Personalised HIP screening
A first step towards deciding whether the possibility of High Intellectual Potential merits further exploration.
Take the screening test →Giftedness · 10 signs
10 signs that may suggest giftedness
An expansive mind, intense curiosity, creativity, feeling different or heightened sensitivity can naturally lead you to wonder whether you are gifted. The video and the list below cover the same 10 signs, in the same order.
Video in French. The article below is available in English.
The video covers the same 10 signs, in the same order as the list below.
10 signs of giftedness
None of these signs, alone or even together, establishes High Intellectual Potential. They can, however, provide useful clues when they are part of a lasting overall pattern of functioning.
What can answer the question of HIP?
High Intellectual Potential cannot be established from a checklist of characteristics. When there is a meaningful question, screening can help determine whether the possibility deserves further exploration; a psychometric assessment can then evaluate cognitive functioning in a structured way.
1) Branching thought: The many neural connections in gifted people are reflected in a branching way of thinking: one idea leads to another, then another, and another. This neurodivergent way of thinking is particularly creative.
2) Emotional sensitivity: Gifted people often have a heightened emotional sensitivity. Some are even highly sensitive.
3) Empathy: Gifted people can often recognise what others are feeling, share those feelings and act accordingly. They are often very empathic.
4) A sense of justice: Gifted people are often particularly sensitive to injustice.
5) Heightened sensory sensitivity: Sensory sensitivity can be so intense that it reaches the level of hyperaesthesia, an unusually strong sensitivity to sensory stimulation.
6) Perfectionism: In at least one area of their lives, many gifted people try to do things perfectly. Their perfectionism can go hand in hand with difficulty accepting and coping with failure.
7) Creativity: Gifted people often have creativity, inventiveness and/or a rich imagination.
8) Feeling different: The experience of feeling different from most other people their age can lead some gifted people to seek the company of older people.
9) Intuitive thinking: Well-developed intuitive thinking is one of the foundations of emotional intelligence at a high level.
10) Curiosity: Gifted people often have a strong intellectual curiosity, accompanied by an ongoing need for discovery and change.
Do you recognise yourself in several of these signs?
If questions about giftedness keep coming back, personalised screening can help you determine whether the possibility of HIP deserves further exploration.
Explore further
Depending on your question, you can start with screening or choose a more in-depth exploration straight away.
More articles about giftedness
The best books about giftedness
Reading can help you learn more about giftedness and make better use of the abilities it brings.
What are the 10 signs that you might be gifted?
Discover 10 key signs of giftedness. Every gifted person is unique, and few have all 10 characteristics!
Do you have HIP or HEP?
Do you identify more with High Intellectual Potential or High Emotional Potential?
Branching thought
Branching thought is a network-like way of thinking: each idea gives rise to several others, which in turn lead to more ideas.
Giftedness or Asperger Syndrome?
Do you identify more with the characteristics of a gifted person or those of a person with Asperger Syndrome?
Are you a gifted woman?
Bright, passionate and different, gifted women often hide the qualities that make them distinctive.
