Are you really intelligent? Philosopher says these 2 behavioural habits can reveal your smartness level

Intelligence is usually associated with things like academic performance, problem-solving skills or how quickly someone understands a difficult subject. But philosopher Julian de Medeiros has pointed to two everyday behavioural habits that, according to his observations, may say something about how a person thinks. The University of Kent lecturer has discussed intelligence in viral social media videos, focusing not just on what people know, but also on how they behave when dealing with themselves and others. His observations are linked to older philosophical ideas, including those of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer.

These habits do not amount to a scientific test of intelligence, but they offer an interesting way of looking at behaviour.

Intelligent people take responsibility instead of blaming others

One of de Medeiros' observations centres on accountability. He referred to a statement by British union leader Ernest Bevin, who said: “Unintelligent people always look for a scapegoat.”


De Medeiros explained that constantly blaming other people for personal problems can prevent someone from looking honestly at their own mistakes.

“A sign that somebody is not very intelligent is that they always have to blame their problems on other people,” he said. “Like, it's never something they've done, it's always somebody else's fault.”

According to the philosopher, avoiding responsibility also means avoiding the self-reflection that can help a person improve. He added: “A smart person is introspective, self-critical, and wants to grow. But an unintelligent person blames other people, blames the world, always needs an enemy, an antagonist.”

The idea is fairly simple. Someone who accepts that they may have made a mistake has a chance to understand what went wrong and do something differently next time. Someone who always finds another person to blame may never get to that stage.

They are comfortable spending time alone

The second behaviour comes from Schopenhauer's observations about intelligent people and social interaction.

According to de Medeiros, Schopenhauer believed that intelligence could sometimes make people more comfortable with their own company. He explained: “He basically argued that the more intelligent someone is, the more they struggle with interactions. Or as he put it - the more intelligent someone is, the more at risk they are of becoming antisocial.”

The theory suggests that intelligent people may prefer a smaller circle rather than constantly being surrounded by strangers or large groups. De Medeiros said they may have a “small, select group of people they trust” and can feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar social settings.

Schopenhauer also connected intelligence with sensitivity to sound and a desire to have greater control over one's surroundings. In this view, spending time alone is not necessarily a sign of loneliness. It can simply reflect a preference for having enough quiet and personal space to think.

These habits are not a perfect intelligence test

There is an important limitation to these ideas. Being introverted or wanting to spend time alone does not automatically mean someone is intelligent, just as making a mistake or blaming someone during a difficult moment does not prove that a person lacks intelligence.

De Medeiros' first argument has also been described as somewhat reductive because people can avoid introspection for many reasons. Psychological factors and personal experiences can affect how willing someone is to examine their own behaviour.

Still, both observations point towards qualities such as self-awareness, curiosity and the willingness to question one's own thinking. In practical terms, perhaps the more useful question is not simply whether someone is smart, but whether they are willing to learn from what happens to them.