Some traits or skills that people think are useless or bad can actually show that a person has a lot going on in their brain. Scientists think so, at least. But what do these traits and skills look like? How do they improve you? After looking into the matter, experts have discovered that certain traits are actually signs of real intelligence. Here is a list of a few things experts say are signs of being very smart.
If you like to stay up late, it’s more likely that you’re smarter than average. Scientists think this is because the brain is so busy that it throws off the body’s normal daily rhythms. Personality and Individual Differences magazine did a study with thousands of young people to see if there was a link between a child’s intelligence and how they slept. It was found that most intelligent people like to wake up later, both during the week and on weekends. A different study looked at 400 recruits to the US Air Force and came to the same conclusions.
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A reporter for The New Yorker named Maria Konnikova wrote about an experiment that was done with a group of people who were both left-handed and right-handed:
“Left-handed people were more adept, for instance, at combining 2 common objects in novel ways to form a third—for example, using a pole and a tin can to make a birdhouse. They also excelled at grouping lists of words into as many alternate categories as possible.”
Scientists have found a link between being left-handed and “divergent thinking,” a type of creativity that helps people come up with new ideas. The same is true of ambidextrous people who can use both hands equally well. So, if you’re right-handed, try doing some things with your left hand and vice versa. These things get parts of the brain that aren’t used much to work.
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Scientists at the London University of Psychology say, “It’s more likely that a curious child, as opposed to one who simply learns by heart, will become an innovator during his lifetime.”
Harvard Business Review professor Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic states how a “hungry mind” and a desire to learn can make you smarter. He says, “Curiosity makes a child more interested in science and art as a means of cognition and self-expression.”
In a British study, researchers looked at 6,000 people born in the last 50 years. They found that 11-year-olds who did better on an IQ test seemed more interested and curious to try new things.
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Suppose you often get sidetracked by things like social network notifications, tea breaks, or even people talking to you. In that case, you might be more intelligent than most people. At least, that’s what scientists say. A new study says that the smarter a person is, the harder it is for them to pay attention. Scientists say this is because it’s hard to control high levels of brain activity.
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Researchers think people who find it easy to find a reason not to work out have a higher cognitive demand. Many famous scientists have noticed that intelligent people tend to put off doing their work. Adam Grant, for example, says that procrastinating is the key to coming up with new ideas. Steve Jobs was wise about putting things off, giving his brain a break by switching to something else.
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Everyone knows that Leonardo da Vinci slept in different stages. Every 4 hours, he slept for 20–30 minutes. What was he thinking? The brains of smart people work harder and get tired faster, but they also recharge faster. You must “reload” your brain to shake off tiredness and look at the problem with fresh eyes. So, if you’re someone with a high IQ, take a 20-minute power nap every now and then.
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It’s well known that chewing gum makes your brain work harder and helps you focus, but only for 20 minutes. On the other hand, scientists just found out that intelligent people always chew on something. They say that when you chew, your mind is free to self-reflection and analysis.
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Smart people are able to control their impulses and keep their feelings in check. They also think about what will happen before they do something. These are some of the characteristic signs of real intelligence.
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Another fascinating study at the University of New Mexico observed 400 students who took tests to see how well they could talk about certain things. After the students passed the tests, they were asked to write captions for cartoon pictures. Estimators from outside the company looked at these titles. It looked like 86% of the more intelligent students who got the most points on the test chose funny captions for the pictures.
Later, the same research was done on comedians, who all did better than average on the verbal intelligence test. Scientists say that humor makes you smarter, keeps your brain and nervous system healthy, and is one of the most common signs of real intelligence.
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According to a statistical study conducted by American scientists, people who live in pedestrian-oriented cities exhibit signs of real intelligence more than those who live in cities where transportation is mainly used. When people looked into the pedestrian areas of big cities, they found the same things.
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The Dunning-Kruger effect is the result of a study by Justin Kruger and David Dunning that has become a classic in the field of social psychology. They concluded that the smarter someone is, the more he doubts himself. In other words, smart people aren’t afraid to say, “I don’t know.” They can learn something new if they don’t know something. If you always have questions and aren’t afraid to ask them, you are probably smarter than many others.
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In one study, scientists asked 126 elementary school students to fill out questionnaires about how often they worry about something, hear rumors, or think about things that make them sad.
It seemed like kids who worried more than others did better on the next test that didn’t involve words. Scientists think it has to do with the fact that people who worry a lot tend to do better work.
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