APPRECIATING DARK HUMOUR SEEMS TO BE A SIGN OF HIGH IQ

Intelligent and highly skilled individuals are often inclined to underestimate their abilities. In the meantime, people who are incompetent and have limited knowledge are usually prone to overestimate their talents. This cognitive bias has been also known as the Dunning-Kruger effect, named after psychologists who discovered this phenomenon in 1999.

There are many other subtle signs that could mean that you are way more intelligent than you think. We have gathered the best bits from Insider, Inc. and The Healthy.

#1. You Are Not a Morning Person

Studies show that people with higher IQ scores do not belong to the exclusive 5-am-club, but rather prefer being night owls and staying wide awake till late night. Scientists are convinced that this behaviour pattern has a simple evolutionary explanation. Night hours used to be quite a perilous time for our ancestors, and so only those who have been smart enough not to fall asleep after dark hours could survive in the murk wilderness.

Besides, many genius and talented people prefer to work at late hours, as nothing can distract them and this quietness-at-night ignites their creativity. 

#2. You Enjoy Dark Humour

Studies conducted at the New Mexico University suggest that professional comedians possess a high level of verbal intelligence. A special attention should be given to dark humour. As it has been illustrated in the research published in Cognitive Processing, dark humour is particularly valued among clever people. It is assumed that dark humour processing is a complex exercise for the human’s brain and thus requires high cognitive abilities. 

#3. You Are Young Beethoven

Music lessons in primary school stimulate children's brain activity. A few studies have shown that children who receive music education appear to have a high level of verbal intelligence and are better at problem-solving.

#4. You Are Judgemental 

Although one might say that being judgemental is not the best quality to have, this trait can be linked to high intelligence. In 2018 the examination showed that smart people are predisposed to develop stereotypes. According to the research, it is believed that a well-trained brain is better at detecting patterns in others’ behaviour. 

#5. You Have Fewer Friends

On average clever individuals struggle to click with many people and end up having fewer close friends. As a child, people opt for being friends with people whose IQ score deviates up to 15 points within their score. Put differently, if the average IQ score is 100, and let’s say that you have an IQ of 100 points, that leaves us with 68% of the population who will fall under this category of 100±15. Yet your potential friendship zone will shrink to 2% of the population if you have an IQ of 145 points, meaning with the majority of people you will probably fail to develop a long-lasting bond.

#6. You Are a Messymaker

Psychological scientist Kathleen Vohs from the University of Minnesota found that clever people opt for messy and disorderly environments. In her experiment, she asked two groups of individuals to come up with unconventional usage of ping pong balls. While one group has been put in a clean room, the other one has been kept in a messy setting. Eventually, the group who stayed in a messy room generated more creative and unique ideas. That is why, if you feel comfy in your messy space you might have a well-developed cognitive and creative skill set. 

#7.  You Wear Glasses

It is a universally perpetuated stereotype that nerds wear glasses. Good news: smart people indeed wear glasses. 

The study of 300,486 individuals conducted at the University of Edinburgh has revealed that people with high IQ scores are 30% more likely to inherit genes associated with poor eyesight. Moreover, some experiments show that people wearing glasses are usually perceived as smart ones.

#8. You Overestimate Other’s Abilities 

If you happen to find yourself in a situation where people around you do not know the most obvious facts, your IQ might be above average. This happens because smart people tend to project their level of intelligence onto those they interact with. While many things seem to be common knowledge to them, for others it is not the case.

#9. You Are a Lonely Wolf 

Scientists from the Singapore Management University and the London School of Economics have interviewed 15, 000 young people between 18 to 28 years old. The experiment has demonstrated that highly intelligent people have higher life satisfaction if they experience less frequent socialisation.

#10. You Are Thirsty For Knowledge

The more you invest your time and effort into learning and enriching your knowledge, the more knowledgeable you are. This has been scientifically proven. The research has demonstrated that the level of cognitive growth and development correlates with a human's dedication to learning.

However, it is not only about the learning process per se. You have to crave to discover and learn new things. It is curiosity that drives intelligent people. It has been also found that kids with higher IQ scores end up being generally inquisitive and open-minded once they grow up. 

#11. You Talk to Yourself

There is nothing weird about chattering to yourself. If you catch yourself occasionally in the middle of self-talk there is no need to question your mental health. Quite the opposite — researchers from Bangor University have concluded that it is rather an indicator of intelligence. 

As a part of the experiment, participants were provided with written instructions. Half of them were asked to read it out loud, while the rest had to read the instructions quietly. The experiment revealed that the concentration of the ‘aloud’ group turned out to be higher compared to ‘silent’ readers. According to the scientist, self-talk is linked to a high level of self-control that is also an indicator of great cognitive abilities.

Another experiment conducted by a scientist from Yale University reinforces these findings. The participants have been offered to take an IQ test and get either an instant or delayed remuneration, but a higher one in the latter case. Participants who refused to get immediate compensation turned out to have higher IQ scores. 

 #12. You Are Struggling with Anxiety 

Clever and witty people are considered to be more prone to anxiety and mood disorders. A group of American researchers concluded that intelligent people are more likely to overthink and over-worry about certain problems. As studies have shown, this tendency to overanalyze contributes to higher risks of being exposed to mental disorders. 

According to Dr. Catherine Franssen, another reason for being anxious is the social pressure extraordinary and smart people have to endure, as they differ from others.

#13. Sports Activities Make You Smarter

In his book “Neurofitness”, Rahul Jandial, a brain surgeon and a neuroscientist discovered that doing regular physical activities keeps the mind sharp and boosts intelligence abilities. Dr. Jandial concluded that such activities enable unique connections between concepts and thought, as well as enhance brain capacity and functions, and thus this stimulates the growth of neurons and their linkage.

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