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Some of the greatest minds, like Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin, exhibited strange behaviors like loneliness and working late into the night.
While the world may find these habits strange, numerous studies have linked them to high IQ.
That’s because Our daily actions have a great influence on our intelligence and can even change the way we think.
Psychologists have identified at least seven strange behaviors that they believe are signs of genius.
Geniuses like Albert Einstein are known for their quirky habits. Scientists say these seven strange behaviors may be linked to high IQ
1. Talking to yourself
If you talk to yourself, you are not crazy. It may even be a sign that you are smarter than the average person.
While this behavior is somewhat irrational, mounting evidence shows that it has profound cognitive benefits, including improved memory, increased confidence, better concentration, and more.
In a 2012 study, a team of American researchers showed participants 20 images of different objects and asked them to find a specific object.
Scientists found that people who talked to themselves while looking at the images were able to identify the object faster.
Another 2017 study by British researchers found that our brains behave like those of monkeys when we stop talking to ourselves. Separate visual and auditory brain regions are activated during each task.
In the experiment, researchers asked participants to repeat meaningless sounds out loud, such as “blah-blah-blah,” while performing visual and audio tasks.
‘Because we can’t say two things at once, mumbling these sounds prevented participants from working out for themselves what to do in each task,’ wrote Paloma Mari-Beffa, a senior lecturer at Bangor University, in The conversation.
‘Under these conditions, people behaved like monkeys: for each task they activated separate visual and auditory brain areas.’
So the next time you catch yourself muttering to yourself, don’t be embarrassed. That strange habit helps you process information and stay sharp.
2. Stay up late
Early risers may catch the worm, but research suggests that night owls have higher IQs.
A study published in January, which analyzed data from 26,000 adults, found that people who stayed up late scored significantly better on cognitive tests than those who got up early.
Many brilliant minds are known to have nocturnal habits, including Charles Darwin
Evening people scored about 13.5 percent higher than morning people in one group and 7.5 percent higher than morning people in the other group.
Many brilliant minds are known to have nocturnal habits, including Darwin and Marcel Proust.
If your mind is most active when the rest of the world is asleep, chances are you have a high IQ.
3. Daydreaming
Getting lost in daydreams is often seen as absent-mindedness. But scientists have said that it is actually a sign that you are smart and creative.
“People with efficient brains may have too much brain capacity to keep their minds from wandering,” Eric Schumacher, an associate professor of psychology at Georgia Tech, said in a statement.
His research shows that people who daydream more often score higher on tests of intellectual and creative skills.
MRI scans also showed that these people had more efficient brain systems.
This evidence suggests that daydreaming is actually a great workout for your brain, so if you find yourself wandering, that’s a good sign.
4. Thriving in clutter
Some people can’t stand a messy room or desk. But the very intelligent don’t seem to mind – or even prefer it.
A team of researchers set out to find out why. They placed study participants in either a messy or tidy office space and asked them to come up with new uses for ping-pong balls.
Although both groups came up with a similar number of ideas, the researchers found that the participants in the messy room had more creative and interesting ideas.
“Disordered environments appear to encourage breaking with traditions, which can lead to new insights,” Kathleen Vohs, lead scientist behind the experiment, said in a press release.
Some people can’t stand clutter. But people who thrive in a messy environment may have higher intelligence
‘Orderly environments, on the other hand, encourage convention and playing it safe.’
Keeping your space cluttered may help you think more creatively.
5. Ask lots of questions
If you constantly wonder how things work, where they come from, and dozens of other questions that pop into your mind, you are probably very intelligent.
Curiosity is one of the most common signs of clarity. It is a sign that your mind is always trying to understand the world around you.
It also means that you are always learning and retaining new information. The more questions you ask, the more your understanding grows.
For some it may seem annoying. But for people with high IQ this insatiable curiosity is natural.
As Einstein once said, “I have no special talent. I am merely passionately curious.”
6. Being an introvert
There are many geniuses who seclude themselves in order to work or think in peace.
That makes sense: it can be hard to concentrate when you’re surrounded by constant chatter and the stimulation of a social environment.
In addition, studies have shown that introverts tend to engage in deeper cognitive processing than extroverts. They tend to think more deeply and critically, which can be associated with higher IQs.
Introverts often prefer activities that require concentration and sustained mental effort, such as reading and research. This can promote intellectual development.
7. Devouring books
Avid readers are constantly learning new information, vocabulary, complex ideas, and different perspectives. It’s like a workout for the mind.
Reading also strengthens mental focus, imagination, and the ability to show empathy for others.
People who read a lot are constantly developing their intelligence and therefore more likely to have a high IQ.
Take business magnate and investor Warren Buffet for example. He reads nearly eight hours a day.
So if you keep your nose in a book all the time, you actually get smarter with every page you read.
