Category: Intelligence

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.

There are many ways to tell if a person is intelligent, including good communication skills, self-control and being co-operative.

The types of behaviours that an intelligent person displays include the ability to see both sides of an argument, flexibility and the desire for learning.

Intelligent people tend to seek out new information and want to expand their skills and the opportunity to use them.

Some famously intelligent people include Elon Musk, whose IQ is around 155 and Albert Einstein, whose IQ was believed to be somewhere between 160 and 165.

Here are 23 signs of intelligence from the psychological research with more information on each of the studies.

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

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

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. 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

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

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

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

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. 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. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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. 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.

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These qualities are not usually associated with intelligence.

Highly intelligent people are more likely to be trusting and generous, research finds.

Trusting people tend to believe that others are honest and will not harm them.

Intelligent people are able to override the perfectly natural worry that other people will betray them.

While being trusting is not something people usually associate with intelligence — this research clearly shows a link.

The reason for the link may be that human intelligence has evolved to be trusting as it helps society function.

For the study, 80 people played an economic game that tested how trusting they were.

They were also given a test of their ‘cognitive reflection’.

Cognitive reflection 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.

More trusting

The research also showed that smarter people behaved in a more trusting way towards others.

The study’s authors write:

“It is not hard to imagine that the ability to trust is largely beneficial in a society where survival and prosperity crucially hinge upon the capacity to exchange with counterparts with various degrees of familiarity.

All such transaction […] require an important element of trust.”

In other words, society gets on better if people trust each other.

The study’s authors write:

“…trust has been shown to impact economic variables such as growth and financial development as well as entrepreneurship and trade.

In sum, trust is seen as the lubricant that facilitates exchange in society so its relevance cannot be overstated.”

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 (Corgnet et al., 2015).

This bold and confident sign is linked to higher academic achievement.

People who are very sure of their intellectual abilities are, in fact, smarter than others, research finds.

Intellectual arrogance was linked to achieving higher grades in the study.

People who are intellectually arrogant tend to agree with statements like, “I believe my own ideas are superior to others.”

People are seen as intellectually arrogant by others when they are extraverted and dominate the group, wanting to be the centre of attention.

Professor Wade C. Rowatt, study co-author, said:

“One possibility is that people who view themselves as intellectually arrogant know what they know and that translates to increases in academic performance.”

For the study, the work of 103 students was followed over a semester.

The results showed that those who felt they were superior to others performed better in their coursework.

However, people who were more humble about their abilities were liked better by their peers.

So, intellectual arrogance may come with a penalty to social relationships.

The study’s authors were surprised by the results: they had predicted that intellectual humility would be linked to better performance.

However, this was not the case.

Dr Benjamin R. Meagher, the study’s first author, still thinks humility is a vital trait:

“What I think is important about intellectual humility is its necessity for not only science, but for just learning generally — and that applies to the classroom, a work setting, wherever.

Learning something new requires first acknowledging your own ignorance and being willing to make your ignorance known to others.

People clearly differ in terms of their willingness to do something like that, but that willingness to learn, change one’s mind and value the opinion of others is really needed if people and groups are going to develop and grow.”

The study was published in the Journal of Research in Personality (Meagher et al., 2015).

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).

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).

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).