Have you ever had a sneaking suspicion that you’re smarter than most people? If you’re a cat person or a jokester, you might be right.
Some might measure this by test scores or good grades, but not all signs of a highly intelligent person are measured by numbers.
Scroll through to learn how to tell if you are smart, and which signs suggest that you might be a little smarter than most people.
1. You’re sarcastic
It’s among the lowest form of wit, but a new study has suggested that it can promote creative thinking and requires considerable brain power.
As Professor Francesca Gino, one of the study’s authors, explained:
“To create or decode sarcasm, both the expressers and recipients of sarcasm need to overcome the contradiction (i.e., psychological distance) between the literal and actual meanings of the sarcastic expressions”
This is a process that activates and is facilitated by abstraction, which in turn promotes creative thinking.
2. You Have A Cat
Whether you’re a cat or a dog person says a lot about your personality — and apparently also your intelligence.
Study in 2004 found that, out of 600 college students, the ones who identified as being cat people were more open-minded and recorded better grades.
3. You Learned To Read At A Young Age
Of course, your ability to read is one of the things that helps you expand your knowledge.
Almost everyone learns to read eventually, but an early aptitude for it indicates a bright intellect. If you were one of the first kids in your class to learn how to read, that’s a good sign that you’re smarter than average.
4. You Worry A Lot
Some people may say ignorance is bliss, but if you know a lot, then there is a lot to worry about.
If you are a little bit of a worrywart, it’s OK; it’s just a sign that you are aware, and that your brain is full of things to worry about!
5. You’re A Night Owl
The early bird may get the worm, but night owls tend to be a little smarter, according to Psychology today.
A study found that children with more nocturnal habits also happened to score more highly on cognitive aptitude tests.
Maybe it’s all those late nights spent reading when you were supposed to be in bed!
6. You are Funny
A joke is essentially just finding a twist in disassociation or dissonance and joining two dots that sit weirdly with each other, which releases endorphins when you laugh – it’s a social point of connection, a “we both get this” moment.
If you can engineer that consistently, you’re probably a little bit smarter than average.
7. You doubt your intelligence
Socrates once said:
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing”.
He was a pretty smart guy.
He hinted at the Dunning-Kruger effect, first observed in 1999, which found that intelligent people are more able and willing to correct their own mistakes.
If you’re willing to spot errors and amend them, rather than stubbornly believe you’re right, you’re probably a shade smarter than others.
8. You’re prone to be lazy
One experiment showed that people with a high IQ are likely to get buried in thought and be less active, while average individuals are bored more often and try to fill up their schedule. Still, you should know better than to justify your laziness with high intelligence.
So, are you smarter than the average?
