Are You a Wise Person?

Have you ever considered yourself a “wise” person? My first reaction to that question is a firm no—unless we’re talking about adding a certain three letter word to the end of it! But seriously, what about you? Do you think you’re wise?

Wisdom doesn’t have a minimum age. An 80-year-old can be wise, but so can an eight-year-old. A recent study out of the University of Waterloo in Canada explored what it means to be wise and pinpointed the key traits that make someone wise.

The researchers surveyed people from 12 countries across five continents and found striking consistency in their answers. They identified two main qualities that define wisdom: “reflective orientation” and “socio-emotional awareness.” (And yes, if you’re scratching your head like I did, wondering what that means, you’re not alone!)

“Reflective orientation” is about your ability to think logically, keep your emotions in check, reflect on experiences, and apply your knowledge effectively.

“Socio-emotional awareness,” on the other hand, is about caring for others’ feelings, having good intentions, and being mindful of how you interact with people in social situations.

Interestingly, most people in the study admitted they don’t consider themselves very wise—and let’s be real, that’s probably accurate for most of us.