18 characteristics confirmed by science are signs of smart people

Idiots often overestimate their abilities, while smart people tend to underestimate their own abilities. Like in the play "As You Like It" , Shakespeare once said: "The ignorant think he is wise, but the knowledgeable man knows he is ignorant".

That common practice made more solid by a study at Cornell University is that this is a kind of psychology that exists in many individuals and, later on, the expertise known as the Dunning-Kruger effect - two names. teachers and psychology professors David Dunning and Justin Kruger - who have made official reports on this psychological effect in 1999.

The Dunning - Kruger effect is a cognitive deviation in which a skilled person makes bad decisions and wrong conclusions, but the lack of capacity prevents awareness of the mistakes themselves.

So, if you are not sure about your intelligence, it may indeed be a sign that you are quite intelligent, because you are mature enough to realize your limitations, at least like that. .

Here are a few subtle signs that you are much smarter than you think.

1. You take music classes

Research suggests that music can help a child's mind develop in many ways.

A study in 2011 showed that scores in a language intelligence test of children aged 4 to 6 increased after only a few months of attending music classes.

Another study, conducted in 2014 initiated by Glenn Schellenberg, showed that 6-year-olds who spent 9 months learning how to play music keys or practicing their voices would have an IQ increase in comparison with children attending class. Good drama doesn't learn any gifted classes at all.

Meanwhile, in 2013, Schellenberg also conducted a study and proposed that high-achieving children are the most likely babies who are attending music classes. In other words, in fact, learning music probably only increases cognitive differences that existed before.

2. You are the oldest

Older brothers and sisters in the family are often smarter. The cause is not genetic.

Norwegian epidemiologist used military records to check the date of birth, health status and IQ of nearly 250,000 men aged 18 and 19 born in the period 1967 - 1976. The results showed that the first-born children had IQ 103 in comparison with 100 - the second and 99 children - the third in the family.

The New York Times also reported that: "New findings, from a landmark study published [in June 2007] have shown that the oldest children have an advantage. IQ is small but very significant - an average of 3 points compared to their peers, while researchers also recognize that this difference is not because of biological factors but mixed effects. each other is psychological nature between parents and children ".

For this reason and many other reasons, first-born children tend to be more successful (but not much more successful) than their children.

3. You are slim

In a 2006 study, scientists gave about 2,200 adult IQs and follow-up tests for more than five years. The results suggest that the larger the waist measurement, the lower the cognitive ability.

In the same year, another study showed that 11-year-olds who scored low on oral exams and paper tests were more likely to be obese after more than 40 years of age. The study authors say that smart children will probably pursue better educational opportunities, better paid jobs and better status in society, so when they get old, they will have a better position to care for their health than those who are not as smart as them.

Meanwhile, a recent study found that among preschool children, having low IQ is often associated with higher BMI (body weight index), and the significant impact of individuals Environmental factors due to the relationship between BMI and intelligence are also explained by differences in socioeconomic status.

4. You have a cat

A study in 2014 involving 600 college students aimed at assessing personality and intelligence showed that dog lovers were more accessible than cat lovers.

However, when it comes to cognitive abilities, those cat lovers have higher scores than dog lovers!

5. You are breastfed

A study conducted in 2007 suggested that babies who are breastfed will grow up to be very intelligent babies compared to other children.

Researchers have observed 3,000 children in England and New Zealand. As a result, they found that babies who were breastfed had a higher IQ score of 7 points if the child owned a special gene called FADS2.

This gene is thought to be able to control the pathway of fatty acids and help children better utilize the excellent source of breast milk or develop their brain more quickly.

6. Use stimulants

In 2012, more than 6,000 Britons were born in 1958 to participate in a study to determine the relationship between high IQ and the use of stimulants later.

According to researchers James W. White, Catharine R. Gale and David Batty are in contrast to most studies of the relationship between childhood IQ and adult health, this study shows a child. When a baby has a high IQ, he or she is more likely to nurture harmful behaviors later, such as drinking a lot of alcohol or using substance abuse.

7. Left-handed person

Although a common phenomenon is that left-handed people tend to commit more crimes, so far, scientists have not been able to explain this.

A recent study has found a link between left-handed versus divergent thinking - an innovative form that allows you to come up with new ideas in a short time.

8. You are tall

In 2008, Princeton University conducted research on thousands of people and experts found that those who own good heights, if they were children, would score higher in IQ tests, and if they were people Bigger will make more money than others of modest height.

9. You drink alcohol often

Evolutionary psychology Stahoshi Kanazawa and his colleagues discovered something very interesting that both Americans and Britons, adults with higher IQ scores when they were a child or in adolescence will drink more alcohol than adults who have lower IQ.

10. You can read early

In 2012, researchers observed nearly 2,000 twins in the UK and found that early reading children had higher IQs in cognitive ability tests.

11. You worry a lot

A series of studies show that anxious people are more likely to be intelligent than others in some respects.

For example, in one study, experts asked 126 students to answer questionnaires and select answers related to the symptoms that appeared when they were worried. In an article published on Psychology Today, psychologist Dr. Edward (research participant) said that most participants said that they were often thoughtful or constantly thinking about some aspects of something makes them feel nervous.

The results show that people with a tendency to be more anxious and pensive have a higher verbal intelligence (verbal intelligence) than those who are less anxious or often contemplate.

12. You are funny

A study involving 400 students was asked to give a few descriptions of cartoon images in the New Yorker and those captions were evaluated completely independently.

As expected, smarter kids are judged to be more humorous.

13. A very faithful lover

Sex is considered the inherent natural instinct of human beings and does not seem to have much to do with intelligence. But, according to experts, the sexual response in men can be said to be a smart man.

Our ancestors in the early days, especially Adam's concepts, were very open about sex. The relationship or sleep with many women is simply understood as the act of maintaining the breed, similar to that of animals.

Therefore, faithful men, who only love and live with a partner, go against the general trend of society. And according to experts, it is an expression of intelligence.

Another independent study by the University of North Carolina showed similar results. Accordingly, up to 39.8% of young men with average IQ (90-110) had sexual intercourse while this figure among young men (IQ above 110) was only 29.2 %

At the same time, this study also showed that adolescents with IQ 100 are able to eat "forbidden fruits" 1.5 - 5 times more than teenagers with 120-130 IQ.

14. Smart people often have a mother with severe morning sickness during pregnancy

Science has proven, intelligence is partly due to genetic factors. However, few people know that if a pregnant mother becomes seriously ill, it means that the baby will become smarter.

The phenomenon of pregnancy sickness, though uncomfortable for the mother, is considered to be beneficial to the child's intelligence.

According to Reuters news agency, a number of scientists led by Dr. Irena Nulman have proved that judgment.

Tests conducted on 121 Canadian children aged 3 - 7 years showed that children with severe morning sickness had significantly higher IQ scores, especially in memory and language ability.

In particular, experts say morning sickness often occurs in the first months of pregnancy. This phenomenon, though making the mother uncomfortable, is very good for the fetus.

Persistent nausea during pregnancy is associated with special stimuli necessary for the long-term development of young children, reducing the rate of miscarriage and stillbirth. Therefore, a part of maternal morning sickness can increase intelligence for the child.

15. A "technology blind"

Acquiring new science and technology is something worth encouraging, but if it is too abusive, they will threaten the development of your intelligence.

According to The Times Online, the use of too many electronic devices, especially texting, can cause "infomania" status.

Technology believers are often less appreciated for their intellectuals, while technology blinds have a high IQ

According to British researchers, people with "infomania" really have problems with intelligence. IQ of these people decreased by 4 points compared to the use of stimulants such as drugs, marijuana.

In other words, a little "blind technology" will help you a lot in developing intelligence.

16. You are curious

In an article published in Harvard Business Review, the price of business psychology at London University Tomas Chamorro Premuzi gave some comments about owning a head longing to learn will stimulate curiosity like. He said that the more curious, the more you get the better knowledge and the intellectual investment is a very important part of cognitive development.

17. You are not neat

In Psychological Science, a study by Dr. Kathleen Vohs (Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota) revealed that working in a cluttered room actually stimulates creativity.

18. You are "night owl"

Most of us think that smart people are people who have good control of life, healthy living and moderation.

However, scientific studies prove the opposite. One of the typical manifestations is that intelligent "night owls" are superior to ordinary people.

To prove this statement, scientists at Liege University (Belgium) conducted an experiment comparing two groups of volunteers: sleeping early and sleeping late. Both are required to do highly focused tasks while experts use magnetic resonance cameras to monitor their brain activity.

The results showed that, after 10 hours, the concentration of the brain of the sleeping group soon decreased while the late sleep group did not change.

In fact, this is the result of evolution in human history. Since ancient times, our ancestors had a tendency to eat and work during the day while at night going to seek shelter in caves.

According to researchers, going against this trend is an expression of intelligence. In fact, geniuses like Charles Darwin or Winston Churchill usually go to bed at 4 am.