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Intelligent people’s minds work much differently than everyone else’s. They tend to have different habits, different routines, and even different preferences.

To the outside looking in, an intelligent person may even seem a bit weird. Especially when it comes down to the fact that most intelligent people prefer to spend a good bit of time alone, people tend to get uncomfortable with that. As an introvert, I have noticed throughout my life that when you spend a lot of time (comfortably) alone, people either think you are a recluse or anti-social.

When it comes to why intelligent people prefer and need more time alone, there are some good reasons behind it.

1. They use solitude to explore their creative side.

Curiosity and intelligence go hand and hand. Intelligent people tend to take time to spend on creative endeavors, putting their efforts into making things or learning how to create something.

2. They need time alone to rejuvenate their mind.

It’s not that intelligent people don’t value time with others, because they do. However, they also value their time alone, because they need it to rejuvenate and bounce back after time with others. Because their mind is always on overdrive, they can easily get stimulated.

3. Highly-intelligent people don’t mind being different.

A lot of people don’t want to be perceived as weird, strange, or different, but the intelligent person doesn’t mind at all. They know that being different or weird is a good thing. Even if others don’t see it that way, that’s okay too.

4. They know that time to themselves helps them value others more.

When we spend all of our time with others, it can become draining. In turn, we may begin to dread our time with precious loved ones and friends, because it’s not normal for people to spend all of their time together. We need time alone too. During those moments away, we have time to miss others and truly value them.

5. They don’t require social validation.

Intelligent people don’t require validation from others. They are pretty confident from within, and even if they aren’t always confident, they know that waiting around for others to validate them is a waste of time.

6. They spend a lot of time learning new things.

Highly-intelligent people are always learning new things. They enjoy being a student of life, and never run out of things they want to learn about. Because of this, they can often be found by themselves reading a book or watching tutorials on how to do new things.

7. They keep their circle small.

Intelligent people value the people closest to them. They don’t care too much about having 100 decent friends, but instead, are far more focused on having a few close friends.

8. They don’t fear missing out.

Psychology Today posted a very interesting article about the fear of missing out (FOMO.) In this article, they explain the feeling people get when they feel like they are missing out on something by not being around others. Intelligent people know that when they miss a social event, that’s okay. There will be others, and if they do miss the event, it’s because they had something else important to do.

9. They avoid drama.

Intelligent people do not have time for drama. They don’t want to be anywhere around it and will avoid it at all costs. In a lot of cases, big social gatherings tend to have at least a little drama, and while that is okay sometimes, intelligent people would rather steer clear of it.

10. They tend to keep odd hours.

And, researchers have found that intelligent people tend to be night owls. Most people thrive during the day, so when your hours are the opposite, it can be hard to work around the schedules of others.