9 little-known body language signs that indicate a high level of intellect

Lucas Graham by Lucas Graham | March 11, 2024, 9:04 pm

There are lots of different ways someone can convey their intelligence.

Maybe it’s the way they talk, or the things they choose to talk about. Maybe it’s the job that they do, or the hobbies they enjoy.

What’s almost universally true, though, is that generally, the more intelligent a person is, the less likely they are to come right out and tell you they are intelligent.

That’s because intelligent people don’t spend a lot of time worrying about what other people think. Because they are secure in their own intellect, they don’t feel a need to prove it to other people.

Sometimes, that kind of intelligence can fly under the radar, at least for a little while.

Still, intelligence can’t hide itself forever. And sometimes, even a person’s body language can give away a high level of intellect.

Keep an eye out for these signs that tell you you’re dealing with someone very intelligent indeed.

1) They listen actively

It’s not always easy to tell how somebody is listening to you, or even if they are listening to you. But people with an impressive level of intellect don’t just listen; they actively listen.

“Active listening is a way of listening that involves full attention to what is being said for the primary purpose of understanding the speaker,” writes psychologist Dianne Grande. “ If we are not listening actively, we are likely to miss the real message.”

Grande demonstrates how to be an active listener with these points:

  •       Listen without making judgments straightaway;
  •       Allow the speaker to finish and don’t interrupt;
  •       Show the speaker you are engaged by leaning toward them and making eye contact;
  •       Repeat what you have heard to make sure you got it right;
  •       Ask questions when you don’t understand;
  •       Give a short summary of what you’ve heard when the speaker is finished.

Active listening is a learned behavior that many people pick up in college or at work. But often, it comes naturally to highly intelligent people.

Listening to others is one of the ways that intelligent people learn more about the world and about the viewpoints of others. Even if they don’t agree, they will listen actively to what others say to see what new information it can give them.

2) They pause

A meaningful pause in a conversation is a sure sign of someone who is really paying attention.

I’m not talking about an awkward silence. Instead, I mean that an intelligent person will frequently pause either before or during speaking while they consider their words.

This allows them to choose their words carefully so that they can say things in the most precise and impactful way and make sure they get their message across.

Don’t believe me? Listen to the way an intellectual like Noam Chomsky speaks. He takes his time to articulate his point, using pauses when necessary to think through a response.

Or watch this communications expert break down a university lecture by Jordan B Peterson, demonstrating how he uses multiple forms of both spoken and body language, including pauses to get his point across.

3) They use eye contact

Eye contact is so important to communication. In fact, there are some theories that the reason humans have the eyes that we do, with a very visible white part, is so that we could easily see what each other are looking at.

But eye contact can also be a minefield. Use it too much, and you risk coming across as intense and even creepy. Use it too little, and you seem shy, nervous, or disinterested.

Smart people are experts at using eye contact to communicate with other people. They know to hold another person’s gaze for a few seconds, briefly look away, and then look back at the other person’s eyes.

Whether they are doing this deliberately or not varies from one person to the next, but either way, it shows the people they are talking to that they are interested and engaged.

4) They mirror

Another often subtle sign of an intelligent person is that they will mirror the people they are talking to.

In other words, they will mimic the gestures and body language of the people around them.

This is often a subconscious process, so even intelligent people don’t necessarily realize they are doing it. And often, the people they are talking to don’t consciously observe it. But at the same time, it makes them feel more at ease and more connected with others.

There’s some evidence that this happens because of the mirror neurons in our brain that allow us to put ourselves in the place of others and understand what they are going through. So maybe mirroring someone puts them at ease because it shows them that we have empathy for them.

5) They don’t fidget

Fidgeting is a bad habit that anyone can fall into. But people with a high intellect know that it can make you seem disinterested and nervous, so they make every effort to control it.

Instead, intelligent people use controlled gestures. They move deliberately, and with clear intent. They stay engaged in what is happening around them, which helps them to resist the urge to fidget and make unnecessary movements.

6) They keep an open posture

This is another body language trait that comes naturally to a lot of people, but you can also learn it elaborately. And whether intelligent people naturally do this or whether they have learned to do it, it’s an effective way to help them communicate with others.

Open posture means sitting or standing up straight. It means not crossing your arms or legs or putting your hands in your pockets. These gestures can come across as defensive, making it seem as though you don’t want to hear what other people are saying.

Instead, intelligent people maintain an open posture which makes them seem more approachable and more engaged with the people around them.

So if you see someone who usually keeps an open posture, it might be a sign of high intelligence.

7) They have controlled gestures

I mentioned earlier how intelligent people don’t fidget. And you can see this control in almost everything they do.

Whether it’s how they reach for a drink, how they sit, how they adjust their clothing, or how they pick up a pen, you can see that everything they do has a deliberate intention behind it.

That doesn’t mean they are stiff or robotic. Their movements can be perfectly fluid and graceful, but they always have a clear intention behind them.

They don’t constantly shift in their seat or shift their weight from one foot to another when they are standing. They don’t flap their hands around for no reason.

Intelligent people control themselves in lots of different ways, and their controlled movements can be a sign of the high intellect behind them.

8) They lean in

Another way to show somebody you’re conversing with that you are engaged and listening is to lean in toward them.

Lots of times, we do this without realizing it.

If you’re truly interested in what somebody is saying, you may find yourself leaning toward them, as if you don’t want to miss a single word. It’s a subtle gesture, because if you lean in too much, it can start to seem like you are invading somebody’s personal space.

But leaning in just a little tells people that you are interested, engaged, and listening to what they have to say.

Intelligent people are generally interested in the world around them. No matter what their specialist subjects and interests are, they are often curious about others and want to learn as much as they can from the people around them.

This means they often lean in to catch everything others are saying, making this a subtle but common sign of high intellect.

9) They touch their face

This is another surprising one.

People of high intelligence often touch their face or head during conversation. They may adjust their glasses, rest their cheek on their hand, or touch their chin.

These small gestures show that someone is really paying attention to what they are being told, almost as if they are trying to hold on to the thoughts they are having.

What’s even more surprising is this study, which suggests that these kinds of gestures increase blood flow to parts of the brain responsible for problem-solving.

So by making these seemingly meaningless gestures, intelligent people may be helping themselves think even more clearly about what they are hearing.

Body language and intelligence

It’s not always clear how intelligent a person is when you first meet them. But there are lots of subtle signs that can give away an intellect that is higher than usual.

As well as listening to the things they say, keep an eye out for these little-known signs that can tell you someone has a powerful intellect.