5 Surprising Signs Of Intelligence

Unfortunately, we very often belittle ourselves and fail to recognize how intelligent we are. Jumia Travel , the leading online travel agency, shares 5 surprising signs that confirm intelligence.

You Don’t See Yourself as Smart
This phenomenon is called the Dunning-Kruger effect. It’s a cognitive bias in which people who are actually smart and intelligent, or in other words high ability individuals, tend to underestimate their intellect, ‘under-sell’ themselves and erroneously assume tasks which are easy for them are easy for others (until they of course find out it isn’t so).

You Have a Good Sense of Humour
You might not be able to pull off stand-up comedy, but you do have a good sense of humour and people tend to find your comments, statements or actions humourous. This is considered a sign of intelligence. Intelligence and a good sense of humour are strongly correlated because humour requires a high level of verbal skills, critical thinking and creativity. It also reveals a good ability to relate with others.

You Had a Reading Habit as a Child
People who had the habit of reading as a child are considered intelligent. This is because children with good average reading skills tend to have higher than average verbal reasoning as they age. They also tend to do well in non-verbal tests and perform well in abstract thinking, general cognition and pattern finding.

You’re Musically Inclined
Research has shown that musicians have structurally and functionally different brains from non-musicians. The areas of the brain used to process music in musicians (be it for a singer, instrumentalist etc.) are more active. The effect of music on cognition and intelligence is so profound that even just learning to play a musical instrument can change the neurophysiology of the brain which can help your mood, memory and ability to learn languages.

You’re Internet Savvy
Knowing your way around the internet to source for needed information and answers to questions is another sign of intelligence. Most experts believe that the internet benefits intelligence and tends to make people smarter, as long as it is used productively.