9 Things You’ll Only
Understand If You’re a Really Observant Person

There are benefits to being an observant person. There are some things in life that only observant people understand or take note of.

You are more aware of your surroundings and so this often means that you are one step ahead of everyone else. It's a special kind of intelligence.

When we think of characters that are known to be observant, I instantly think Sherlock Holmes, especially Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal. But that also brings us to the fact that being so observant can be incredibly overwhelming, both for yourself and those who have to deal with you.

Noticing everything means that you have to choose what to concentrate on and what to filter out.
Not only do you see, you have to respond to the billions of sensory information you pick up.

Note that in this post we go from talking about an observant person's perspective to how their friends might see things.

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1. When Others are Bored But You Aren't Because You Are Soaking Up Your Surroundings

People seem to love distractions. They just love to do everything else but acknowledge the silence of a situation.

For example, at the bus stop people will often be on their phones, playing candy crush to avoid being bored or feeling alone.

In fact most people are on their phone most of the time, just to kill the stillness.
But not highly observant people.

Your Boredom is not theirs, what you consider 'quiet' is their happy place. They use quiet and still circumstances as a chance to be mindful and soak up their surroundings.

If you are a really observant person, you know that this is golden time. An opportunity for you to hone your sense and look at the way people dress and their little mannerisms.

An observant person tends to even make up scenarios in their head, stories involving the people they meet, just to keep their minds active.

It keeps them grounded in the beauty of the moment.

2. When They Judge You, They Are Scarily Accurate

Observant people are great judges of character, although they themselves may sometimes seem out of place in social settings.

When you are with an observant person, you will see that they read you, without even really looking at you.

That's because they have become skillful at it.

They pick up messages from your body language in order to discern what you're really feeling.

An observant person can tell how close you actually are to your friend, by the most basic things such as your Instagram feed and those Facebook replies.

They may even start referring to things about you that you never even told them.

They don't have some secret labyrinth of hidden knowledge - they just listen really carefully to what you say- compared with what you do.

3. They know When You're Lying

Don't even bother telling porkies to anyone, especially a really observant person.

They'll know you're about to lie even before you open your mouth.

Observant people will notice your changes in breathing, your facial expressions and so on, they know the tell-tale signs.

So here's a tip: just tell them all about it.

Because chances are, they already know.

4. Want to Rant? They'll Listen

It's no surprise that observant people are good listeners.

They tend to be keenly interested in what is running thorough your brain, so when you talk you can be sure that they will pay attention (as creepy as that sounds).

Observant people engage their entire body and mind as you speak about whatever's bothering you.
They know the importance of listening in a conversation and won't say a single word until you've finished expressing yourself.

Even then, they won't necessarily tell you all the things you should do. They will likely just give you a hug and be there for you in that moment.

Observant people are highly responsive.

They'll nod, assure you with their eye contact and ask appropriate questions when its right to do so.

Observant people enjoy some of the best relationships because of this. They develop the skills to be highly charismatic and attractive to others, because they learn what others care about.

5. They Store The Most Random, Non-Essential Facts

Peanuts are an ingredient of dynamite.

Yes, a ridiculously observant person seems to know all the facts that no-one actually needs to know in addition to the library of relevant facts.
Whether you have such geeky friends or you are the geeky friend, you'll relate to this.

If you are a really observant person, you may realize that you store many, many random (and detailed) facts that you've collected over the years.

An observant person is often known as a living enclycopedia. You can feel secure in their infinite geeky expressions and remarks.

These are the people that seem to know the answers to most Trivia questions out there, so you'll want to keep them around ;)

By the way, did you know that Bluebirds can't actually see the colour blue?

6. Tendency For Perfectionism

Observant people notice the smallest things that are out of place, so this often means that they strive for perfection in their own lives, and when things aren't done a certain way - they become frustrated.

This is a down side, because they find it hard to just let things slide. Order and organization are paramount to them.

If you are an observant person, this may be a reason that you come across as bossy sometimes.

You want things done to a very specific standard that others don't seem to understand.

Therefore, an observant person usually needs to make some effort not to be too hard on both themselves and others.

On the other side, an observant person may be the most productive member of a team, simply because they believe that when you do something, you should do it properly.

They put their heart and soul into what they achieve.

7. Longer Life Expectancy

To state the obvious, observant people are better drivers.

They are more careful.

The AAA Foundation says that 80% of drivers feel unsafe on the roads because of distractions.

More observant people are more likely to live longer because they perceive dangers ahead of time and are deeply insightful.

They process possible risks and make plans to dodge trouble.

8. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

An observant person will generally repeat actions, a lot.

They will read the same book many times, and experience the thrill of noticing something new each time.

As we noted before, boredom is not a familiar concept to them.
One of the reasons an observant person is so fond of repetition is that they may be afraid of something slipping under their radar.

They are aware that people often tend to miss key facts, so they make that extra effort to miss nothing.

Repetition is a main reason why observant people are able to store huge amounts of information and why they tend to perform well on tests of their knowledge.

9. They Know When You're Having a Bad Day.

An observant person notices the way you walk into the room or how hard you throw your papers down onto the table.

If you walk into the office with mismatched socks, they know that perhaps you are in a rush and haven't had the best morning, so won't talk to you about that looming project deadline.

So...Are You an Observant Person?

Did you relate to the above points about observant people? I'm sure this post will make you more observant in the future, either way.

If you want to enhance your observation skills and take them to the next level, I recommend checking out the book Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People by Vanessa Van Edwards.

It's a book that provides interesting insights on human behaviour and shows you how speed-read people you've just met. You can actually get the audiobook version (or another book of your choice) for free here.

Thanks for reading!