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Some of the greatest minds, such as Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin, exhibited strange behaviors, such as loneliness and working late into the night.
And while the world may have found these habits strange, numerous studies have linked them to having a high IQ.
This is because Our daily practices have a huge impact on our intelligence and can even change the way we think.
And psychologists have identified at least seven strange behaviors that they believe are signs of genius.
Geniuses like Albert Einstein are known for having peculiar habits. Scientists say these seven strange behaviors may be linked to a high IQ
1. Talk to yourself
If you talk to yourself, you’re not crazy. In fact, it may be a sign that you’re smarter than the average person.
While this behavior is somewhat irrational, a growing body of evidence suggests it has major cognitive benefits, including improved memory, confidence, focus, and more.
In a 2012 study, a team of American researchers showed participants 20 photographs of various objects and asked them to find a specific one.
Scientists found that people who talked to themselves while looking at the images were able to identify the object more quickly.
Another study, conducted in 2017 by researchers in the United Kingdom, found that our brains act much like those of monkeys when we stop talking to ourselves: activating separate visual and auditory areas of the brain for each task.
In the experiment, researchers asked participants to repeat nonsense sounds out loud, such as “blah-blah-blah,” while performing visual and auditory tasks.
“As we can’t say two things at the same time, mumbling these sounds meant that participants couldn’t tell themselves what to do in each task,” wrote Paloma Mari-Beffa, a senior lecturer at Bangor University, in The conversation.
‘Under these circumstances, humans behaved like monkeys do, activating separate visual and auditory areas of the brain for each task.’
So the next time you’re caught mumbling to yourself, don’t be embarrassed. This strange habit helps you process information and stay alert.
2. Staying up late
The early bird may catch the worm, but evidence suggests that night owls actually have higher IQs.
A study published in January analyzed data from 26,000 adults and found that those who stay up late score significantly higher on cognitive tests than those who get up early.
Many brilliant minds are known to have had nocturnal habits, including Charles Darwin.
Night owls scored about 13.5 percent higher than morning owls in one group and 7.5 percent higher than morning owls in another group.
Many brilliant minds are known to have had nocturnal habits, including Darwin and Marcel Proust.
If your mind is most active while the rest of the world is sleeping, you may have a high IQ.
3. Daydreaming
Daydreaming is often perceived as a distraction, but scientists say it’s actually a sign of intelligence and creativity.
“People with efficient brains may have too much brain power to keep their minds from wandering,” said Eric Schumacher, an associate professor of psychology at Georgia Tech, in a statement.
Their research found that people who report daydreaming more frequently perform better on tests of intellectual and creative ability.
MRI scans also showed that these people had more efficient brain systems.
This evidence suggests that daydreaming is actually great exercise for the brain. So if you notice your mind wandering, that’s a good sign.
4. Thrive in disorder
Some people can’t stand a messy room or desk, but very intelligent people don’t seem to mind, or maybe even prefer it.
A team of researchers set out to determine why this happens. They put study participants in either a cluttered or tidy office space and asked them to think of new uses for ping pong balls.
Although both groups contributed a similar number of ideas, the researchers found that participants in the messy room came up with more creative and interesting ideas.
“Messy environments seem to inspire a break with tradition, which can yield 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 cluttered environment may have higher intelligence.
‘Orderly environments, on the other hand, encourage convention and security.’
So, leaving your space clutter-free can help you think outside the box.
5. Ask a lot of questions
If you constantly ask how things work, where they come from, and dozens of other questions that pop into your head, you are probably very intelligent.
Curiosity is one of the most common signs of intelligence. It’s a sign that your mind is always seeking to understand the world around you.
It also means that you are always learning and storing new information. The more questions you ask, the more your understanding will expand.
For some it may be annoying, but for people with a high IQ, this insatiable curiosity is natural.
As Einstein once said: “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”
6. Being introverted
Many geniuses are known to hide away to work or think in peace and quiet.
It makes sense: It can be hard to concentrate when we’re surrounded by the constant chatter and stimulation of a social environment.
Furthermore, studies have shown that introverts tend to engage in deeper cognitive processing than extroverts. They tend to think more deeply and critically, which may be associated with a higher IQ.
Introverts also tend to prefer activities that require concentration and sustained mental effort, such as reading and research, which can foster intellectual development.
7. Devour books
Avid readers are constantly learning new information, vocabulary, complex ideas, and different perspectives. It’s like exercise for the mind.
In addition, reading helps to strengthen mental concentration, imagination and our ability to empathize with others.
People who read a lot constantly develop their intelligence, which means they are more likely to have a high IQ.
Take business magnate and investor Warren Buffet, for example, who spends nearly eight hours a day reading.
So if you constantly have your nose in a book, you’re actually getting smarter page by page.
