Have you ever been to a party and run into someone new, only to immediately think that they have above-average intelligence? They probably didn’t begin to explain the theory of relativity or delve into the differences between Keynesian and Austrian economics, but you knew that they were very intelligent. What was it that made you realize they were incredibly smart? It was probably the attitude they had about learning new information and the care they took in ensuring that, while in conversation, their answers were thoughtful and they didn’t just talk to hear themselves talk. There was probably something very intentional about how they approached the conversation. A Redditor asked the ProductivityCafe subforum, “What’s a subtle sign that someone is very intelligent?” and people shared the characteristics they believe highly intelligent individuals possess. Ultimately, the commenters believe that highly intelligent individuals are curious, exhibit great cognitive flexibility, and have no problem admitting when they don’t know something. Here are 15 ‘subtle’ signs that someone is very intelligent 1. They admit when they don’t know something “They’re perfectly happy to admit when they don’t know something. They see it as an opportunity to learn more and not as socially embarrassing.” “To brag a lot and toot my own horn, I’m an engineer at NASA. There is little to no pride in knowing things from my peers. We all genuinely enjoy learning and are often happy to be proven wrong. And everyone in our group can explain complex things elegantly and simply. I hope I do both of those things, and strive to.” 2. They make things easy to understand “They can explain complicated things in a way that breaks it down and makes it easy to understand for those not ‘in-the-know.'” One of the clearest signs of intelligence: How many words it takes you to say something. pic.twitter.com/3CjYeQotn3— Codie Sanchez (@Codie_Sanchez) June 24, 2026 “This is probably the best answer. If you can explain physics, math, interpersonal tumult in a way that a younger person can understand, that’s true intelligence. Passing of knowledge without condescension is my goal at least.” 3. They know what they don’t know “I work with some legitimately brilliant doctors. They will ALWAYS defer to another specialist’s opinion on an area that isn’t their specialty, often saying they’ll refer to someone smarter than them. The more someone knows, the more they realise how much they don’t know.” 4. They are open-minded “And will change their opinion when presented with new information. Stupid people just double down.” “A wise person has more questions than they have answers.” Opinions should be based on facts, not ego 5. They follow the data “An intelligent person will not box themselves into a position they can’t change, because an intelligent person will pivot the moment they realize they’re wrong. A person of lesser intelligence will call that ‘flip-flopping’ but it’s really following the data.” 6. They don’t take sides until they know they are right “This makes me think of something a math professor said to a class I was in, rough paraphrase from memory: ‘You know, grids are a lot like arguments; Sides are for polygons, not arguments. Arguments have no shape, so the only useful reference is what position you’re taking in relation to the argument. Same with grids!’ That guy had so many strangely useful little nuggets like that he’d just lead off with to engage people and help them understand that math is just about numbers and number-rules. He’d argue if you know what to do at all times, math isn’t hard… it’s just complicated.” 7. They’re good listeners “They’re a good listener, and remember what they heard from the speaker. Also, they’re discriminating in who they listen to.” “Discriminating who you listen to is hard when you’re younger, I feel like. I’m only 28, but picking whose opinion I value is so much easier now than it was five years ago.” 8. They’re funny “Not every smart person can be witty, but a witty person is smart for sure.” “I think this point often gets lost. I’ve never met a really funny person who wasn’t also very smart.” 9. It’s all in the eyes “The eyes. There is a special glare when you are speaking or listening to an intelligent person that is just not there when intelligence is lacking.” “I feel like this is what I lack, and people can tell. Can’t show this when you have social anxiety and can’t focus!” Worry about getting it right, not being right 10. They change their minds “Cognitive flexibility. They take nothing as irrefutable and can change their mind when presented with new facts. Clarity and easy comprehension of new information.” “This is the basis for Bayes’ theorem, when presented with new plausible evidence, existence beliefs should be updated.” 11. They ask great questions “They ask amazingly insightful questions.” 12. They have elegant solutions “I really see lots of answers depending on subjective perception and personal experiences with probably smart people… It’s really about their world they live in not yours. There are rarely any common signs among any two smart people. But I’d say the two main hints are they can explain complicated stuff in far simpler terms and they can come up with good solutions to almost any problem they have adequate knowledge about. Being social depends a lot on your youth and how people treated you. Most ‘stupid’ people are threatened by intelligence and bully those who are intelligent.” 13. They can discuss controversial topics without getting riled up “They know how to have a mature, adult conversation when it comes to personal differences with people (as opposed to the usual defensive, denying, and deflective bullsh*t where the person you’re trying to communicate with doesn’t hear a word you say).” “Being able to see both sides of an argument or political issue without having their mind clouded by propaganda or bias. Also, changing their mind about such things when presented with different facts.” 14. They don’t blindly follow a party “When they don’t blindly align with one political party over the other and instead focus on actual issues.” “Yes. And this includes anarchists and libertarians. When will people quit feeling the need to put themselves in a box politically?” 15. They think before they speak “They think before they speak, some of the most intelligent people I’ve known haven’t spoken on impulse, they’ve always thought their words through carefully.” What all 15 of these have in common The common thread running through all 15 of these traits is surprisingly simple: intelligent people are more interested in understanding the world than in being seen as someone who already does. They ask questions, change their minds, admit gaps in their knowledge, and treat conversation as a two-way street rather than a performance. Which might be the most useful takeaway of all — because most of those things can be practiced, regardless of where you fall on any IQ scale. This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated. The post 15 ‘subtle’ signs that someone is incredibly smart appeared first on Upworthy.

Six years ago, one of the most iconic Christmas sketches ever aired on Saturday Night Live. It’s called simply, “Christmas Robe,” and it depicts an average American family excitedly waking up on Christmas morning, running to the tree, and opening their presents. In song form, each member of the family takes turns rapping about their own gift haul: A hat, a drone, a pinball machine… Except for poor mom, played perfectly by Kristen Wiig, who only got a robe, that was 40% off. Things only get worse for Mom as she discovers that her stocking is also empty and she must now go make the family breakfast while everyone plays with their new gifts. If you haven’t seen it, here it is. It’s well worth watching in its entirety: The sketch got a lot of laughs and resonated deeply with people who watched it, especially moms. Why the sketch hit so many people so hard It’s no big secret that moms are the primary makers of Christmas magic in most Western families. While they get joy out of making the holidays special for their families, it’s a lot of exhausting work, made worse when it goes unnoticed and unappreciated. It’s implied, of course, that Kristen Wiig’s character bought everyone their presents while no one in the family bothered to think of her at all. Jessica Cushman Johnston writes for Motherly: “[Making Christmas magic] is not something my husband or my kids put on me, it’s my own deal. It’s also a tinsel-covered baton handed down from generation to generation of women. As a kid, I just thought the warm fuzzy feelings I felt on Christmas morning ‘happened.’ Now I know that the magic happens because someone is working hard, and now that someone is me.” Kristen Wiig’s character beautifully says it all with the dead-inside expression as she feigns excitement over her lonely robe. In just two and a half minutes, the cast and writers managed to capture a frustrating feeling that millions of women relate to. The sketch spawned discussions, think pieces, and even parodies when it aired in 2020. Real moms took to social media to “show off” their own robes in an act of solidarity. The sketch had, one could say, a moment. And then, quietly, it retired and took its place in the SNL holiday hall of fame, destined to be re-watched for years to come. View this post on Instagram And then something funny happened. People kept tuning in. The skit continued to reach new viewers, and somewhere along the line, a few people actually learned something from the extremely silly sketch. People say it actually changed their behavior Saturday Night Live‘s YouTube and social media are full of comments from viewers who say the sketch opened their eyes in a very real way. And even better, that they’re changing their behavior because of it: “As a retail worker, I actually heard multiple people reference this sketch while buying presents for their wife/mom this year. Thanks SNL!” “This skit changed Christmas in our house. The year it aired my husband made sure I didn’t get a robe and since this aired (okay, two Christmases have gone by) it’s a joy to see boxes under the tree and a full stocking- now in our house when I’m forgotten my husband says, “you got a robe” and adjusts the situation. Never thought a skit could change my life.” “I just saw this first time. I’m definitely going to buy better present next Christmas to my mom.” View this post on Instagram “A few years ago, I got a robe. This year, I got a new iPad plus all the accessories. SNL doing all the moms a solid.” “As a grown man, this skit is the first time I’ve realized how true this is. And now I feel so damn awful Gonna bombard moms with the presents this year” “Seriously! I got a bunch more stuff for my mom after seeing this! It’s so accurate. No more robes for mom!” “I was laughing at this, then realized my mom’s stocking was empty and ran out and bought her a truckload of stuff. Love you Mom!” “Thanks, SNL. After watching this with the family, I had the most bountiful Christmas ever!! And the gifts were wrapped instead of left in the bags the came in.” “This video did more to stimulate spending on Moms this year than almost anything else, guaranteed. Look at SNL actually making a difference with their humor” The comments go on and on, with the video now reaching over 12 million views. Some moms changed their behavior, too, after seeing the sketch. “This is spot on, and exactly why I now buy myself Christmas presents, without feeling guilty about it.” The trouble of moms unfairly shouldering too much labor around the holidays (and, well, most other times of the year) is not a new problem. Not by a long shot. So why has this skit reached people when other forms of messaging have failed to sway them? So why does satire work when nothing else does? Marie Nicola, a pop culture historian and cultural analyst, says that neither deeply serious essays nor the usual “mom is complaining again” dismissals can do what satire easily addresses. That’s the power of comedy at its best. “It allows the audience see what was historically unseen or ignored, and it validates the labour as visible and concrete, without being accusatory because it wraps the whole thing up in camp comedy and exaggeration. The skit makes it safe to laugh. This is what psychologists call benign violation,” she says. “SNL is showing viewers that something is wrong but they have made it safe enough that people can laugh at it instead of feeling attacked. Once the defenses drop, then recognition can flow through that opening.” The Humor Research Lab writes that humor occurs when an accepted “norm” is violated in a benign way, that’s the benign violation Nicola’s referring to. “Jokes … fail to be funny when either they are too tame or too risqué.” The best pieces of satire, the ones that reach the highest levels of cultural relevance, thread that needle perfectly. The norm, in this case, according to Nicola, is that it is “a privilege to curate the perfect holiday experience for the family, the gift is the joy in the moment and their memories for years to come.” We’re not allowed to talk about the dejection and exhaustion that come from all that hard work. This sketch gave a lot of people permission for the first time to do so. It’s not the first time that SNL’s comedy and satire have had a palpable effect on how we view the world. SNL has always had this kind of power Once SNL performed the “More Cowbell” sketch, none of us could look at the bizarrely overproduced “Don’t Fear the Reaper” the same way again. An old Eddie Murphy sketch got a lot of laughs out of the idea of “white privilege” long before it became a commonly known concept. And people had a hard time taking Sarah Palin seriously after Tina Fey’s spot-on yet over-the-top impersonation, with studies later investigating the “Tina Fey Effect’s” impact on the election. And now, the more than 12 million people who have seen “Christmas Robe” are going to have a hard time looking at Mom’s empty stocking without being reminded of Kristen Wiig’s pitch-perfect performance. Of course, “Christmas Robe” continues to land and connect with viewers today in part because it has not solved the problem of household inequities. The phenomenon continues to exist in spades. But the fact that it’s made even a small dent is pretty remarkable for a two-and-a-half-minute parody rap song. This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated. The post People share how this iconic, 5-year-old SNL Christmas sketch ‘changed’ their holidays forever appeared first on Upworthy.

One of the strangest things about highly intelligent people is that they are very aware of what they don’t know. The psychological phenomenon known as the Dunning-Kruger effect suggests that the more intelligent someone is, the more they fixate on their perceived gaps in intelligence, leading them to underestimate themselves. Conversely, those who aren’t very intelligent overestimate their knowledge on a subject. The great mind might be more preoccupied with the gaps in its knowledge than the smaller mind that thinks it knows everything. How can someone see if they have a great mind? Philosophy expert Julian de Medeiros says it all goes back to Aristotle’s “rule of thumb.” De Medeiros writes a Substack on philosophy and has over 1.4 million followers on TikTok, where he analyzes the mysteries of love, intelligence, and friendship. How to know you are brilliant @julianphilosophy Simple theory about intelligence #intelligent #intelligence #smart #genius #creative #power ♬ original sound – Julian de Medeiros “Here’s a simple sign that you are intelligent, that you have a great mind, and it’s a simple theory, a rule of thumb, that goes back to an observation by the philosopher Aristotle, who once wrote: ‘No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness,’” de Medeiros says. “By which he meant that there’s a fine line indeed between being a genius and being a madman.” Schopenhauer on what makes a genius “As the philosopher Schopenhauer once wrote: ‘Talent is when you can hit a target no one else can hit. Genius is when you can hit a target no one else can see,” de Medeiros continued. “Now to have a great mind, therefore, means that you can see and think things that other people can’t. But this puts you on a kind of border where there’s a liminal line between what is real and what is not. Your mind is a double-edged sword, both a blessing and a curse, and that very intelligent people can also fall off the edge into the abyss.” Aristotle lived more than 2,300 years ago, when our knowledge of mental and physical health was a fraction of what we know now. But, interestingly, he was correct in believing that highly intelligent people may face greater psychological struggles than those of normal intelligence. The science backs up what Aristotle noticed A study in the academic journal Intelligence surveyed Mensa members and found that highly intelligent people are 20% more likely to receive an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. They are also 80% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD, and 182% more likely to have a mood disorder. Why is it that highly intelligent people are more likely to suffer from mental disorders? A study by the Hanely Center found that it may be caused by psychological excitability. Highly intelligent people are known to fixate on things. This can be a big help when you are problem-solving at work, but it can become a problem when you become preoccupied with a comment from your boss or a social interaction that you can’t stop playing over and over in your head. There is a funny way that life always seems to balance things out. You can either be unintelligent and think you know everything, or be brilliant and focused on everything you don’t know. It shows that, with respect to intelligence, having a psychological understanding of yourself is one of the keys to living a healthy and happy life. Or, as Aristotle once put it: “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated. The post Philosophy expert shares Aristotle’s simple way to know if you have a ‘great mind’ appeared first on Upworthy.

Our planet is starting to shake like crazy, and a lot of people out there are really beginning to freak out. On Wednesday alone, California was hit by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake, Japan was hit by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, and Venezuela was hit by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake and a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. The second quake was the most powerful quake that Venezuela has experienced in more than a century. Dozens of aftershocks have already been recorded, and there is no way to count the number of structures that have collapsed. So much damage has been done that the situation on the ground is being compared to a “horror movie”, and it is being reported that tens of thousands of people are potentially missing… Over 188 people have been reported dead and as many as 41,000 are missing following the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday, according to government and USGS counts. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the south American country around 160 km (100 miles) west of Caracas, and less than a minute one with a magnitude of 7.5 followed, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), which estimated total deaths to be in the thousands. Hundreds of people in Venezuela were trapped under rubble and many more still unaccounted for on Thursday after two powerful earthquakes wreaked havoc in and around the capital Caracas, setting off powerful aftershocks and leaving thousands homeless. The official death toll will inevitably go much higher as more dead bodies are pulled out of the rubble. And Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez is telling us that the initial figures that have been released do not even include the coastal state of Venezuela that was hit the hardest… In an early update on June 25, acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez warned that the death toll is expected to climb as rescuers continue searching through the rubble. She noted that initial figures do not include casualties from La Guaira, a coastal state in northern Venezuela that was hit the hardest by the powerful tremors. “Dozens of buildings have collapsed, and we are currently carrying out very intense rescue efforts to save as many lives as God allows us to save,” she said in an appearance on state television just before 1 a.m. local time. So many precious people are trapped under the rubble right now. Venezuela normally does not experience such powerful earthquakes, and most of the buildings are not built to withstand this kind of shaking. One man that actually lives in La Guaira told AFP that he was extremely fortunate to escape the building that he lived in just before it collapsed… La Guaira resident Antonio Bermudez told the AFP news agency that the shaking began “all of a sudden.” He was in his living room, he said, but escaped his building before it collapsed. “I started to move, I looked for shelter under a column. I was between my room and the shower. It shook harder and harder,” Bermudez sid. “I held onto the wall and the building started to come down.” It is going to take Venezuela a very long time to recover from this. Shortly after the twin quakes, the USGS projected that the final death toll will likely exceed 10,000 victims… The U.S. Geological Survey, using predictive modeling to estimate the death toll, said it would most likely run into the thousands, with a substantial probability of exceeding 10,000. Sadly, this is our new normal. “Billion dollar disasters” are happening in rapid fire fashion, and so historic events that happened just a few weeks ago are quickly forgotten. For instance, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines earlier this month was so powerful that it permanently changed the geography of the coastline… Arsenio Butil Jr. fell to his knees and began to pray when last week’s deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake began shaking his home on the coast of the southern Philippines. When he opened his eyes, he saw a once-familiar shoreline changing in real time, with swaths of previously submerged coral suddenly pushing above the waterline. The June 8 quake, driven by a shifting of the nearby Cotabato Trench, toppled buildings, triggered landslides and killed at least 76 people on the southern island of Mindanao. The tectonic forces at work also thrust chunks of the island’s coastline upward in a phenomenon known as “coastal uplift,” leaving stretches of shore unrecognizable to families who have spent their whole lives there. How many of you were still thinking about this disaster before I just mentioned it? Vast stretches of Mindanao’s coastline are now radically different, but we treat it like it isn’t that big of a deal. We have become numb to all the craziness that is happening all around us, and the truth is that far worse is ahead. Revelation chapter 6 describes a great earthquake that will be unlike anything that humanity has ever witnessed before… 12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? This is what our future is going to look like. We are going to experience apocalyptic seismic events that will alter entire continents. So yes, what we are witnessing right now is certainly quite dramatic. But these earthquakes are not even worth comparing to what is eventually coming. Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com. About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today. The post The Enormous Earthquakes That We Are Experiencing Now Are Nothing Compared To What Is In Our Future appeared first on End Of The American Dream.

from The People’s Voice: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

by Paul Craig Roberts, Paul Craig Roberts: Dear Readers, our politicians don’t rile us up against “foreign enemies,” Russians, Iranians, Chinese, and “Muslim terrorists”–Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Gadaffi in Libya, Assad in Syria, and whoever the invented “terrorists” were in Somalia– only in order to make money at our expense […]