1. 聪明人花费大量时间学习各种知识。

Being intelligent is high maintenance. Among other factors it is also something that is acquired and involves hard work. An intelligent person is able to talk about just about anything because he reads and learns about everything under the sun.

聪明需要高强度的维护。诸多造就聪明人的因素中，努力不可或缺，且贯穿始终。一个聪明人能就任何话题侃侃而谈，那是因为他阅读、学习了世上各种知识。

2. 聪明人更精通因特网。

An online survey showed that more than three-quarters of people who undertook the survey believe that the Internet makes people smart. This idea stems from the fact that Internet dispenses¹ knowledge impartially² and has also improved reading and writing.

四分之三参与网络调查的人都认为因特网能让人变聪明，因为它能无偏见地传播知识，还能提高读写能力。

3. 他们更能熬夜。

Sleep researchers tend to divide people into two groups, based on whether they exhibit "morningness" or "eveningness." A recent study claims that eveningness is an evolutionary³ advancement⁴ that marks out "more intelligent individuals."

睡眠研究者倾向于依人们的表现把人分成两类：“清晨型”和“夜晚型”。最近一份研究表明“夜晚型”在进化上是一种高级形式，能标记出“更为聪明的个体”。

4. 聪明人更少使用电子设备，因为能导致信息过量或信息上瘾。

As a study says, infomania is turning out to be a grave problem for adult workers. It is a form of distraction⁵ caused by the constant urge to check mails or text messages and in return makes a person neglect almost everything from family to duties.

研究表明，“信息癖”正成为成年人中的严重问题，其表现形式是随时都有看邮件和手机信息的冲动，由此造成精力分散，忽视从家庭到工作等几乎一切事务。

5. 学习音乐的孩子可能比同龄人更聪明。

As a report suggests, "There is growing evidence that musicians have structurally⁶ and functionally⁷ different brains compared with non-musicians. In particular, the areas of the brain used to process music are larger or more active in musicians. Even just starting to learn a musical instrument can change the neurophysiology of the brain. The brain regions involved in music processing are also required for other tasks, such as memory or language skills."

一份报告指出，越来越多的证据表明音乐家的大脑结构和功能都异于常人，特别是他们大脑中处理音乐的区域面积更大也更活跃。即便是初学一种乐器，也会改变大脑的神经生理功能，而大脑中处理音乐的部位也会在其它任务中发挥作用，如记忆或语言能力。

6. 聪明人与小伙伴们相比更有可能服用消遣药物。

It is in the nature of intellectually sharper people to indulge in evolutionary novel behaviour. Does that mean that it is healthy? You can pick your side but it must be mentioned here that intelligent people do not necessarily indulge in healthy habits.

很自然地，更聪明的人会纵容自己做出革新性的新奇行为。这是健康的吗？你可以持保留意见，但这里必须指出，聪明人并不总是遵循健康的习惯。

7. 聪明人乐于适应，思想开放。

As mentioned in the Encyclopedia⁸ Britannica "For the most part, adaptation involves making a change in oneself in order to cope more effectively with the environment, but it can also mean changing the environment or finding an entirely⁹ new one." Intelligent people are thus, quick to adapt.

正如《大英百科全书》中提到的，“大多数时候，要适应，就必须改变自己以便有效地应对周边环境，但同时它也意味着改变环境或找到一个全新的环境”。聪明人正是如此，迅速适应。

8. 聪明人还出了名的爱怀疑。

Not only the will to adapt, but the resistance to just about anything and everything is one trait of an intelligent mind. Although both these traits might seem to be at loggerheads, smart people have the ability to accommodate both the traits. They only believe when presented with ample facts.

聪明人不但乐于适应，他们还有一个特征是抗拒一切。尽管这两点看似矛盾，聪明人却能二者兼备。他们只相信有大量事实佐证的事。

9. 聪明人有很强的好奇心，不惧发问。

Even the most mundane¹⁰ thing seems fascinating to the intelligent mind. The good news is curiosity is something that can be cultivated.

在聪明的头脑看来，最平凡之物亦具迷人光彩。好消息是好奇心是可以培养的。

10. 聪明人有提出深度问题的特异功能。

Intelligent people ask all the right questions. It just goes to show how fast and well their brain processes and accepts information. It also indicates that they have a working knowledge of a lot of things and are highly observant.

聪明人只问对的问题。从这一点可以看出他们的大脑在处理和接收信息时是多么迅速精准，同时也展现出他们懂得诸多事物的运行规律，且拥有很强的观察能力。

11. 聪明人乐于从错误中学习。

Not for nothing have people stated over and over again that instead of letting your mistakes get to you and make the voice in your head louder, it is fruitful and valuable to learn from them and move on.

人们总是反复强调与其让错误来找你、放大你脑中的声音，更有效果、有价值的做法是从错误中学习，继续前行，这种说法是不无道理的。

12. 聪明人更为足智多谋。

Intelligent people seem to have a working knowledge of just about everything. Resourcefulness is also a sign of evolution.

聪明人好像熟谙一切事物的运行之道，足智多谋也是进化的一个标志。

13. 聪明人能很快接受自己对某个话题或问题的无知。

This is to understand that not knowing something does not make one stupid. Intelligent people see it as an opportunity to learn more about things that they may not be familiar with.

要知道，不懂某种知识，并不会让人愚蠢，聪明人将其看作一个学习不熟知事物的机会。

14. 聪明人的想法以事实而非信仰为基础。

This has more to do with their skepticism. Unless and until they are presented with hard facts, they do not take things on face value.

这一点和他们的怀疑主义有关，除非他们见到了有力的事实依据，否则聪明人不会太当真。

15. 聪明人非常有同情心。

Empathy is a core element of emotional intelligence. Emotionally intelligent are not only interested in learning about experiences of others, they also understand the need and feelings of others very intimately.

同情心是情绪智慧的核心。情商高的人不仅有兴趣学习别人的经验，还能非常贴心地体会到他人的需求和感受。