As much as it pains me to say, being clever isn’t enough to succeed in life.

Smarts open doors and lead to exciting opportunities, but plenty of other factors contribute to overall well-being.  

Like resilience, empathy, and adaptability.

Cultivating them requires you to acknowledge there are areas where you might fall short.

Trouble is, brilliant individuals sometimes rely on their IQ too much and don’t bother developing other abilities.

Don’t fall into that trap.

People with high intelligence but low self-awareness often display these 7 subtle behaviors.

Turns out, we can be our own worst enemies.

1) They are overconfident

High intelligence doesn’t make you immune to cognitive biases.

In fact, studies suggest that individuals with high IQs are more prone to fall prey to them.

Like the Dunning-Kruger effect, a type of cognitive bias in which people are convinced they are more capable at something than they really are.

These biases distort perceptions of your own competence, leading to overconfidence.

When you’re too full of yourself, you fail to recognize your limits. 

Keep it up, and you’ll be in for an unsettling reality check down the road.

Overconfidence comes with major downsides:

• You underestimate risks so you make poor decisions 
• You fail to take responsibility for your mistakes and learn from them
• You come across as arrogant or dismissive
• You overlook valuable input from others, missing lucrative opportunities
• You underrate your competition, leaving you vulnerable to being outmaneuvered

I’m not saying you shouldn’t believe in your abilities. 

But a little humility goes a long way.

2) They can’t digest criticism

Individuals with high intelligence but low self-awareness often struggle to handle criticism due to their fragile egos.

When their sense of self-worth is closely tied to their intelligence or achievements, they can be especially sensitive to negative feedback.

Imagine being constantly praised for your intellect growing up.

Once you reach adulthood, you may already be dependent on external validation.

So, when someone criticizes you, you feel deeply inadequate and take it as a personal attack.

Instead of seeing the feedback as an opportunity for growth, you become defensive and dismissive.

The solution?

Stop thinking that everyone who suggests ways to improve is out to get you.

Some of them only have your best interest at heart.

Additionally, we all have blind spots, regardless of how smart we may be.

Listening to other people’s opinions will help you identify and address yours.  

3) They have difficulty empathizing with others

Empathy has more to do with emotional intelligence than smarts.

When you don’t spend time reflecting on your feelings and behavior, you also find it hard to put yourself in other people’s shoes and understand their perspective.

If you’re extremely clever, you likely prioritize logic and reason over emotional understanding, so it’s trickier for you to relate to others.

This may translate to trouble forming deep, long-lasting relationships, which happen to be one of the cornerstones of a fulfilled life.

Thankfully, emotional intelligence can be cultivated, like any skill.

Active listening, reading fiction books, and socializing more will give you a head start.

4) They are impatient

All the things worth having in life take time, according to a quote I read somewhere on the internet.

To a lot of people with high intelligence but low self-awareness, this fact is unfathomable.

As they’re so smart, they’re used to figuring things out quickly.

So, when results don’t come fast enough, they get frustrated.

Additionally, they may secretly harbor a sense of entitlement, believing that their intellect should secure them preferential treatment.

They’ll ask themselves why it’s taking so long and complain about their circumstances on a daily basis, to the annoyance of everyone around.

They might even be tempted to abandon projects halfway through because they get bored and don’t have the required patience to see them past the finish line.

A real bummer.

5) They are stubborn

Because they are highly intelligent, clever folks often have a deep-seated belief in their ideas and opinions.

They are accustomed to being right, which makes them resistant to alternative viewpoints.

In other words, they are very stubborn.

Obviously, this character trait comes with disadvantages:

• It creates tension in relationships, especially if you are unwilling to compromise
• It can translate to a stagnant mindset, leaving you entrenched in your beliefs and resistant to innovation
• It makes it harder for you to bounce back from failure
• It takes a toll on your well-being, as constantly butting heads with others is taxing

While determination and perseverance are valuable qualities, chronic stubbornness has detrimental effects on your life.

It’s time you made some changes.

6) They are closed-minded

On a similar note, people who are highly intelligent but not particularly self-aware can be resistant to change.

Due to their stubbornness, they fail to recognize promise in ideas that aren’t theirs.

They remain stuck in their comfort zone, ultimately hindering their personal and professional development.

Despite what you might believe, being open to information that contradicts your existing beliefs is a good thing.

It expands your knowledge and understanding of the world around you.

It’s also the only way to continuously learn and grow.

Plus, debating others and researching new angles further boost your critical thinking skills.

The result?

A much more fulfilling life.

7) They are perfectionists

Finally, people with high intelligence but low self-awareness often fall victim to perfectionism.

Their intelligence makes them set exceptionally high standards for themselves, so they have a strong desire to excel in all areas of their lives.

You might think this isn’t too bad. After all, what’s wrong with chasing excellence?

As a recovering perfectionist myself, nothing.

But when you feel a sense of pressure to constantly achieve perfection in all endeavors, things are unlikely to work in your favor every time.

I remember stumbling upon a job that seemed perfect for me.

It involved writing about things I was passionate about, flexible hours, and great pay.

The application process involved a cover letter, and I agonized over it for days.

I wrote. I rewrote. I asked my friends for input. I proofread until my eyes bled.  

When I finally deemed it worthy, I noticed that the application window for the job had closed.

Moral of the story? Occasionally, done is better than perfect.

Oh, and perfectionism leads to burnout.

When you strive to master everything, you burn through your internal resources at record speed.

Without energy, you become a master of none.   

Bottom line

If you recognize yourself in the points above, it’s never too late to make adjustments.

Understanding yourself is a lifelong pursuit, so buckle up!

Start with self-reflection and devise a self-development plan that will help you fulfill your true potential.

You’ve got the brains for it, after all.