10 Habits of smart people. Most people don’t know the difference between being intelligent and being smart. If you’re unsure, no worries – I was too, until someone explained it to me. Intelligence is genetically inherited while being smart is a skill you can develop. Intelligence is related to logic and reasoning, whereas being smart is when you act practically and successfully in social situations. When you’re intelligent, you may be able to study easily and pass exams, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll make the right decision when faced with an interpersonal problem. Luckily for us, intelligent or not, we can work on being smarter versions of ourselves. So here are 10 habits of what smart people do normally.