6 Signs of a Truly Deep Thinker, According to Science

Have you ever wondered what sets deep thinkers apart from the rest of the crowd?

From a personality perspective, you might assume they are a Thinker in the Myers and Briggs system (the clue is in the name), or that they're introverted, introspective and highly reflective—the type of person who lives inside their own head.

While these traits may be true for some people, any personality type can be a deep thinker. But they are likely to have several traits and behaviors in common that go beyond their personality type.

We’ll take a look at some of these traits and see what some thinkers have to say on the subject. But first, a little about what it means to be a deep thinker.

What is a deep thinker?

Deep thinking is not about gathering data; it's about what you do with that data. Specifically, it is the time and effort you’re either wired or trained to put into the mental process of thinking beneath the surface of things.

Just as swimmers swim and writers write, thinkers think. If you’re a deep thinker, you probably have that basic tendency burned into your personality. You like and need to think deeply, to analyze and make connections, and to question your conclusions until they make sense. According to the author, professor and TV show host Dr. Jamie Schwandt, deep thinking is thinking about thinking; "It refers to the ability of the mind to stand back and watch itself in action.”

Another way to look at deep thinking is through a "system 1 and system 2" lens. Sometimes known as the dual process model, and popularized by Daniel Kahneman in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, this theory says that humans have two distinct thought processes. System 1 is subconscious, fast and intuitive thinking, while system 2 is conscious, analytical and deliberate thinking.

Deep thinking falls into the realm of system 2. But we need both, depending on the requirements of the situation.

When system 1 is in play, you operate on gut feelings. With system 2, you check those gut feelings to make sure they stand up to scrutiny. It is a conscious and intentional type of thinking, and requires significant mental effort, focus and concentration.

Now we know what deep thinking is, the next question is, who is likely to be a deep thinker? Let’s look at some signs of a deep thinker.

6 signs of a truly deep thinker

1. They’re creative.

While intellectual activity and artistic work don't seem to have much in common, both require deep thinking. Whether you're generating business ideas or painting a picture, you need to form novel connections from the information and experiences you already have, to create something new.

Thinkers like Leonardo da Vinci and Albert Einstein operated in very different fields, but were both highly creative.

According to William Byers, in the book Deep Thinking: What Mathematics Can Teach us About the Mind, deep thinking is not merely systematic or rational thinking. It goes beyond, to something more creative, abstract and non-sequential. “One way to get a feeling for what is being discussed would be to substitute the word “creative” for “deep” because deep thinking is the way the mind is used in creative work. Creative thinking is not strictly rational but neither is it irrational. … deep thinking is the natural condition of the mind even if this state is difficult for most people to actualize,” he writes.

2. They don't accept things at face value

If you aren’t quick to believe the established view of a subject, or even your own first impressions, you’re probably a deep thinker. While some will accept what they’re told, especially by so-called experts, deep thinkers aren’t as easily convinced. They question everything until they have enough evidence to draw a well-considered conclusion.

Deep thinkers are less interested in the surface of things, whether it’s the accepted wisdom or their own initial reactions. They want to probe deeper, discover more, and they are more interested in what’s going on inside than on what’s visible on the outside. 

A shallow thinker may get satisfaction in showing off their shiny car. A deep thinker would rather examine a shiny idea to see if it still shines after closer inspection, or a seemingly dull idea to see if they can make it shine.

3. They can see the other side

Although they may feel strongly about which side of an issue they’re on, deep thinkers are more willing than the average person to see the other side of the argument. They often have a strong sense of empathy and can relate to how other people feel and think, even when they don't agree with them. 

There’s an innate fairness and open-mindedness in this process. It doesn’t mean that a deep thinker is wishy-washy or doesn’t hold strong opinions. It just means that they have the honesty to see other, potentially valid, viewpoints. This takes time and a degree of humility, but deep thinkers are more interested in giving an issue or situation fair consideration than with always being right.

4. They ask a lot of questions

Remember when you were three and your favorite word was “why?” If you’re a deep thinker, you probably never grew out of that. You question everything, possibly exhausting your conversation partner with follow-up questions or inundating your doctor with a dozen questions you’ve already done research on. 

Whatever the situation, and whatever the source of the information, you always want to know more. And you want to know the reasoning behind the answers. Then you want to know how all of this connects with other things you already know or may not yet know.  

5. They’re well-read

Though deep thinkers like to generate new ideas or come to conclusions for themselves, they welcome knowledge of all kinds from a variety of sources. They may not accept everything they read, but they do want to know what’s out there, and will read across a wide base of knowledge, opinions, human experience and even fictional creations as a starting point to feed and enrich their own thinking.

Deep thinkers will often read with a dictionary or an encyclopedia nearby, so they can look up a word, historical period or obscure detail to broaden their information on the subject beyond what they initially read. So, in this way, reading begets more reading which begets more and deeper thinking.

According to an article in Psych Mechanics, “children who are exposed to books at an early age are likely to grow up to be thinkers. Reading engages your mind more and allows you to stop and reflect on what you’re learning in a way other formats don’t.”

6. They’re loners

If you seldom spend time alone, you won’t have the ability to really think deeply, which requires time and quiet. But it’s interesting that another part of being a deep thinker is that you need more time to process and recover from all that deep thought, which is a basic trait of an introvert.

This is especially true for deep thinkers who may have sensory processing sensitivity, which means they take in more environmental information and stimuli than the average person. Empaths, for example, can use these environmental inputs to help them be deep thinkers, but it leaves them exhausted.

Besides needing down time for recovery, deep thinkers use their rest periods to marinate and solidify those deep thoughts. So, when deep thinkers spend time alone seemingly daydreaming or zoning out, they’re really making the deep thinking they do possible and productive.

Final words

To state the obvious, deep thinkers think deeply. They’re not happy to just skim the surface or accept whatever common knowledge they’re handed. They like to ponder, read, analyze, question, make connections and ponder some more. 

Many deep thinkers come by it naturally, and they share some basic traits in common. If you’d like to make thinking deeply a part of who you are, but you don’t have most of these natural traits already, you can deepen your thinking abilities with practice. Read, create, write, question, and get to know yourself deeply. It may be hard work at times but it will definitely pay off in the end.