption
Csondy from Getty Images Signature via Canva
Many average people buy things to keep up with the Joneses or because a witty commercial told them that they desperately needed it. A new phone when yours is in perfect working conditions, a fancy car when yours is decent and reliable, or an expensive trip to a tropical destination where you do the exact same things you do at home, at some of the splurges that make super smart people scratch their heads.
A brilliant mind sees through the branding and questions why we are conditioned to upgrade everything in our lives the moment a newer version comes out. They have an awareness that marketing is meant to manipulate us and implant desires into us that we never knew we had.
10. Morality and ethics
Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels via Canva
Morals are typically seen as black and white. One thing is immoral and unacceptable, while the world has decided that another is good and right. Lauryn Hill said in her song, "Everything is Everything," "Who made these rules? We're so confused. Easily led astray." That was her ode to the idea that we don't have to be followers and can carve our own paths.
Brilliant people see the gray area when it comes to values, morals, and ethics. They don't just accept things as right or wrong but dig deeper, knowing that each person has their own individual truths. They don't buy into the universal subjective ideas that have been created by context, culture, and societal conditioning.
11. The idea of 'self'
Rido via Canva
Asking who we really are should not be that complicated. But it is one of the most complex questions you can ask a person who has not taken the time to learn themselves. Average minds attach job titles, financial positions, and status to their identity, and when those things are taken away, they are lost in the sauce. They are forced to do life with a total stranger because they just could not bear to get into their own psyche and heal old wounds.
But the most brilliant minds really want to know what makes them tick. They have an understanding of their life purpose, what brings them joy, and what mark they want to leave on the world when they finally exit. Smart people peel back the layers to see what lies just beneath the surface. They get to know their consciousness, ego, and what it means to truly live and not just exist.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and the author of seven books. She focuses on lifestyle and human interest stories that deliver informative and actionable guidance on interpersonal relationships, enlightenment, and self-discovery.
