People With Lightning-Fast Brains Usually Notice 6 Things Average Minds Miss
Josep Suria | Shutterstock Being able to think quickly is an underrated ability and gives someone a major advantage.
Having lightning-fast thinking abilities makes people appear more charismatic, but they also tend to notice the small things normal folks miss. It's really just what they're naturally good at.
6 things lightning-fast thinkers notice that average minds miss:
1. Patterns in people's actions and words
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Pattern recognition is exactly how we, as a species, have been able to continue to thrive for so long. It's helped us make new discoveries and come up with answers to the questions we've spent eons debating.
For lightning-fast thinkers, they use this ability to take a closer look at the people and world around them. They notice subtleties in people's actions and how they speak.
They may realize a person is fake smiling through their body language or when someone is trying to convince themselves of something. It's small things like this that set them apart.
2. If problems can be simplified
A large problem can feel overwhelming and daunting. But a person that can think quickly will notice that one large problem is much more manageable when it's broken down into smaller parts.
Large problems activate the stress response, which shuts down the part of the brain that's required to solve problems. Quick-thinkers can simplify things by solving those parts individually, and putting the pieces together.
3. Creative solutions
Instead of seeing a something obvious, people with lightning-fast brains come up with creative resolutions. They have the ability to think outside the box, and even realize that, sometimes, going with the most evident option needs a little twist.
"Sometimes we overthink how different a creative solution needs to be. The best creative, practical solutions are often just ordinary ones with a small twist," psychology researcher Alice Boyes said.
4. When they should trust their instincts
Being able to listen to a gut feeling is difficult when it doesn't come naturally. Most of the time, someone might not have any proof other than feeling a vibe. Quick-thinking, intelligent people are quick to trust themselves and this feeling, though.
The brain and the gut actually talk to each other before a person gets that gut-dropping feeling. So, if something doesn't seem right to them, their first reaction is to trust it.
5. How someone else is feeling
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While our human nature means we'll sometimes be wrong about how someone might feel in the future, the more intelligent someone is, the more likely they're able to make realistic predictions, making better decisions as a result.
People whose brains work at a quick speed wonder where their life is heading, and what will make them happy. But they also think critically about their past patterns, and that lets them make educated guesses about where they'll end up.
6. When taking shortcuts leads to better decisions
Heuristics are mental shortcuts that allow people to make decisions faster. Heuristics are made using well-tuned routines to familiar problems, so the brain understands exactly why a decision is made and how that decision will play out.
Though making choices quickly can go wrong, lightning-fast thinkers have minds that think many steps ahead.
Lyss Micalizzi is a writer covering human interest and pop culture topics, with a master's in Literature and Culture, a bachelor's in English Literary and Textual Studies. Lyss has over six years of writing and social media experience.
