 Hey Psych2Goers, someone in the comments suggested this topic idea. Shout out to More for this interesting topic. So, do you consider yourself a smart person? You might be smarter than you give yourself credit for. Here are 7 things smart people never pay attention to, and what they do instead. 1. Limiting Beliefs Psychology is chock-full of scientific studies that show us how our way of thinking impacts our life. And indeed, they all support the idea that we can only go as far as our minds let us. And while most people may not be aware of it, so many of us hold ourselves back from achieving happiness and success with our own limiting beliefs. We limit ourselves in what we can attain when we give into our unhealthy fear of failure, fear of being alone, fear of rejection, fear of trying our best, and fear of finding out what it is we're really capable of. But smart people have learned to let go of these limiting beliefs, and found true fulfillment because of them. 2. What If Scenarios Another thing smart people don't like to waste their time on is the idea of what could have been. Because they know there's no point. They don't get hung up on the past and dwell on their mistakes because, as Maya Angelou once said, you do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, you do better. This is what makes them bounce back from failure so much quicker than other people do. They're not afraid to look back on their mistakes because they don't let themselves wallow in self-pity and self-blame over it. 3. Their Own Ego Whether we like to admit it or not, a lot of us are also guilty not just of letting our past mistakes affect us in the present, but also our past successes. Sometimes we let our achievements and triumphs inflate our ego and get to our heads, making us overestimate our own abilities. Smart people don't make the mistake of letting themselves get lazy or arrogant. They keep themselves humble and grounded and constantly look for new opportunities to grow as people. They want to learn, try, and do as much as they can because they have an insatiable desire to become the best possible version of themselves. 4. Materialistic Desires Materialism, studies have found, can be detrimental to our overall happiness and life satisfaction, and harm our social relationships by breeding envy and competition. And while we might all be aware of this already, letting go of our materialistic desires is a lot easier said than done. What sets smart people apart, however, is that they consciously choose to focus instead on intrinsic goals more than extrinsic ones. So while materialistic people are more cutthroat and selfish, others would rather satisfy our need for belonging, autonomy, self-actualization, and emotional fulfillment. 5. Hedonistic Tendencies Have you ever noticed that smarter people tend to be more responsible and get into less trouble? That's not to say, of course, that a smart person is a stick in the mud who doesn't know how to have fun, but rather, they don't give in to their hedonistic tendencies and take unnecessary risks. They prefer an organized lifestyle to a thrill-seeky one and avoid rushing into things because they understand that every action has unintended consequences. They also are mindful of how their words and actions affect others, and try not to let their emotions get the best of them. 6. Rumors and Gossip Another important sign of intelligence you might not realize is a disinterest in rumors and gossip. As Socrates once said, strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and weak minds discuss people. So smart people don't waste their time gossiping with others because they just don't find that kind of talk stimulating or interesting. They also know better than to judge a person solely by their reputation, and are more open-minded than most in that regard, which brings us to our next and final point. 7. Other People's Opinions About Them Similar to how smart people don't care for gossip or rumors, they also don't like to pay attention to what other people have to say about them or their ideas. They don't let their fear of judgment or rejection keep them from fulfilling their ambitions and pursuing their passions, because they know that those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind. They're not afraid to be themselves, even if it makes them unlikable to some, and they won't let other people's negativity discourage them from realizing their ideas and doing what they really want. So do you relate to any of the things we've mentioned here? Do you think you're a smart person because you don't pay attention to any of these things? Remember, smart is an objective adjective, and it can mean many different things. All of us are intelligent in some way, and also have weaknesses we need to work on. Did you enjoy this video? Please like and share it with friends that might find insight in it too. Make sure to subscribe to Psych2Go and hit the notification bell for more content. All the references used are added in the description box below. Thank you for watching. See you next time.