"12 Genuine Signs of Intelligence You Can't Fake"

Here's a video with a clickbait-y headline:

The 12 signs of intelligence are:

1. insatiable curiosity: being interested in learning new things
2. open-mindedness: seeing issues from multiple perspectives & exploring new concepts
3. being the silent type: observing and pondering before acting or speaking
4. high adaptability: facing twists and challenges & bouncing back from adversity
5. strong self-control: not making rash decisions or reacting emotionally to stress
6. ability to acknowledge faults: being honest with oneself
7. a knack for wit: possessing humor and intelligence, which are correlated
8. high creativity: thinking outside the box, being innovative, and solving problems
9. strong self-identity: possessing realistic self-knowledge & awareness of wants and goals
10. having a variety of interests: working on several projects & self-improvement
11. preference for solitude: needing time to recharge, plan, and reflect
12. sensitivity to others' feelings: having emotional intelligence or empathy

I don't think I measure up, given the above traits. I think I used to be insatiably curious, but a lot of that has died down. I do still go down rabbit holes, especially with the internet so close at hand, and I am occasionally brought up short by sudden questions that pop into my head and have to be answered now, but this all happens less frequently these days. As for open-mindedness... I try to be tolerant and open-minded, but that, too, has gotten more difficult, especially when I'm faced with more and more people who hold intolerant points of view. 

Silent type? OK, that's definitely me; I'm never the life of the party, not even when I'm the one hosting an event. As for adaptability, yeah, I can be fairly flexible and adaptable, although I am prone to bitching and moaning, especially when I think something doesn't make sense. Self-control? Certainly not when it comes to food, although in other arenas, I can be pretty disciplined. Ability to acknowledge faults? Well, let's just say I'm still working on that. I have an ego, and it's hard to keep it in check sometimes. 

I'm not sure I have a "knack for wit," per se; I like to write, and God knows I used to try my hand at humorous stuff, whether writing or drawing, but do I have a knack for wit? Only others can judge that because I can't do so objectively. 

When it comes to creativity, I guess I can be creative, although my brain doesn't seem to be on fire nearly as often as it used to. I'm drying up, literally and figuratively. Do I have a strong sense of self-identity? Almost definitely. A variety of interests? Check. I'm interested in a lot of things, and I do have several projects that I'm working on.

As for a preference for solitude: absolutely. Introvert all the way, baby. I have a few friends, but in general, I see the need for the company of others as a weakness. Here in Korea, whenever I do a long walk, Koreans inevitably ask whether I'm walking alone: they simply can't imagine someone ever undertaking a cross-country walk without a friend. Korean culture is group-first; Koreans constantly use the adverbs 같이/katchi and 함께/hamggae (both of which mean "together") when proposing an activity: "Let's do X together!" I can't stand that. So, yes: a strong preference for solitude. 

And that last thing—sensitivity to others' feelings? Well, I can say I'm better than my American coworker when it comes to reading people; he's clueless, constantly babbling on and on about shit I'm not interested in, and never taking a hint when I give him no eye contact and offer nothing but grunts and monosyllables in response to his nonstop lecturing about dull trivia. I, at least, know when to shut up if I see signs I've gone on too long. Some people are too fucking stupid to know when to close their damn mouths. As for being empathetic... I can be, on occasion, but I'm often not, I have to admit (witness my recent tasteless joke about Shinzo Abe being holier than thou). That's me: the long, loud fart in a church.

So all in all, I think that, if the above traits are correlated with high intelligence, then I fall short in too many ways to be among the smarties. What can I say? I'm just a regular Joe leading a nondescript life in my partitioned work station, laboring in obscurity and destined for mediocrity, not making any huge discoveries or writing any bestsellers.

But enough about me. How do you stack up?