15 Signs That You’re a Genius

Living in the Internet Age, we’ve had access to more information than any other era in human history. Because of that, people know more than ever as well. There are multiple theories on what constitutes knowledge or intelligence. Is it how much you know? Or your how you go about learning what you know? It’s so hard to really know whether or not you’re just average, above average or a genius when it comes to intelligence, especially after you leave school. So, we here at BabbleTop wanted to compile the Top 15 things about your or your daily life that may mean that you’re in fact, a genius. Although, if you’re reading BabbleTop, you’re a genius as far as we’re concerned (but we might be biased).

15. Anxiety

Are you a worrywart? While that may plague every day of your life and decision that you make, it may come with a silver lining after all. Turns out that people that score highly on neuroticism tests tend to have a highly active imagination, which apparently activates your brains built in threat generator… So, while that may mean that you’ll become more successful later in life, it also means that you’ll probably be too worried to enjoy it. 

14. Sensitive to Sound?

No one likes talking to or sitting next to a noisy eater. The sound of food mashing around one’s mouth, whether they’re talking to you or not, is one of the most irritating sounds one can come across in their daily lives. If it really bothers you though and you end up finding yourself actually telling people to stop eating with their mouth full… At the Food Court… That you don’t know… You very well could be a genius! A recent study titled: Creativity and Sensory Gating Indexed by the P50: Selective Versus Leaky Sensory Gating in Divergent Thinkers and Creative Achievers found that creative and intelligent people dislike excess sound, especially while working. People like novelist Marcel Proust, who lined his room with cork to block out noise while he wrote, tend to like quiet so their brilliant minds can work at full potential. 

 13. Do You Talk to Yourself? 

Part of having an over-active imagination and superior brain is that you end up talking to yourself. Your brain can have such a strong internal monologue that you can end up talking to it (literally or internally) to solve problems. Ever find yourself talking aloud when you’ve lost something? That’s your brain working with itself to attempt to generate a memory or recall. So, while really talking to yourself can be a sign of mental issues, when it’s done more generally it can be a sign of brilliance. 

12. Scatterbrained?

Do you have to use #13 to look for things a lot? It turns out that people that lose things often may be a genius. Now, it depends on how or why you lose things but still, another silver lining! It turns out some types of geniuses have overactive imaginations and because of that they can get lost in their own mind as their thoughts evolve from one thing to another. That often means that they’re not really thinking about what they’re doing and that can lead to misplaced phones, car-keys or children. Luckily, because they’re geniuses they also have the enhanced ability to recall or problem solve and find those keys, or kids. Too! 

11. Unemployed? 

As we’ve seen, the term genius is hard to quantify. It can mean that you’re incredibly gifted at one subject, let’s say math. That doesn’t mean that you’re hyper-gifted at writing or music, for example. So, because of that and the difficulty in testing for or finding that, many geniuses go unnoticed and therefore never end up utilizing their talents for their own or the greater good. That means that a lot of highly intelligent people end up going unemployed. They’re unable to find interest in other, menial jobs and would rather go out and forge their own path than suffer next to the fools that they’d have to work with or listen to at any other job. 

10. Do You Question This List? 

If you’re the type of person that questions everything, you may be a genius. Because the mind of a genius never stops working to obtain new knowledge, you often end up attempting to question anything and everything. Those questions can be annoying to other people, especially authority and that can lead to issues at school, the police or work. This is why genius’ tend to struggle when they don’t feel challenged or engaged and typically end up getting placed in higher classes or different schools or … Jail.

9. Do You Like Change?

Despite the anxiety that may accompany it, geniuses tend to get bored easily and thus tend to make changes to their personal and professional lives on a regular basis. That all stems from the fact that geniuses tend to constantly challenge themselves and that means that they get bored with just getting by on the bare minimum. Once a level or task at work is mastered, it’s hard for a genius to continue doing that same task on a day to day basis. Geniuses strive to be the best and that involves looking for new work or new companions. 

8. Addiction

Throughout history some of the most intelligent people of record have struggled with addiction. That’s no coincidence. It’s actually pretty amazing to think what people like Sigmund Freud, who was notoriously a gigantic fan of cocaine (think Tony Montana on steroids) or even someone like John Lennon (Who wrote the song “Cold Turkey” for a reason) accomplished despite their addictions. There are multiple theories as to why someone who is a genius may struggle with addiction but it’s not hard to see why they’d start using in the first place. First, there’s the anxiety that is mentioned throughout this article. People with anxiety tend to self-medicate and the easiest way to do that is by gravitating towards alcohol, uppers or downers. The problem with that is the anxiety returns with a vengeance once someone stops using, so the cycle begins again. Outside of that, people with vivid imaginations often attempt to expand upon those imaginations with mind altering substances, so the cycle can begin that way as well. Or there’s the fact that geniuses can be their own worst enemies because they believe that are smart enough to handle whatever comes their way. Either way, once the cycle begins even the smartest person in the world can’t escape it, which shows you the power of addiction. 

7. Do You Not Really Care How You Dress?

Ever notice how a lot of people in the Chess Club don’t really care how they dress or what they look like? That’s because when your brain is on another level you really don’t care about fashion or name brands. A lot of geniuses tend to stick to a routine when it comes to what they wear, making things as efficient as possible. Not necessarily because they’re super organized, but rather because their minds are looking to cut down the time it spends doing other things so it can spend time doing things that matter. So, the next time you see a “nerd” rocking sweatpants, try to not judge them or especially make a negative comment towards their appearance, because they might just have the imagination and intelligence to really hurt your feelings. 

6. You Don’t Fit In

Do you operate a ham radio? Do you enjoy taking your telescope out on clear nights? Quirky hobbies like these may mean that you’re a genius, a lonely genius, but a genius. People with weird hobbies are often ridiculed by the masses (those that do fit in) because their ideas about everything are different. It’s the fact that they don’t follow the rest of the crowd that shows how their brain works. A brain that sees the world differently, or has a great enough imagination to go left when everyone goes right, is the type of brain that creates change. Think someone like Steve Jobs, or Galileo. If everyone just followed the status quo we’d still be chasing down our food and grunting at one another, so thank the weirdos for… everything.  

5. You’re Left Handed

As recently as one-hundred years ago people thought that you could predict criminal behavior or even the type of job you’d end up having by the shape of your body or skull. That “science” was called Phrenology and was eventually discredited after awhile. However, there are studies today that show that people with certain physical traits tend to be more intelligent. While height, body mass index and even eye color have shown to have some correlation, the one that makes the most sense is whether or not you’re left handed. Left handed people have better access to the part of the brain that people who are right handed struggle with. Because of that, they tend to have a better vocabulary and problem solving skills than the rest of us righties, which makes the fact that nuns used to force left handed people to learn how to write with the right hand, all the more terrible. 

4. You’re Picky About Who You Sleep With

Studies have shown that the higher your IQ, the less sexual partners you’ve had (and it’s not because you wear the same T-Shirt everyday). While some have thought that people with higher IQ’s may have less interest in sex as a whole (as sexual desire is thought to be related to animal instinct and intelligence comes from the pre-frontal cortex which is about as far from the “lizard brain”, where sexual desire comes from, as you can get in a human skull), that actually isn’t true. Studies have shown that people with higher IQ’s also tend to spend more money on sex toys than people with lower IQ’s and while that may have something to do with the ability to pay for luxury items like a Flesh Light, it also could mean that smarter people tend to be more critical of themselves, which means they’re more critical on their partner. Because of that critical nature, people with higher IQ’s tend to stay monogamous more often and longer, because once they find “The One”, they tend to stay with that person. That comes from a tendency to not settle, which makes a better fit and thus a longer term partnership.

3. Are You Reading This Before/After a Nap? 

Yawn. People with brilliant minds tend to repeatedly enjoy (not necessarily the sleeping part of) napping, but the part between being awake and asleep. That transitional phase is referred to as Hyponagogia, the state between wakefulness and sleep. Why would anyone want to not be asleep or awake? Well, it’s because of the mental phenomena that occur during that period, which include lucid thoughts, lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis and hallucinations. It’s during this period that other sensory phenomena occur and apparently the more intelligent you are, the more vivid and amazing these phenomena can be. So, many people prefer this state of consciousness to actual reality and thus spend as much time there as possible. That’s where naps come in. So, the next time someone gives you guff for taking a nap, just lay down, wait a few minutes and soon you’ll be flying over buildings and enjoying your own reality while they count sheep to fall asleep. 

2. You Think This List is REALLY Great? LOL.

During 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron the MCU’s biggest genius, Tony Stark, broadcasts a memory in front of a group of geniuses at MIT. That memory is his last interaction with his parents before they’re killed by the Winter Soldier and it shows fellow genius Howard Stark telling a young Tony Stark that his sarcastic response is a sign of a brilliant mind. That’s not just more science fiction from the people at Marvel, it’s actually the truth. I’m not being sarcastic! It turns out that sarcasm is a sign of intelligence, as it takes a brilliant mind to be able to not only understand the current situation, but understand it well enough to be able to offer a different version of that reality. That’s what sarcasm essentially is and why it’s a sign of genius. 

1. Are You Your Own Biggest Critic?

While geniuses can be very confident in their abilities when it comes to arguing with another person or presenting their work to the masses, it turns out that they are actually their own biggest critics when it comes to that work in the first place. Leonardo Da Vinci, one of the world’s most well known Polymath’s (Someone who is a master/genius in/of multiple fields), had the following last words: “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.” Considering that he’s responsible for many of the greatest works of art in history, including the greatest painting ever in The Mona Lisa,  you’ll see that even he thought that he could’ve done more. He clearly was the best at what he did. That’s what makes this the greatest sign of a genius and what pushes geniuses to the levels that continue to amaze and benefit us to this day!

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