We were glad that other people would compliment us that we were intelligent. However, how could we know if we were one of those people? We knew that an individual had various skills. Genes might affect our cognitive abilities, but we could enhance our IQ if we tried things we did not do before. Below was the list that we could do to improve ourselves.
Taking Music Lessons
Research showed that if we had studied music when we were young, we might get a higher IQ test score. It would be useful if the kids were aged four to six years old. It was the best time to equip ourselves with an instrument that we did not know how to play yet. Scientists had their proof when they saw the result after observing the relation of brain activity and music.
Taking Music Lessons
The Eldest Sibling
Eldest siblings might have a difficult time than their youngest sibling, but they were smarter than the rest. Kids might need a lot of care coming from their parents. However, the eldest had more duties, like taking care of their siblings. They also learned experiences before others. Sometimes they made a mistake, but in the end, they would correct it and make it an example to the young member.
The Eldest Sibling
They Stay In Shape
If we liked ourselves to be fit, our mind was also the best shape it could ever have. Research showed that if we had a lower BMI, then we have a higher IQ. For example, a family had a lot of money to feed, make them fit, have insurance, and other more benefits which they would not worry about their problem in their life. They could focus on enhancing their intelligence.
They Stay In Shape
They Own A Cat
People would debate whether a dog or cat would be the best pet they could have, but those who liked cats would have a higher IQ. According to the grapevine, cat lovers were introverts who always loved to read books doing stuff inside their homes. Dog lovers were the opposite, and those people wanted to go outdoors. Research showed in the year 2014, People who liked cats had higher cognitive skills.
They Own A Cat
The Left-Handed People
The New Yorker Maria Konnikova in 1995 said, “Researchers found that the more marked the left-handed preference in a group of males, the better they were at tests of divergent thought…” Most people around the world were right-handed. However, only ten percent of people in the world were left-handed. It was also the reason they had a different perspective than the rest of us.
The Left Handed People
If You Are Taller Than Most
Some of us thought that height affected our IQ. Research showed that the kids’ height would show us their IQ when they first entered a school. Some gossip told us that tall children had better grades in cognitive tests. However, it did not mean they were more intelligent than the rest. It only affected the children’s intellect as they grew up.
If You Are Taller Than Most
They Never Run Out Of Curiosity
We could tell that people who were always curious were smarter than the rest because they wanted to know a lot from this world. They would like to ask a different question about the things they see. Those people might not get an answer, but they would still challenge their minds to get the right answer.
They Never Run Out Of Curiosity
Avid Readers Since They Were Young
Those people who loved reading the book when they were young had become more imaginative, enhanced our vocabulary, and good at problem-solving. It was an asset for those who were fond of reading. We knew that the task would be an excellent way to spend some time. Research showed in a twin in 2012, the individual who read first had a higher score in cognitive tests in both verbal and nonverbal.
Avid Readers Since They Were Young
Anxious All The Time
Some people said that being smart was not always fun, and people who had higher intelligence than the other had ever experienced anxiety. If we had a higher IQ, we liked to study different things that sometimes we also knew the negative results. It was also the reason they questioned many things. Individuals that had anxiety were good at verbal and intelligence tests.
Anxious All The Time
Those With A Good Sense Of Humor
People like a comedian or a friend who made us laugh were smarter than the rest of us. These individuals knew how to read their surroundings and what word to use. According to research, 400 psychology students were tasked to create a caption for cartoons at the New Yorker. After an independent group assessed their work, they recognized that the most amusing one came from a higher IQ student.
Those With A Good Sense Of Humor
They Keep Their Minds Busy
Curious people always challenge their minds. According to Tomas Chamorro-Prezumi, a business psychology professor, “[Curiosity] leads to higher levels of intellectual investment and knowledge acquisition over time, especially in formal domains of education, such as science and art.” It would mean that they would try to study and try things that they did not know. Not only would they find the answer, but it would also enhance their IQ.
They Keep Their Minds Busy
They Are Disorganized
People who did not know how to organize their stuff were smarter than most of us. A person like Albert Einstein was a person who had that kind of personality. A messy desk would not always mean they were lazy, but they were just doing many things in that place. It was also the reason why they did not have time to organize their things.
They Are Disorganized
They Do Not Believe In Luck
Intelligent people did believe that luck would affect their lives. For those individuals, “luck” was just the outcome of our hard work, determination, and plan. An intelligent person would not wait for an idea to come, but they would pursue it and get what they wanted. Instead of believing in luck, they would get it with their skills.
They Do Not Believe In Luck
Their Mothers Breastfed Them
Some of us could tell that what children ate could affect their IQ. Research showed that kids that were breastfed by their mother had a higher score than the rest. In 2007, people recognized that breastfed children had scored seven points higher than those who drank bottled milk. However, this was a fact for an individual who had a FADS2 gene.
Their Mothers Breastfed Them
They Are Night Owls
People who categorized themselves as night owls had a bad reputation on others. Still, according to research, those people who stayed up late had a higher cognitive ability because they could focus on their studies or work. These individuals wanted to stay up late because there was less distraction and quiet during the night.
They Are Night Owls
You Might Think They Are Lazy
Some of us thought that intelligence and laziness were linked with each other, but others said that smart people often solved problems easily without making too much effort. It was the reason why people thought they were lazy. It was also an explanation of why intelligent people were always disorganized.
You Might Think They Are Lazy
They Are Focused
If we were those people who were always focused on their duty or work, then we were a lucky person. Current Biology released an article in 2013 that proved people who were focused were intelligent. Frank Zhu said that “People who can focus for long stretches at a time and tune out distraction are highly intelligent.” Those individuals would not stop until they finished their work.
They Are Focused
Admitting What They Do Not Know
We should ask our question if we had something in our minds. Smart people knew this. These individuals would ask everything that they did not realize until they gained knowledge about it. Jim Winer, an expert, said those people who were smart “are not afraid to say: ‘I don’t know.” If they don’t know it, they can learn it.”
Admitting What They Do Not Know
The Silent Type
We could tell that most smart people were introverts. However, intelligent individuals would do an action depending on the situation. These people would observe before they act. We could see them quiet because they thought about what they should do about the problem they were facing.
The Silent Type
Lovers Of Challenges
Smart individuals loved hardship in their life. Those people would try to create an idea or uniquely solve the problem. They always had the answer to the question that they were facing. They were determined to finish it to the end. It also decreased their stress level when they were concentrated on various things.
Lovers Of Challenges
Often Surrounded By Other Smart People
A quote said, “We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.” If we wanted to get smart, we should choose the right friend to be with. Intelligent people were usually with other high IQ individuals too. We could not only gain knowledge from books but also from other people again.
Often Surrounded By Other Smart People
Perfectionism Is Their Middle Name
If we knew a person who was a perfectionist, those people were smart. An intelligent individual would comprehend the order of things, tasks, and any challenges. These people would not stop until they had gotten what they wanted. It was one of the signs that we could tell if the person was intelligent or not.
Perfectionism Is Their Middle Name
Questioning Themselves All The Time
Smart people know that they still need to enhance their skills and knowledge. It was the reason why they had many questions about anything they could see. Sometimes, they might be uncertain about themselves, but they would search and find the right answer. Sometimes they might experience failure, but it did not stop them from improving.
Questioning Themselves All The Time
They Keep Up With The News
Smart people were updated about what was happening in the world. They would usually read or watch the news. Their reason was to plan what they would do next. They recognized the problem in this world and how they would face it. It was also a better idea that we knew more about what was occurring around us.
They Keep Up With The News
Working On Multiple Projects
Some said that smart people were happy if they were busy. Those people did not have any problem with doing multiple projects at the same time. Most of us thought that they were too smart to do something. However, they would do many things that came out of their mind. For them, there was no limit on what they could do. They could acquire a new language or do other sorts of stuff.
Working On Multiple Projects
They Do Not Believe They Are Smart
According to the Dunning-Kruger effect, those who had low IQ had a chance to think they were high and mighty, while on the other side were intelligent individuals. Most of them would not talk about how great or smart they were. Most of them were humble and would avoid any problem because of their skills.
They Do Not Believe They Are Smart
They Use Fewer Electronics
It might be impossible for us if we would not use electronics. However, smart people knew technology affected them. They wanted to avoid too much information or distraction they got because of technology. Intelligent people would wish for less technology. Hewlett Packard had studied that workers who had used too much technology would be distracted and would not be productive.
They Use Fewer Electronics
They Love Facts
Gossip said that smart people loved to talk to the professionals, analyze, and study the information until they would reach the answer or solution to the question. They would get every fact that they learned. If we were having a debate with them, they would present the facts that they had learned.
They Love Facts
They Are Empaths
Smart people were empathetic. It was a good trait for an intelligent individual. Not only could it be used for being a better leader, but they could show how they would communicate with others. Empathy would make them concerned about other feelings. They would observe the mood and what action they would make.
They Are Empaths
More Internet Savvy
We all knew that using technology could locate what we wanted to learn in just one clock. There were many ways how we could learn a different thing with the use of the internet. However, smart people use less technology than ordinary people because they knew how to get the information or answer they wanted. They had internet savviness and media literacy on them.
More Internet Savvy
You worry A Lot
Research showed that scientists requested 126 students to answer questionnaires about how they would frequently feel troubled, or how the problem they were facing would make them feel worried. In the questionnaires, more worried students had higher verbal and intellectual tests. It resulted that the more nervous they get, they would get a better result. Smarter people were anxious individuals.
You Worry A Lot
Easily Distracted
If we were those people who were distracted by simple notifications, breaks, and while having a conversation, we might belong to the group of intelligent people. According to the scientist, a person who was having a hard time concentrating would be smarter than the others. The reason was that their level of brain activity was high and hard to control.
Easily Distracted
Lots Of Walking
Research showed in the United Stated that individuals residing in pedestrian type cities were smarter than people who were taking a commute and living in the cities. We might be surprised about this, but they said the more we walk in our everyday life, the more we get intelligent. There was also the same result in huge cities but also a pedestrian district.
Lots Of Walking
Great Self-Control
It had been studied that intelligent people could control their impulsiveness and emotions. Smart people also think of the effect that they would do before doing it. Another study requested people to pick one of the options that said they could lower money quickly or higher cash, but that would last for a year. People who chose the second option were smarter and became successful in the future.
Great Self Control
Procrastination
Adam Grant shared that procrastination was a way to become creative. Steve Jobs applied procrastination in his work. It was the way he could rest his mind. He also said, “The time Steve Jobs was putting came to the table, as one possibility was time we spent in letting more divergent ideas come to the table, as opposed to diving right in the most conventional, the most obvious, the most familiar.”
Procrastination
Constant Snacking
Many of us knew that chewing gum could enhance our brain’s activeness and our concentration for 20 minutes. Scientists studied that intelligent people had a habit of biting things. The reason for their action to think and analyze the problem we were thinking about. If we had too many snacks in a day, it would mean we were feeling a lot of things.
Constant Snacking
Daytime Sleeping
Some of us knew that Leonardo da Vinci had used polyphasic sleep. The man practiced 20-23 sleep every 4 hours. In this way, he could rest his brain after working too much. We might not know, but our minds would sometimes be worn out like our physical bodies. In this way, he could be productive by doing polyphasic sleep. 20 min of power was a significant power nap to rest our brain.
Daytime Sleeping
Creative Mind
Dr. Katie Davis, a clinical neuropsychologist, shared that innovation was a sign of being smarter. The reason why they would think uniquely than the rest. It would also improve their past idea into a new one. Creative people would think differently than most of us, which would make them smarter than the rest.
Creative Mind
Talking To Yourself
According to a study, if a person had a habit of talking to himself, it would enhance their self-control. It was one essential factor for intelligence. There was a test that was given to participants to tell what was written in the instruction. Each of them could freely choose whether they would read it softly or loudly. In the end, people who read it louder had an excellent performance in the task.
Talking To Yourself
Alone Is Good
If we were a person who wanted to have time to be alone, then we might be considered as a smart individual. According to a psychological study, being solitary and elegant had a connection with each other. If we were alone, we could think properly and plan. We could also reflect and control ourselves. Some intelligent people were not happy being with their friends.
Alone Is Good
You’re Open-Minded
Yale University had conducted a psychology study in 2008. They said that smarter people were open-minded. They would not create their perception until they heard the side of others. Those people were not confused, but they would get some confidence after hearing others’ opinions. Smart people would ignore others’ perception.
You’re Open Minded
Adaptable And Flexible
According to psychological research, smart people could adapt to their surroundings and would make a way to find a solution or to gain knowledge. They were also flexible, and even though they were given multiple tasks, they could still do it. Even if they faced the most challenging problem, they would use everything around them to solve it.
Adaptable And Flexible
Drug Use
In 2012, a study about intelligent children would use illegal drugs when they reached adults. James W. White, Catharine R. Gale, and David Batty wrote, “In our large population-based cohort study, IQ at 11 years was associated with a greater likelihood of using selected illegal drugs 31 years later.” They ended it with, “in contrast to most studies on the association between childhood IQ and later health, a high child, and an IQ may prompt the adoption of behaviors that are potentially harmful to health (i.e., excess alcohol consumption and drug use) in adulthood.”
Drug Use
Quiet And Observant
Some of us might talk too loudly or get the attention of other people. Smart people were the opposite of those people, and they would not talk about their achievements but about their perspective. Intellectual people were usually quiet and observant ones. It would mean they could get information just by observing the environment. They would also notice that other people did not.
Quiet And Observant
A Good Memory
We knew that having a good memory meant that we were an intellectual person. If a person had a better memory, they also had more remarkable performance, concentrated on the environment, and flexible. We could consider a person who had an excellent memory to be intelligent because they could work on multiple tasks without difficulties.
A Good Memory
Going With The Flow
If we were those people who could adapt to the flow, we might be considered to be a smart person. Intelligent people could make a solution with their surroundings, open to opinions, and adapt to the time. They were an individual who only knew the book and showed empathy, curiosities, and determined with their task.
Going With The Flow
Simplicity Is Key
if we knew someone who complicated the answer to our question, then we should tell what geniuses said like Albert Einstein. He said, “If you can’t explain it simple, you donsimplyerstand it well enough.” While Steve Jobs said, “Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.”
Simplicity Is Key
True Self
In the US, 70% of workers did not like their job, but the rest were glad about it. Smart people loved themselves. Those people were trying to improve themselves by beating their previous works. They would usually compete with themselves because they realized that no one could challenge them. It was also the reason why they did not try to impress others. Intelligent people lived how they wanted to be.
True Self
Unafraid To Ask For Help
The smart person knew to themselves that they did not know all the answers. it was why they asked a guide to the experts. If they get lost in the middle of their travel, they would not be shy and ask for direction in the right direction. However, most of us were having a difficult time asking for help. For them, it was a way to gain new knowledge.
Unafraid To Ask For Help
Blue Eyes
At the University of Louisville, a professor said that a person who had a blue was smarter than others. Many geniuses had blue, including Stephen Hawking. According to the study, light-colored eyes could manage challenging problems by concentrating and using their time to make a proper decision. However, dark-eyed individuals had a fast reaction.
Blue Eyes