The Confident Sign That Your IQ Is High

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

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).

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

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

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


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4 Personality Traits Linked To High IQ

These traits are all linked to having higher intelligence. 

These traits are all linked to having higher intelligence.

Having an active fantasy life, appreciating beauty, being emotionally sensitive and wide-ranging curiosity are linked to high IQ, research finds.

All of these are components of the major personality trait of ‘openness to experience’.

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 has an especially strong link to high IQ.

This may be because higher intelligence drives a ‘cognitive hunger’.

This encourages people to seek out new experiences to satiate the hunger.

The conclusions come from a study of 17,415 people from the UK.

They were given intelligence and personality tests and followed for 40 years.

The results showed the remarkable strength of the link between openness to experience and IQ.

The study’s authors explain their results:

“…childhood intelligence is indeed positively associated with adult trait Openness, even when it was assessed almost four decades earlier when participants were at 11 years.

Intelligence may influence the development of personality in that intelligent people develop habits to satisfy their curiosity and ‘‘cognitive hunger’’ which are an essential ingredient of Openness.”

The study’s authors think that it is high IQ that drives openness to experience:

“Parents of higher socioeconomic status may foster children’s trait Openness by providing better resources such as choosing good schools and cultural environment (theaters, museums, traveling abroad, etc.); intelligent children tend to use more mental activities (such as abstract ideas, learning new
vocabularies, or math formulas) than those who are less intelligent; school settings (quality of teaching, good facilities) may enhance pupils to engage more in school learning.

All these three factors may influence educational and
occupational achievement, which in turn, may increase
the scores on Openness.”

The study was published in the Journal of Individual Differences (Furnham & Cheng, 2016).

The Sign In Your Eyes That Reveals Higher IQ

Fluid intelligence is the ability to solve problems, apply logic and identify patterns.

Fluid intelligence is the ability to solve problems, apply logic and identify patterns.

Having larger pupils is linked to higher fluid intelligence, a study finds.

Fluid intelligence is the ability to solve problems, apply logic and identify patterns.

It is contrasted with crystallised intelligence, which involves using skills, knowledge and experience.

The differences are visible to the unaided eye, despite the relatively small size of the pupils.

The pupils are the black part in the centre of the eye.

They open and close in response to the amount of light falling on them.

The pupils also respond to how much work the brain is doing and other psychological factors.

The study’s authors explain:

“Starting in the 1960s it became apparent to psychologists that the size of the pupil is related to more than just the amount of light entering the eyes.

Pupil size also reflects internal mental processes.

For instance, in a simple memory span task, pupil size precisely tracks changes in memory load, dilating with each new item held in memory and constricting as each item is subsequently recalled.”

Dilated pupils have been shown to reflect when a person’s brain is overloaded with information, how interested a person is in what is being said to them, whether they are in pain and much more.

Measuring pupils

For the study, 40 people’s baseline pupil size was measured — half were in the top quartile for intelligence, the other half in the bottom quartile.

Baseline pupil size is measured when a person is sitting down, not doing too much.

The authors describe the results:

“…we have shown that large differences in baseline pupil size, even observable to the unaided eye, exist between high and low cognitive ability individuals engaged in a cognitively demanding task and cannot be explained by differences in mental effort.”

The study was published in the journal Cognitive Psychology (Tsukahara et al., 2016).

A Wonderful Sign Of High IQ

One more benefit of being above average in intelligence.

One more benefit of being above average in intelligence.

People with higher IQs are likely to live longer, according to research.

Those with high intelligence in childhood are less likely to get heart disease, strokes, respiratory diseases and dementia later on.

Higher intelligence may allow people to learn better health behaviours and cope more effectively with problems over the years.

Some of the lowered risk is down to the fact that more intelligent people are less likely to smoke.

The conclusions come from a Scottish study that included 938 people who were followed for over 25 years.

The results showed that for every 15 points of higher IQ, people’s risk of dying was reduced by 17 percent.

This study found the link between IQ and longevity was strongest in children brought up in poorer neighbourhoods.

Higher intelligence, then, is particularly beneficial to the longevity of poorer people, said Dr Carole L. Hart, the study’s first author:

“The significant interaction found between IQ and deprivation suggests that IQ in childhood is less important in terms of mortality for people who live in more affluent areas in adulthood than for people who live in deprived areas.”

It is not yet clear how IQ is related to longevity, said Dr Hart:

“It is possible that low childhood IQ leads to adult deprivation, which in turn leads to earlier death.”

Some studies have suggested that IQ and longevity are linked to the same sets of genes.

Another possibility is that adverse circumstances, which are often linked to being poor, can lower IQ.

Worse nutrition, educational opportunities and deprived areas may all take their toll on mental development.

Other studies have also suggested that higher IQ leads to a longer life.

The study was published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine (Hart et al., 2003).

This Personality Trait Is A Sign Of High Fluid Intelligence

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

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

A hunger for new, unconventional ideas is one of the strongest indicators of high IQ, research finds.

People with high IQs are intellectually curious and enjoy things like unusual activities, philosophical arguments and brain teasers.

This desire for new ideas is linked to an aspect of IQ called fluid intelligence.

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.

Fluid intelligence is contrasted with crystallised intelligence.

Crystallised intelligence is something like general knowledge: the information that people have learnt about the world over the years.

The conclusions come from a study of 2,658 employees working at 10 different companies in the UK.

They were all given tests of personality and intelligence.

The results showed that high fluid intelligence was linked to hunger for new ideas.

Like an interest in ideas, being willing to try new activities was also linked to intelligence, the authors write:

“Actions refers to willingness to try different activities, and to a preference for novelty and variety over familiarity and routine.

Fluid intelligence involves things like reaction times, quick thinking, reasoning, seeing relationships and approaching new problems.

This means that individuals high on [fluid intelligence] have an innate ability to cope more efficiently with novel experiences, and to deal with intellectually stimulating tasks such as brain teasers, which would thus make it rewarding for them to pursuit such activities.

Similarly, individuals low on [fluid intelligence] may in time grow to avoid such activities, due to their low ability to handle them, which would thus make them less rewarding.”

The study was published in the journal Learning and Individual Differences (Moutafi et al., 2006).

A Delightful Sign That You Have A High IQ

People with high IQs tend to share this quality.

People with high IQs tend to share this quality.

More intelligent people tend to follow rules and be less aggressive and better behaved, research finds.

People with higher IQs are also less likely to cheat and steal.

Young people with lower IQs, though, are more likely to take part in antisocial behaviour, such as harassing or alarming others.

Boys who are antisocial have an average IQ 10 points lower than their more social counterparts.

For antisocial girls, the IQ gap is 5 points lower than their more social peers.

The conclusions come from a study of more than 1,000 young people in the UK.

All were given tests of IQ and externalising behaviour.

For psychologists, externalising behaviour refers to physical aggression, flouting rules, stealing and cheating.

The results showed that fewer externalising behaviours were linked to higher IQ.

In contrast, those with lower IQs were at greater risk of antisocial behaviour.

The study’s authors write:

“Low IQ is a consistent risk factor for emergence and continuity of antisocial behavior across the life course in both prospective and cross-sectional studies, even when other relevant risk factors are statistically controlled.”

Genetic factors are likely important in the link, as well as situational factors, the authors write:

“…cognitive deficits might promote antisocial behavior if children with low IQs misunderstand rules, find it too difficult to negotiate conflict with words, find school frustrating, or become tracked with antisocial peers.”

The study was published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology (Koenen et al., 2008).

A Healthy Sign Of High IQ

It could be possible to increase your IQ.

It could be possible to increase your IQ.

Young adults who are fitter have a higher IQ and are more likely to go on to higher education, research finds.

Higher IQ is linked to a higher heart and lung capacity, not to muscular strength.

Heart and lung capacity was most strongly linked to verbal comprehension and logical thinking skills.

Professor Michael Nilsson, one of the study’s authors, said:

 “Being fit means that you also have good heart and lung capacity and that your brain gets plenty of oxygen.

This may be one of the reasons why we can see a clear link with fitness, but not with muscular strength.

We are also seeing that there are growth factors that are important.”

The researchers found that the link is down to environmental factors, not genes.

In other words, it could be possible to increase your IQ by getting fitter.

Dr Maria Åberg, the study’s first author, said:

“We have also shown that those youngsters who improve their physical fitness between the ages of 15 and 18 increase their cognitive performance.

This being the case, physical education is a subject that has an important place in schools, and is an absolute must if we want to do well in maths and other theoretical subjects.”

The conclusions come from a study of 1.2 million Swedish men doing their military service, who were born between 1950 and 1976.

Another study have shown that two hours of extra physical activity per week can boost children’s performance in school (Käll et al., 2014).

Children doing more exercise doubled their chances of hitting national learning goals in that study.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Aberg et al., 2009).

How High IQ Influences Your Mental Health

Along with fewer depression symptoms, it was also linked to better sleep.

Along with fewer depression symptoms, it was also linked to better sleep.

Higher intelligence reduces the risk of mental health problems, including depression, research finds.

A higher IQ is linked to less self-reported depression symptoms, fewer sleep problems and better overall mental health.

The conclusions come from a study of 5,793 people who were followed for decades.

The results showed that those with higher IQ scores in their youth had better overall mental health when they were 50-years-old, compared to those with lower IQs.

Along with fewer depression symptoms, those with higher IQs also slept better in middle age.

The authors conclude that IQ may have a protective effect against depression in middle age:

“Higher pre-morbid intelligence was significantly associated with less depression, less sleep difficulty, and a better overall mental health status at age 50.

These results were similar to those found at age 40 and they suggest that higher intelligence in youth, in both men and women, may have a protective effect on mental health into middle age.”

However, people with higher IQs were more likely to have received a depression diagnosis by age 50.

This seems to contradict the finding that they self-reported lower symptoms of depression.

The researchers think it may be because intelligent people are more likely to recognise depression and get help for it.

They write that one possible reason is that:

“…people with higher intelligence may also have higher mental health literacy.

Those with higher intelligence might be more able to identify their symptoms of depression, which could motivate them to consult a doctor for diagnosis and advice; they might also be likely to have accurate reporting of such diagnoses in the health module.”

The study was published in the journal Intelligence (Wraw et al., 2018).

The Patient Sign Of High Intelligence

Do you pass the financial test of intelligence?

Do you pass the financial test of intelligence?

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.

The survey of 1,000 people in Germany tested how long people would wait for a series of rewards, analogous to putting it into a savings account.

For example, people were given $100 to have now, or they could choose to wait one year to get more.

Would you wait one year to get $110, $120 or $150?

Or would you rather just have the $100 right now?

Professor Armin Falk, study co-author, summarised the results:

“The more intelligent the test subjects were, the more patient and tolerant of risk they were.”

Impatient people generally wanted a higher reward for waiting one year to get their money.

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

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

It is important to see the connections between risk and reward.

Professor Falk said:

 “Anyone who does not have this ability may be better advised to follow the principle of ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.'”

The study was published in the American Economic Review (Dohmen et al., 2010).