 Hey Psych2Goers, have you ever stopped to think about how smart you really are? Do you wonder how you determine intelligence or what it means to be smart? Overall intelligence is the combination of interpersonal intelligence, the understanding of oneself, interpersonal intelligence, the ability to understand and interact well with others, linguistic intelligence, the ability to use, understand and communicate in one or more languages, logical intelligence, intellect involving problem solving and critical thinking skills, emotional intelligence, your ability to process yours and others emotion, and more. So let's look at six signs that show how smart you truly are. Number one, you have a strong sense of self-awareness. A key indicator of overall intelligence is having strong self-awareness. According to Healthline, a well-developed sense of self typically means you feel secure in who you are, know where your skills lie and have the confidence to make choices that reflect your beliefs. While it can take some time to establish your identity and make it through the journey of self-discovery. Fully understanding your capabilities, life values, desires, dreams, goals and other defining characteristics can lead you to sustainable self-confidence and fulfillment. As Aris Bottle once famously said, knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. Number two, you are a keen observer. Do you enjoy watching the world around you? Perhaps you like to listen into what people say or notice unique pieces of writing in certain places. Distinct observation and remembrance skills can signify various categories and types of intelligence. A study titled, The Relationship Between Fluid Intelligence and Working Memory Capacity, published on PubMed Central under the US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, suggests that a good eye for patterns indicates elements of spatial visual intelligence. Then having a great memory of things you've heard somewhere is your verbal linguistic intelligence shining through. Number three, you are a natural empath. Are you always able to pick up on when someone is feeling down without them even mentioning it? Can you absorb others feelings and relate to or almost experience their emotions in real time? These are strong signs of emotional intelligence. You see, intelligence goes beyond your quantitative understanding. A factor that can influence your overall intelligence is the ability to empathize and process other people's emotions and feelings and to use your available mental and physical resources to support them. So if you have the natural knack to make your friends and loved ones feel supported, needed, cared for, and strong, you definitely carry distinct traits of intelligence. Number four, you're good at managing your emotions. A sign of intelligence is not only being able to support others through their emotions but also about knowing how to best process and manage your own. Life has its ups and downs and with these come real time feelings and reactions towards the many things you go through. And being able to handle a wide range of emotions with maturity can say a lot about your emotional well being and how smart you truly are. According to Healthline, people with high intelligence have the ability to recognize complex emotions, understand how those emotions affect choice and behavior, respond to those emotions productively, exercise self control to express feelings at appropriate times, and express feelings in safe and healthy ways. So if you're good at dealing with your emotions, whether they're unwanted, good, bad, or ugly, have the patience to analyze your feelings and communicate them in a clear way at the right time and place, then you can definitely consider yourself to be an intelligent person. Number five, you're constantly curious. Are you always asking questions? Smart people often like to chase after answers to feed their never ending curiosity. They love to learn, explore, discover new things and to keep striving to grow. According to a study conducted by the Goldsmiths University of London, the way that people invest their time and effort into their intellect can be a significant factor in cognitive growth. If you genuinely enjoy opening your mind to different ideas and concepts and believe that you have high curiosity and a willingness to accept ambiguity, you can most certainly consider yourself to be a clever person. As author and keynote speaker Scott Moutz puts in his article about signs of intelligence with ink, it's not just learning more that makes you smarter. It's wanting to learn more. Number six, you don't think you're particularly intelligent. Ever notice how people who lack expertise or understanding are often overconfident? While those who are genuinely smart tend to question and doubt themselves. This phenomenon of one's ignorance towards their own ignorance is known as the Denning Kruger Effect. In comparison, it is quite common for intelligent people to overlook their strengths and have more sensitive awareness of their weaknesses, limitations and drawbacks. This is because they tend to push themselves to constantly get better in terms of knowledge, expertise or confidence. If you tend to doubt your intelligence often, just know that this comes from your unique trait of introspection and the drive for consistent improvement rather than a genuine lack of ability. Your instinct to be able to reflect on yourself from an outside perspective is itself a praiseworthy attribute that can help you get far in life. Are you smarter than you thought you were? Let us know in the comments below. If you found this video helpful, be sure to like, subscribe and share this video with those who might benefit from it. And don't forget to hit the notification bell icon to get notified whenever psyched to go post a new video. The references and studies used in this video are added in the description below. Thanks for watching and we'll see you in the next video.