Telltale Signs You’re Much Smarter Than Average
Telltale Signs You’re Much Smarter Than Average
By Dr. Travis Bradberry, Linkden Pulse, May 1, 2016
Intelligence, or IQ, isn’t what you know, but rather the pace at which you acquire new information. Longitudinal studies have shown that IQ is fixed at an early age, so you’re stuck with what you’ve got.
While IQ is far from being the only thing that determines success in life—research shows that it isn’t even the most important factor—a high IQ still isn’t a bad thing to have. In fact, I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t mind having one .
“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein
Most of us move through life never knowing exactly how smart we are. IQ is a difficult thing to measure, and unless you’re willing to fork over several hundred dollars to a trained professional, you’ll never know for certain what your IQ is.
New research provides some interesting clues linking early life experiences to, among other things, high intelligence. If any of the following apply to you, you just might have a high IQ.
You’re anxious. It’s hard to think of anxiety as a good thing, but evidence suggests that it might not be all bad. Psychiatrist Jeremy Coplan studied patients with anxiety disorders and found that the people with the worst symptoms had higher IQ scores than those with milder symptoms. Other studies have found higher verbal IQ scores in people with higher levels of anxiety. And then there was a more complex experiment conducted at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in Israel. Researchers asked participants to evaluate artwork presented by a software program and then triggered a fake computer virus, making it look as if it was the result of something that the participant did. They then sent the participants on an urgent mission to get tech support, only to throw yet another series of obstacles in their way. They found that the most anxious participants were also the most focused and effective at executing tasks. The next time somebody tells you to stop worrying so much, just tell them it’s your oversized intellect getting in the way.
You were an early reader. A British study of 2,000 pairs of identical twins found that, despite their identical genes, the children who started reading earlier had higher IQ scores (both verbal and nonverbal) than their siblings. On the surface, this one seems easy enough to explain away: the kids who learned to read early did so because they were smarter. But that wasn’t the case. The researchers concluded that learning to read early actually had a developmental impact—it made the kids smarter. So, if you were an early reader, it might not be because you’re smart. It may be that you’re smart because you were an early reader.
You’re left-handed. It turns out that all of those teachers who tried to force lefties to write with their right hands may have had it backward. While there is a small and, as of yet, unexplained correlation between being left-handed and being a criminal, there are some intellectual benefits to being a southpaw. One large study demonstrated that left-handedness is associated with divergent thinking, all the more so in males. This unique ability to combine two unrelated objects in a meaningful way is a sign of intelligence.
You took music lessons as a kid . There are a number of studies demonstrating that musical training enhances verbal intelligence and executive function, a skill that’s critical to focus and self-control. In a study conducted by psychologist Sylvain Moreno, 48 children between the ages of four and six participated in a computerized training program that was led by a teacher. For one hour per day, five days a week for four weeks, half the students completed a musical program, and the other half completed a visual arts program. At the end of the experiment, 90% of the children who received the musical training showed improvements in verbal IQ. So, if you took music lessons when you were a kid, that’s a good sign.
You’re funny . Class clowns rejoice! Research shows a strong connection between being funny and having high scores in both verbal intelligence and abstract reasoning. It appears that your witty banter is the product of a sharp mind. Now, you just need to come up with a joke about that .
Bringing It All Together
This list is far from exhaustive, so if none of the items above apply to you, it doesn’t exclude you from having a high IQ. But if a lot of these items do apply to you, you just might be smarter than the average bear.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the #1 bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 , and the cofounder of TalentSmart , the world's leading provider of emotional intelligence tests and training , serving more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies. His bestselling books have been translated into 25 languages and are available in more than 150 countries. Dr. Bradberry has written for, or been covered by, Newsweek, TIME, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post , and The Harvard Business Review .
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“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein
LOL
I Brillant! (only kidding).
Doesn't surprise me any.
I am very anxious. I was a proficient reader by age 5 and I have been told I am very funny. However I am not left-handed and never took music lessons (who could afford them?). I tested as having a 138 IQ in 8th grade. Guess I'm sort of smart. I don't understand the left hand part though? I'd like to look at that further.
I am very anxious.
I've known a lot of very anxious people-- some were actually not too bright! (And-- some were!)
If I were devising a test to measure IQ-- or intelligence-- I would not include that!
I was a proficient reader by age 5
my guess is that is probably one good indicator in many cases.
and I have been told I am very funny.
I think that the type of humor might be a better indicator...???
However I am not left-handed
Left-handed...c'mon now... and, as one of my statistics professors said:
Correlation does not necessarily imply causation.
And this?
and never took music lessons (who could afford them?).
Well, I took piano lessons. But it had nothing to do with intelligence. My parents made me. I hated it. And I was a total klutz (eventually they let me stop).
But this article indicates the problem with "pop psychology"-- its often not very accurate. (the most extreme case of I can think of is some of those quizzes in Cosmopolitan magazine!).
I think that the type of humor might be a better indicator...???
I'm a smart ass. A "come back imrov" type. Definately not telling jokes.
My mother says no one taught me how to read, that I learned it on my own. I got a dictionary from my grandfather so I could read and look up words I didn't understand.
@Krishna
Yeah, my piano lessons were a disaster as well - only got as far as grade IV in conservatory testing.
Krishna, you're one of the wittiest persons I've encountered on both NV and NT.
Krishna, you're one of the wittiest persons I've encountered on both NV and NT.
I'm not really-- its all done with mirrors!
Yeah, my piano lessons were a disaster as well - only got as far as grade IV in conservatory testing.
I hated them at the time, but I regret it now. It would be great to be able to play an instrument. (but i'm busy with other things now and wouldn't have the patience).
In some ways I am the same as when I was a kid-- curious, and always liking to learn new things. But the subjects I hated most in school were math and History. Now I like bot, use math a lot And now I really like History.
Well, Randy, I did take music lessons, am right-handed, don't remember how anxious I might have been back then but have reasons to be anxious now, was an early reader and had an IQ at age 18 of 137, but my older brother who was a scholarship recipient is mensa, has an IQ about 15 points higher than mine, but then he's left-handed. I retook an online IQ test a few years ago and it indicated I only lost a couple of points.
I've been anxious all of my life. Always been a problem. My wife has a 168 IQ, but doesn't think it's really a good indication of how smart one is. I guess it depends on the skill set you are looking for.
I used to be a great whistler for music. I learned it from my dad who drove truck for years before CB came along and whistled to the radio during the long drives and was really good at it.
had an IQ at age 18 of 137
Wow-- that's interesting-- Randy said his was 138, which is basically the same!
It's the Canadian in me. Or us. Or whatever.
It's the Canadian in me.
Canadian, eh?
Randy and I both know that we have many similarities, have encountered many similar experiences, etc. We're friends, but once in a while fight over the same issue.
Better to fight over one issue once in awhile, then many issues all of the time. I'd like to say Confucius said that, but t was me.
Actually i don't think IQ tests are all that valid.
Also, I think there may be different types of IQ (or "intelligence"). Some people may have only one kind of intelligence-- for example being a musical genius who doesn't exhibit any signs of a particularly high IQ in other areas of their life.
Of course you are probably smarter than average if you are an INTJ or an INTP . (One of 16 types in the MBTI --"Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a personality test).
For a description of those two "intellectual" types, scroll down to the box with the 16 smaller boxes inside a nd click on INTJ and INTP.
(I think maybe I should seed an article just about MBTI types).
INTJ. Which seems about right.
I am very strongly an INTP. Both are very "intellectual". They love to look at complex problems and find solutions. TIe one difference between the two I noticed in INTP works long a hard on a problem, solves it-- and then moves on. They just love the challenge of solving the problem, and learning stuff. But they rarely do anything with the information!
The INTJ is similar, but after they have the info thy apply it-- they use it by going out into the world and actually producing results.
However the test is not meant to be an IQ test-- is rather a personality style test.
When I actually took the assessment 20 years ago they decided I was INTJ, but I disagreed with them and consider myself INTP. they said it's difficult cause I have aspects of both.
The fact that I decided not to finish College was what caused them to choose the way they did. Seems backwards to me but whoi am I to judge, they were the "Experts"
Personally I'm just another idiot trying to make my way in the world.
Smart woman, huh?
My wife has a high IQ, but has problems with some things that come easy to me and the other way around. For instance our dryer went out several years ago and she expected me to call a repairman or to look for a new one. Instead I hauled it out to the garage, saw where a mouse had moved in there as a home (lots of dog kibble in there) and chewed through several wires. So I went to the hardware store, bought the parts needed, rewired quite a bit of it and had it running by the time she got home from work. However that's not as much intelligence as it is paying attention when my dad did things like that. I did the same thing with the Hot Tub, but like dad always said, if you look most appliances have the wiring diagram in them somewhere and if you just follow them you'll be fine.
The big problem is that now she expects me to be able to fix anything in the house! And I can't!
I have that problem also....
AS far as smart woman? That's why I married her.
I think there really are different kinds of intelligence. For example, you have a high degree of what some psychologists call "mechanical intelligence". Some people just really have an innate ability to solve problems involving mechanical things. other are naturally good at math-- or music-- or art.
I also think that abilities in those things can be improved with training, but that most people will never excel in certain fields no matter how much training they get-- but OTOH they might be "a natural" in other fields.
I agree that there are different types of intelligence. When I was in Computer School in the Air Force my instructor told me I was good at it because I could visualize the computer in my mind and "see" what I needed to do to get it to do what I wanted it to do. Probably because of being an early reader. I think the same thing applies to fixing some things. But I value my homeowners insurance policy too much to try to fix the furnace.
Yet on the other hand my wife can read people extremely well and I can get conned in a heartbeat. Though I can't get her to learn (or even want to learn) how the thermostat works for heating and cooling the house...or in the car.
Oh Geez !
you just might be smarter than the average bear.
I read the whole article just to find this OBVIOUS conclusion !?!?!
Boo-Boo was always the smart one.
It was Yogi that knew where to find the pick-a-nick baskets.
Yeah, but it was Yogi who did all of the work.
Mensa requested that I join their elite group. I had to turn them down, I already belonged to Mensa Plus. Our motto is, We're a couple of digits higher.
I've always been one to admire ''street smarts'' above most others. It's called stayin' alive, and it's not the song.
Funny to see who comes here to talk about how smart they are......
Yeah, it is funny isn't it?
{chuckle}