Self-awareness: 5 signs you are smarter than you think

psychology
5 surprising signs that you are smarter than you think you are

Self-awareness can be tricky! Some overestimate themselves, others underestimate themselves, but only a few assess themselves exactly right. The following signs suggest that when it comes to mental performance, you tend to attribute less to yourself than you actually have on your chest.

5 signs you are smarter than you think you are

1. There is a lot that you do not understand

Many people believe that not understanding something means that you just aren’t smart enough to understand it. As we learned at school: if you don’t understand math, you’re an idiot. But the truth is: There is sooooooo much that absolutely nobody understands! But only those who think about it will notice.

2. You make a lot of mistakes

Are mistakes typical of bumbling people? Not correct! Mistakes are common to everyone. But while some people make mistakes without realizing it and without learning from them, reflective people perceive their mistakes and are aware of them. So if you say of yourself that you make a lot of mistakes, you probably make about as many as everyone else – but notice them more often.

3. You ask (yourself) questions that nobody else asks

Do you sometimes have questions that other people find completely absurd? Well, that’s how it is when you don’t understand anything. Joke aside: “Weird” questions are a typical sign of creativity and the ability to think outside the box. You may feel completely stupid if you ask (yourself) something that nobody else seems to have a problem with, but in truth it proves that you think for yourself and recognize gaps that others don’t even notice.

4. You don’t think you’re super smart

We humans are certainly not the stupidest beings on our planet – but we are not superbrains either, otherwise we would hardly fill up the oceans, pollute our air and sometimes make life so difficult for us. Smart, reflective people are usually aware of their stupidity or the expandability of their mental powers and do not consider themselves geniuses – even if they may be compared to others.

5. You are bad at convincing others

You might think that the smarter someone is, the better they can argue and convince others. But the opposite is often the case. Smart people look at things from multiple perspectives and understand different positions. They are also aware that they too can be wrong. Therefore, they appear less convinced and convincing than people who are unencumbered by something like this and who consider their view of things to be the only correct one.

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Brigitte