When you think of a highly intelligent person, what do you imagine? Whatever your answer might be, I think we can all agree that highly intelligent people are defined by more than just their IQ. Many of them share a lot of mannerisms and habits. These habits probably aren’t what you think. In this blog post, we will explore nine of the most common but most surprising and unusual habits highly intelligent people are known to have, according to psychology.
1. Being Messy
First on the list is a tendency to be messy, cluttered, and even scatterbrained at times. This might surprise you because when we think of someone who is highly intelligent, we tend to picture academic achievers who rank at the top of their class and tend to be organized. In reality, however, a lot of highly intelligent people don’t actually fall into this category. They are the type most likely to be messy because they tend to be highly creative. They prefer to reject conformity and generate unique, original ideas.
2. Cursing a Lot
A lot of highly intelligent people tend to curse a lot. Not only that, they’re often more creative with their curse words, which means they have an extensive vocabulary. They also like to think for themselves, not letting society tell them what they should and should not do, what’s considered proper, and what’s frowned upon. After all, what makes a bad word bad anyway if you don’t have any malicious intent behind it? Highly intelligent people don’t see anything wrong with cursing if they see fit.
3. Being a Night Owl
Studies have shown that highly intelligent people actually prefer to stay up later than most and tend to be night owls who work through the night rather than sleep. They’re always up and about tackling a lot of problems and challenges. They prefer to do this at night where they can think with fewer interruptions and be alone with their thoughts.
4. Taking Cold Showers
Another habit that might surprise you about highly intelligent people is that many of them like to take long, cold showers. Though a lot of us like to do the same to clear our heads, did you know that there’s actually a scientific reason for this? It’s because cold showers mimic the ancient practice of water therapy, which is said to benefit both the body and mind by pumping fresh blood to our brains and therefore improving our mood, memory, and productivity.
5. Talking to Yourself
While we find it a bit embarrassing to admit, a lot of us actually have a habit of talking to ourselves. The difference is highly intelligent people do it more often. One possible reason why is that they might be the only person in their life who they can converse with on an intellectual level, or they just like to express their thoughts out loud.
6. Criticizing Yourself
Highly intelligent people tend to criticize themselves more because they might be the only ones they know who are intellectually capable enough to challenge them. In fact, one of the most notable characteristics of a highly intelligent person is their humility and self-awareness. They’re always willing to admit that they don’t know and that they don’t have all the answers. They’re not afraid to criticize themselves because they’re always open to learning more and broadening their horizons. Many highly intelligent people also tend to be perfectionists.
7. Doodling a Lot
Have you ever spaced out in class or a meeting and just started doodling on the first piece of paper you could find? If you do this often enough, it might actually be a sign that you are a highly intelligent person. Why? Because it shows that you are not being challenged or stimulated enough by mundane activities like classes and meetings. It shows that you are a highly creative, deep thinker. Not only that, studies have also shown that doodling improves our memory and problem-solving skills by allowing our brains to take a break, especially after a prolonged period of intense focus.
8. Day Dreaming
While we might associate a heightened ability to focus and concentrate with high intelligence, the same can actually be said for those who daydream a lot. Much like doodling and talking to yourself, most highly intelligent people have a very rich imagination and use these creative ways to improve their problem-solving skills and get the mental stimulation they need. Daydreaming helps us to think about things more deeply, and many highly intelligent people use this as a strategy to arrive at a breakthrough or make an important decision in life.
9. Wanting to Be Alone
Last but certainly not least, a large majority of highly intelligent people tend to be more reserved and less sociable because they can get easily overwhelmed by lots of people. They might also want to be alone a lot of the time because their fiercely independent personality makes them more focused on achieving long-term goals and objectives rather than enjoying short-term recreational pleasures like hanging out with their friends.
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Do you relate to any of the things we’ve mentioned here? Do you think you might be a highly intelligent person too? Remember, there are many different types of intelligence, and we’re all talented in our own unique ways.
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All the references used are added in the description box below. Thank you for reading, and see you next time!
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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