Eight personality traits that indicate intelligence

Intelligence is a relative term – comprehension and learning capabilities are hard to measure. Rarely can a person’s Intelligent Quotient (IQ) be judged by academic performances.

One true example of that is Albert Einstein – one of the most celebrated scientists in history, who was also not particularly good in school.

It may hard to recognise true geniuses but there are some personality traits that may indicate genuine intelligence.

Mental Illness
A controversial connection yet science has often linked intelligence with mental illnesses. An experiment conducted on mice revealed that a memory and curiosity associated protein is also related to bipolar and schizophrenia in humans. Another study found that the ability to process information fast and solve mathematical equations also puts an individual at risk for mania.



Language – even if it's bad

Research published in Language Sciences suggests a positive link between curse words and overall verbal articulacy. The 2016 study concluded that those who use swear words have could have a larger vocabulary, which is associated with acumen.

Risk 

In Muhammad Ali’s words, “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life”.

According to a 2015 study published in PLOS journal, people who dare to take up new challenges tend to have higher IQ. The research found that subjects who gauged the situation quickly and made rapid decisions had more white brain matter – an area that involves cognitive functioning.

Laziness

Thoughtful people may spend more time lost in their own thoughts than act in real life, a study suggests. It also proposed that those who think less, get bored easily and learn to keep themselves busy by taking up hobbies such as sports. "Awareness of their tendency to be less active, coupled with an awareness of the cost associated with inactivity, more thoughtful people may then choose to become more active throughout the day," claimed the researchers.

Meanwhile, Bill Gates already figured that one out when he said: “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”



Oldest Child

We all credit the middle child to be the sharpest, but a 2014 research paper argues that first-born are likely to be more success-oriented since the focus and praise from parents serve as a “self-filling prophecy”.

Another study adds that strict disciplinary actions on the oldest child enhances their abilities. “In particular, earlier born siblings are more likely to be subject to rules about TV watching and to face more intense parental monitoring regarding homework.”

Anxiety

Worrying about situations or going over them again and again in your mind could also be an intelligence trait.

A research published in the Personality and Individual Difference journal in 2014, found verbal intelligence – that helps in problem-solving, critical thinking and abstract reasoning is a “unique and positive predictor of worry and rumination.”



Popularity

A popular person may be able to read people’s emotions and personality well.

A study conducted in 2015 found that emotional intelligence enables a person to read other people’s behaviours well and employ them into making their own decisions.

Atheism

People who have a naturalistic perception of the world tend to be more intelligent than religious ones, a review of about 35 studies revealed.

According to Miron Zuckerman, a professor of Psychology, "most extant explanations [of a negative relation] share one central theme — the premise that religious beliefs are irrational, not anchored in science, not testable and, therefore, unappealing to intelligent people who 'know better’”.

This article originally appeared on the International Business Times.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.