A Major Personality Trait That Indicates High IQ

People with this personality type have higher crystallised intelligence.

People with this personality type have higher crystallised intelligence.

Being open to experience is a sign of high intelligence, research reveals.

People who are open to experience are more interested in things that are complex, new and unconventional.

They are sensitive to their feelings, intellectually curious and seekers of variety.

Curiosity and an appreciation of beauty are particularly strong signs of crystallised intelligence, the study found.

Crystallised intelligence roughly equates to general knowledge: knowing many things about the world.

It is natural that people who are curious and interested in new things tend to pick up more general information.

The conclusions come from a study of around 500 people who were given tests of intelligence and personality.

Openness to experience is one of the five major aspects of personality.

Openness also has a number of facets of its own, the study authors explain:

“The Openness to Experience construct involves the tendency to fantasize (Fantasy), aesthetic sensitivity (Aesthetics), awareness of one’s emotions (Feelings), preference for novelty (Actions), intellectual curiosity (Ideas), and preference for non-traditional values (Values).”

The results revealed that more intelligent people were particularly appreciative of beauty: they had a strong aesthetic sense.

They were also likely to be intellectually curious and to have an interest in ideas for their own sake.

These two facets of openness were most strongly linked to higher crystallised intelligence.

The study was published in the Journal of Research in Personality (Ashton et al., 2000).

This Simple Diet Linked To Higher IQ

The reason people with a higher IQ also tend to be healthier could be down to their diet.

The reason people with a higher IQ also tend to be healthier could be down to their diet.

People with a higher IQ are more likely to be vegetarian, psychological research finds.

In fact, vegetarians could be up to 10% more intelligent than red meat eaters, according to some studies.

A higher IQ is also seen among those who describe themselves as vegetarian, but also eat chicken and fish.

The conclusion comes from a survey of 8,170 men and women whose IQ was tested when they were 10-years-old.

By age 30, 4.5% had become vegetarian, of these 2.5% were vegan and 33.6% said they were vegetarian, but still ate chicken and/or fish.

People with higher IQs at age 10, the analysis showed, were more likely to be vegetarians at age 30.

There was no difference between stricter vegetarians (ovo-lacto vegetarians) and those who ate some chicken and/or fish as well.

The findings could help to explain why more intelligent people are also healthier, since a vegetarian diet is better for the heart and for maintaining a healthy body mass.

Does money and class explain it?

Part of the link between IQ and vegetarianism was explained by social status and education.

In other words, people of higher social class are more likely to be intelligent and more likely to be vegetarian anyway.

Still, even when these two factors were accounted for statistically, the relationship between vegetarianism and IQ remained.

The study’s authors write:

“Might the nature of the vegetarians’ diet in this cohort have enhanced their apparently superior brain power?

Was this the mechanism that helped them to achieve the disproportionate number of higher degrees?

Benjamin Franklin and George Bernard Shaw, both ardent vegetarians, would have us believe so.

According to Shaw in an article published in The Star in 1890, “A mind of the calibre of mine cannot derive its nutriment from cows.”

The study was published in the British Medical Journal (Gale et al., 2007).

A Fascinating Sign Of High IQ

People with high intelligence tend to have this quality.

People with high intelligence tend to have this quality.

Being nice is a sign that your IQ is high, research reveals.

Highly intelligent people are better at cooperating and are more generous to others.

Smart people are almost three times as generous as those with lower cognitive abilities, the study found.

The reason may be that smarter people are more patient — a quality that is critical for cooperation.

More patience allows people to step back from the situation and exert self-control.

The study involved hundreds of people given a test of a type of intelligence call ‘cognitive reflection’.

This measures people’s ability to override a quick, obvious response that turns out to be wrong in order to get the right answer.

Here are two of the tests of cognitive reflection used in the study:

  • If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long will it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?
  • In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake?

The answers are at the bottom of the article.

Clever people are more patient at searching out the real answer, it emerges.

Subsequently, people who did better in this test were also up to three times more generous in a game that tested people’s generosity.

The reason could be that people with intelligence have more patience, the study’s author, Dr Lohse writes:

“Subjects with higher cognitive abilities have been shown to be more patient and to be able to exert higher levels of self-control.

[…]

Martinsson et al. (2014) demonstrate that subjects with higher self-control capabilities cooperate more.

Similarly, Fehr and Leibbrandt (2011) show that more patient subjects in the lab cooperate more in the field.”

The answers are…

The answers are 5 minutes to the first problem and 47 days to the second.

If you didn’t get this, remember the test is designed to make you think a little longer and harder.

The study was published in the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (Lohse, 2016).

The Strong Personality Trait That Indicates High IQ

This character trait is linked to a high IQ.

This character trait is linked to a high IQ.

Being conscientious is linked to having a high IQ, but only among females, a study finds.

People who are conscientious are more careful, efficient and self-disciplined — and they aim for achievement.

Among males, however, those who are more careless and indifferent have higher IQs.

The study of school children also found that introverts who are conscientious get the best grades.

Fear may also be a factor in driving up grades, the Swedish research found, since neurotic pupils got better grades.

Neurotic people tend to worry more, which may motivate them to work harder if their worries are stoked by the system.

Ms Pia Rosander, the study’s first author, said:

“We have a school system in Sweden that favours conscientious and fear-driven pupils.

It is not good for psychological well-being in the long term if fear is a driving force.

It also prevents in-depth learning, which happens best among the open personality types who are driven by curiosity.”

The study included 200 pupils entering secondary school at 16 who were followed for three years.

The results revealed that girls who were eager to please got better grades.

On the other hand, boys were more likely to be curious, but the system tended not to feed their curiosity.

Ms Rosander said:

“Greater conscientiousness, i.e. getting things done, arriving on time, etc. may be a way for boys to compensate for a lower IQ.”

The study also found that introverts get better grades, probably because extraverts have so much to distract them.

Ms Rosander said:

“My studies clearly show that the school system needs to be more individualised.

How else can we support talented pupils with the ‘wrong’ personality type, those we call under-performers, who are capable but lack the ability to plan their school work, for example?”

The study was published in the journal Learning and Individual Differences (Rosander et al., 2011).

How Your Childhood Personality Predicts Your Future — High IQ Included (M)

A child’s humble nature may reveal more about their adult self than you might think.

A child's humble nature may reveal more about their adult self than you might think.


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Signs Of Intelligence: 23 Fascinating Indicators Of A High IQ

Signs of intelligence include better rhythm, liking dark humour, being prone to worry, sleeping late, high self-control and new ideas.

Signs of intelligence include better rhythm, liking dark humour, being prone to worry, sleeping late, high self-control and new ideas.

Signs of intelligence are many and varied and go way beyond a standard IQ test.

This is partly because intelligence has so many different aspects to it.

Here are 23 signs of intelligence, some of which might surprise you.

1. Rhythmic signs of intelligence

People with high IQs find it easier to keep time, research finds.

This has nothing to do with being musical, just the simple ability to tap out a regular rhythm.

Good timing seems to be built in at a fundamental level to the brains of more intelligent people, making it one of the subtler signs of intelligence.

Brain scans also revealed a link between high intelligence, ability to keep time and more white matter in parts of the brain linked to planning, problem solving and managing time.

2. Dreaming signs of intelligence

Being a daydreamer is a sign of intelligence and being creative, research concludes.

The result comes from a study in which over 100 people had their brains scanned while they stared at a fixed point for five minutes.

The researchers wanted to see how their brains worked in unison when they were given nothing in particular to do.

People whose brains worked more efficiently had greater intellectual abilities and also reported more daydreaming in their everyday lives.

3. Funny signs of intelligence

People who appreciate dark humour are likely to be more intelligent, research finds.

Those who prefer twisted comedy also score higher on tests of emotional stability.

To get twisted humour, it seems you need to be laidback and clever.

The reason intelligence may be linked to appreciating dark humour is that it can take a little work.

4. Signs of intelligence and mental illness

Disorders of mood could be the price some people pay for high intelligence, recent research finds.

Psychologists have found that higher childhood IQ is linked to features of bipolar disorder in young adulthood.

The research adds fuel to the debate over the connection between intelligence, creativity and mental health issues.

Other studies now suggest a link between intelligence and mental illness that may go back into our evolutionary past.

The increased signs of intelligence of Homo sapiens was originally a result of gene mutations.

The cost of these gene mutations, however, may have been an increase in mental illness (Nithianantharajah et al., 2012).

Other studies on this do not agree, though, finding that people with high IQs enjoy better mental health.

5. Perceptual signs of intelligence

Having stronger basic perceptual skills is another of many signs of intelligence, research finds.

For example, they can tell which way objects are moving more quickly.

They are also better at blocking out background information to make their judgement.

A higher IQ makes the brain faster at a fundamental level.

6. Worrying signs of intelligence

People of high intelligence are more prone to anxiety than those of moderate intelligence.

Indeed, anxiety may have co-evolved with intelligence — worrying may have given early humans a survival benefit in the ancient past (Coplan et al., 2012).

It’s just a pity that it’s left intelligent people with higher levels of anxiety disorders.

7. Larger pupils are signs of intelligence

People with larger pupils have higher intelligence and the difference is visible to the naked eye, research finds.

A larger pupil size reflects both a higher fluid intelligence and a greater working memory capacity.

The pupils are the black part at the centre of the eye which dilate in response to changes in light.

Psychologists have found they also respond to brain activity: the faster our brains are working, the more the pupil widens.

8. New ideas are signs of intelligence

Set against the higher levels of mental illness and anxiety, is the fact that one of the signs of intelligence is being more likely to come up with new ideas.

Historically, that might mean rejecting superstition and finding new ways of organising society.

One study argues that this explains why more intelligent people are more likely to be atheists and more likely to be politically liberal (Kanazawa et al., 2010).

This study found that young adults who described themselves as ‘very conservative’ had an average IQ of 95, while those who described themselves as ‘very liberal’ had an average IQ of 106.

9. Tall signs of intelligence

Being taller is one of many signs of intelligence, research finds.

The reason is that the genes that are correlated with height are also correlated with intelligence.

The conclusion comes from a study of the DNA of 6,815 people.

Of course, there are still people who are short and intelligent, plus those who are tall and dim.

But, on average, there is a small association between being taller and having higher intelligence.

10. Loners

The more that intelligent people socialise with their friends, the less satisfied they are with life, recent research finds.

The finding challenges the accepted idea that socialising generally makes people happier.

It may be that for some people — especially those with high intelligence — socialising does not increase life satisfaction.

The possible reason why is intriguing…

11. Signs of intelligence: sleeping late

Another or these signs of intelligence is going to bed later and getting up later (Kanazawa & Perina, 2009).

The study examined the sleep habits of 20,745 adolescent Americans and found that on a weekday the ‘very dull’ went to bed at an average of 11:41 and woke up at 7:20.

In contrast, the ‘very bright’ went to bed at 12:29 and got up at 7:52. At the weekend the differences were even more pronounced.

12. Do drugs

People with higher intelligence are more likely to use drugs — which is one of the more surprising signs of intelligence.

The link is particularly strong for women.

This is despite the fact that higher IQ is often linked to living a healthier lifestyle.

The results can be explained in both positive and negative ways.

For example, intelligent people are known to be more open to new experiences.

At the same time, intelligent people are also more easily bored and may be more likely to be picked on in childhood.

13. Signs of intelligence: being trusting

Intelligent people are more likely to trust others, according to a new analysis of US public opinion poll data.

This may be because more intelligent people are better judges of character.

They found that people who were more trusting were also happier and had higher levels of physical health.

14. Financial patience

People with high IQs are more patient in financial matters, research finds.

They are willing to wait longer to increase their money and to endure the risks involved.

Intelligent people did not demand so much reward for taking the risk.

It seems that signs of intelligence, risk tolerance and patience are closely related.

15. Lazy signs of intelligence

Lazy people are more likely to enjoy thinking, new research finds.

On the other hand, those with who don’t enjoy it need to ‘do more stuff’ in order to escape their own thoughts.

Previous studies have found that people who like to think more have better memories and often take more time to make decisions and end up making better ones.

16. Accept confusion and vagueness

People with higher intelligence find it easier to accept confusion and vagueness.

Many problems in life do not have a definitive answer — and intelligent people can deal with this more easily.

More intelligent people can make better decisions because they are able to accept ambiguity, researchers have found.

17. Attractive signs of intelligence

Attractive people are also likely to be more intelligent.

People who are physically attractive can have IQs up to 14 percent higher than the less attractive.

The results come from data on 17,419 children in the UK who have been followed since 1958.

Attractive male children have 13.6 more IQ points than their unattractive peers.

Meanwhile, female children have 11.4 more IQ points.

18. Curious signs of intelligence

Curiosity is a sign of being smart, research suggests.

Curiosity could even be as important as intelligence in how well people do in life.

People who are curious ask lots of questions, look for surprises, seek out sensations and make time to search out new ideas.

Intelligence, along with curiosity and some personality factors, predicts successful performance in many areas.

19. Less aggressive signs of intelligence

People with higher IQs are less aggressive and tend to follow the rules, research suggests.

Since higher intelligence is linked to better behaviour, intelligent people are less likely to steal and cheat.

In contrast, younger people with lower IQs are more likely to alarm and harass others, as well as taking part in antisocial behaviour.

Antisocial boys typically have IQ scores 10 points lower than their more social peers.

20. Self-controlled signs of intelligence

Having stronger self-control is a sign of higher intelligence, research finds.

Faced with temptation, more intelligent people stay cooler.

In the study, those with higher intelligence waited longer for a larger reward.

21. Cooperative signs of intelligence

Being cooperative is another of these signs of intelligence, recent research finds.

More intelligent people tend to be cautious with their trust at first, then build it up with experience.

People who are cooperative tend to be more helpful, believe in teamwork and be mutually supportive.

In addition, those who are cooperative tend to be better at seeing the big picture and learning from experience.

22. Signs of intelligence: enjoying new ideas

Being willing to entertain new, unconventional ideas is the strongest personality trait linked to high fluid intelligence, research finds.

Preferring variety and new activities over routine and sameness are signs of intelligence, the same survey found.

People with with these signs of intelligence are more likely to enjoy philosophical arguments, brain teasers, new problems and eccentric or uncommon activities.

Fluid intelligence refers to the speed at which the brain works.

It is like the raw power of an engine or the speed at which a computer can process information.

23. Feeling happier

People who feel happier tend to have a higher IQ, studies find.

In fact, experiencing positive emotions, feeling lively and wide awake all predict higher intelligence.

The idea that more intelligent people tend to be grumpy or unhappy is probably not true, on average.

Part of this link between intelligence and happiness may be down to life circumstances.

More intelligent people tend to be better off, have higher levels of education and consequently have better jobs.

.

This Charming Personality Trait Is A Sign Of High IQ

The trait is not normally associated with intelligent people.

The trait is not normally associated with intelligent people.

People who are generous by nature have a higher IQ, research finds.

Generous people are unselfish and sometimes deny themselves so that others can have more.

Although generosity is not something people usually associate with intelligence, psychological research clearly shows a link.

Intelligent people may be more generous partly because they can afford it.

People with higher IQs generally have greater resources, or can expect to recover what they have given away later on.

The conclusions come from a study in which 96 people played games that involved either donating to others or keeping things for themselves.

The results revealed that intelligent people were more generous to others.

In contrast, those who kept more for themselves tended to be less intelligent.

The study’s authors used the results of SAT tests, which can be converted into approximate IQ scores.

They write:

“We find that subjects who perform better on the Math portion of the SAT [Scholastic Aptitude Test] are more generous in both the dictator game and the SVO [Social Value Orientation] measure.

[…]

Our results involving SAT scores […] suggest that measures of cognitive ability, which are less sensitive to the intrinsic motivation of the subject, are positively related to generosity.”

The study was published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization (Chen et al., 2013).

6 Intriguing Psychology Studies On Human Intelligence

Answers to: Is IQ dropping around the world? Where does human intelligence come from? What are the signs of a high IQ brain?

Answers to: Is IQ dropping around the world? Where does human intelligence come from? What are the signs of a high IQ brain?

While it is obvious to us that some people are smarter than others, scientists are definitely not agreed on the root of one of our most precious abilities: intelligence.

Certainly, many aspects of intelligence are mysterious, and these six recent studies published in the members-only section of PsyBlog have asked questions including:

  • Where does human intelligence come from?
  • What are the signs of a high IQ brain?
  • Is IQ dropping around the world?

Perhaps the last of these questions should concern us the most; after all, without our intelligence what a paltry being is left?

To access these articles, you need to have a paid membership.

Once again, many thanks to everyone who supports PsyBlog in this way.

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American IQ Is Dropping — And It’s Happening Elsewhere Too (M)

In the last 30 years or so, there is evidence that the so-called ‘Flynn effect’ has been reversing..

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How Reading For Pleasure Affects Your IQ (M)

Around half the children in the study had little or no experience of reading for pleasure or did not pick up the habit until later on.

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4 Personality Traits That Are Signs Of High IQ (M)

The research revealed the facets of the major personality traits that are signs of high intelligence.

Read more

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This Part Of Your Brain ‘Masterminds’ Fluid Intelligence (M)

Where does intelligence lie in the brain? Scientists definitely do not agree.

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Human Intelligence Arises From Efficiency Of The Whole Brain Rather Than A Specific Area (M)

There is no specific area of the brain that ‘masterminds’ our intelligence, research finds.

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A Surprising Sign Of A High IQ Brain (M)

High IQ brains have greater functional connectivity and higher synchronisation, but this has an unexpected real-world effect.

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