How To Know a Person with Low Intelligence: Industrial Revolution, Economic, and technological advancements have constrained diligence and intelligence as top priorities in employing a person at a workplace. Intelligence is also well cherished in Schools, our day to day conversation and sharing of ideas as audience and reception is accorded more to a very intelligent person. Likewise, in the same vein most people are irked while conversing with a person of low intelligence, but the question is ‘Who is a person of Low Intelligence?’
A person of Low Intelligence can be referred to as a person lacking understanding, common sense, the comprehension of a thing, and the ability to communicate properly. Alternatively, by the Intelligence Quotient test otherwise known as IQ test which is the measurement of human intelligence and mental abilities derived from standardized tests, a person with an IQ of 80 or below is a person of Low intelligence.
It is instructive to note that this article is not concerned about examining people of Low intelligence based on either their IQ, Mental deficiencies, abnormalities, learning or intellectual disabilities. But we are concerned with how to identify a normal healthy adult with a Low level of intelligence. Hence, making it imperative for us to sequentially highlight ten (10) signs of identifying a person of Low intelligence.
10 Signs of A Low Intelligent Person
1. Lack of Curiosity: Based on recent findings, curiosity is closely related to intelligence. Hence, highly intelligent people are curious to know, read, question beliefs, ask questions, and learn new things.
According to a study by Von Stuman published in the Journal perspectives on psychological science “Students who are curious perform best at school and it is also a very important quality employers look out for as it is far more interesting to identify those people who have the greatest potential for development. I.e. the curious ones.” In addition, Albert Einstein once said “I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious”.
The above best explains how people of high intelligence are so curious. However, the reverse is the case with people of Low intelligence. Thus, when you see a person who is not curious to know, is content with the very little they knows, and is Closed minded towards learning basic things; such a person is a person of Low intelligence.
2. Closed Mindedness: As stated above people of Low intelligence are usually close minded. A person is said to be close minded when he or she is not willing to receive or consider different ideas or opinions from other people. Such person thinks he or she knows it all and as such is rigid, narrow-minded, and intolerant of the opinion of others.
3. Intolerance: Intolerance is another sign of Low intelligence. That is to say that people of Low intelligence are usually not tolerant. For clarity, tolerance refers to the ability or capacity to endure or tolerate the actions of others or their diverging opinions or views.
People of low intelligence are recognizable through their evident lack of tolerance, as they are generally indifferent to changes, diverging opinions, and are generally inflexible, easily irritated, and unable to accommodate other people.
4. Critical thinking: A person of Low intelligence is usually not willing to learn nor receptive of other people’s ideas. Yet they cannot use their own mind to think properly or crave out a solution to a problem.
According to Anayo-E.T “If you don’t think, you will sink.” This quote is well applicable in our normal life parlance as people who fail to think or express critical thinking in situations tend to sink backwards in their level of Intelligence. Hence, making it an easy sign to identify a person of Low intelligence.
5. Empathy: Empathy can be best defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It is a major sign of Emotional intelligence. Hence, people of low intelligence can be easily signaled by their lack of empathy which is a sign of intelligence.
6. Decision Making: Decision making is the process of making decisions, choosing from alternative options, and determining a situation.
While as humans we are often prone to making mistakes, people of low intelligence can be signaled by their numerous mistakes and poor decision making. Studies have further shown that intelligent people who have emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and open mindedness make the best decision. However, as expatiated in this article, a person of Low intelligence is deficient in these features and as result is a poor decision maker.
Thus, a person who is constantly on the wrong side of a decision making process can be easily identified as a person of Low intelligence.
7. Lack of self-control: Self-control refers to the ability of a person to control themselves, emotions, and desire. Self-control is linked with intelligence, as Ms. Jackson pointed out “Having self-control is a sign of intelligence because it means that you are likely to think before you speak or act”.
Hence, highly intelligent people usually have self-control, but the reverse is the case for lowly intelligent people, and this can be identified through their actions and behavioural patterns.
8. Poor Inter-personal skills: Another way of recognizing a lowly intelligent person is through their deficiency of inter-personal skills.
Inter-personal skills are the social or behavioural patterns which a person uses to effectively interact with other people. These social skills include: Empathy, Emotional intelligence, Good communication, and Active listening. A person of low intelligence can be easily identified through their lack of all these social skills.
9. Active listening: Active listening is the act of carefully listening to another person and responding in a way which improves mutual understanding. Active listening may also be referred to as the form of listening which keeps you engaged in a conversation with another person.
Active listening can therefore be deduced as a form of Inter-personal skills and a sign of emotional intelligence. People of Low intelligence are usually not active listeners as they don’t always listen with interest, but with intent to respond, to just hear, and not process the information as they are already content with the information they know and are not willing to receive more.
10. Laxity towards Learning: As the saying goes “He who doesn’t know, and know that he does not know, and yet doesn’t want to know is a fool.” A person of low intelligence can be characterized as a fool in this context. This is because he or she often doesn’t know, yet they are not willing to know due to their pompous attitude and laxity towards learning.
Laxity towards learning is therefore another sign idiosyncratic to a person of Low Intelligence.
In conclusion, while there are other signs of identifying a person of Low intelligence, these aforementioned ten (10) in this article are the most conspicuous signs.
