Re: “How can one recognize a sapiosexual at first sight?”
You can’t. You’ll recognize a sapiosexual when they identify themselves as such. Worthy of note is that when someone makes that claim, they are trying to influence your perception of their own intelligence. At best, it’s driven by youthful naïveté, but it’s pretentious snobbery at worst, and at its highest likelihood.
This is because “sapiosexuality”, in the context of sexual orientations, doesn’t make sense. It’s akin to calling your self a psilósexual because you are attracted to people taller than you. It’s just a trait. And a markedly subjective one, at that. You’re unlikely to find someone treating their preference for taller folks as a sexuality. Just like if you speak to a man who says he prefers brunette women over blondes, he’s unlikely to create a sexuality around it because there’s no social currency to be won by doing so.
The APA defines sexual orientation as “an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both sexes" and that "this range of behaviors and attractions has been described in various cultures and nations throughout the world.” So-called sapiosexuality simply does not fit, and it co-opts the language of non-heteronormativity in an attempt to legitimize itself.
Some people find their conception of wisdom to be an attractive trait in potential partners. Some people want to use that kind of attraction as a proxy by which others will recognize their intelligence. Also, sapiosexuals don’t exist.
