These 10 'Weird' habits might indicate high intelligence
There are a number of ways to determine intelligence beyond traditional IQ tests. Tossing aside standardized testing, academic scores, and verbose vocabulary skills, people may be able to determine if someone is highly intelligent based on certain habits they display.
These aren't things like reading more than ten books a month or flexing their high IQ or comprehension skills in casual conversation. It's actually the opposite. Many things very intelligent people do may be seen as weird, or labeled as what an unmotivated or lazy person would do. Some of these behaviors may even come across as antisocial or introverted.
Recently, Slightly Smarter, a YouTube channel dedicated to "learning better, thinking sharper, and making progress without the pressure," posted a surprising video on intelligent people. According to their research, intelligent people have some pretty weird habits that don't seem smart at face value, but indicate high intelligence. In no particular order, here are ten things people may consider strange but are actually signs of high intelligence:
Young genius tackles equations with confidence and style!Photo credit: Canva
1. Organized chaos
When you walk into someone's office or bedroom, you expect it to be tidy, or at least straightened enough to look presentable. But for those who are smarter than the average bear, their working area may be chaotic–to you. To them, the chaos serves a function. It's a trail of ideas and projects to get back to, and surprisingly, they can locate everything they need on a second's notice. It may appear like clutter and disorganization, but it's functional for them, which is what matters most in their space.
2. Alone time is the best time
This is something that may cause people to think an intelligent person is introverted or antisocial. However, the truth is that they have a limited social battery due to processing more information than the average person in social situations.
"Intelligent people need more alone time because their brains constantly process complex information. Social situations require reading expressions, interpreting tone, and following multiple conversations. For active minds, this is exhausting. Solitude allows your brain's default mode network, where your mind wanders, processes experiences, and makes connections," Slightly Smarter says.
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3. Daydreaming
People who daydream are not always imagining some fantasy world. Some intelligent people daydream when faced with boring, repetitive tasks or situations they can do on autopilot. This doesn't necessarily mean they're not being productive; in fact, they're often problem-solving for something they feel is more important.
4. Very few close friends
The Slightly Smarter video reveals, "Intelligent people have smaller social circles but deeper relationships. This isn't an inability to make friends; It's choosing quality over quantity. Higher IQ people report feeling happier with fewer substantial friendships. Maintaining friendships requires emotional and cognitive energy. Intelligent people invest deeply in a few relationships rather than spreading thin across surface connections."
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5. Rabbit hole addiction
Finding yourself deep into research on some obscure topic may seem weird to some people, but according to research, it may indicate above-average intelligence. Sure, you may wind up with a hodgepodge of highly specific knowledge, but it's fuel for those deep conversations you love.
6. Overthinking
Overthinking may be a habit that can annoy friends at times, but it's actually a sign of intelligence. "Neuroscience shows overthinkers have more active prefrontal cortices, your complex reasoning center. You're not indecisive, you're thorough," Slightly Smarter notes. The downside to overthinking, however, is decision fatigue.
7. Small talk is not the vibe
Small talk is something people with high IQs may not enjoy. This is because small talk keeps things on the surface. It's something polite to do to pass the time, but it doesn't always foster deeper connections, which is what highly intelligent people crave.
8. Self-amusement
"You laugh at your own jokes, even if no one else does. You crack a joke, nobody laughs, but you're chuckling five minutes later. That awkward moment is actually independent thinking and high intelligence," Slightly Smarter states. They also explain that this habit shows a person has high self-confidence.
9. Sarcasm as a love language
Using sarcasm requires the use of several parts of the brain at once, especially when it's well timed. "Harvard and Columbia research shows sarcastic people score higher on creativity tests. Why? Sarcasm forces multi-layer thinking, literal, physical and social. It's intellectual multitasking," the video explains.
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10. Patterns everywhere
Intelligent people are very good at pattern recognition. To others, the patterns may seem coincidental, but to someone with above-average intelligence, they recognize the patterns to assist in decision-making. In short, it shows higher cognitive function. Sometimes others may see you as the guy with red yarn connecting random pictures on a corkboard, but you're picking up on subtle patterns others miss.
Watch the full video here:
- YouTube youtu.be