Being a genius isn't as simple as being smart or having a high IQ. While intelligence is, of course, a prerequisite of genius status, there are other things at play here – including creativity, self-awareness, and an innate ability to ask questions few others have ever asked.
Geniuses have a denser concentration of mini-columns than the rest of the population – it seems that they simply pack more in. Mini-columns are sometimes described as the brain's 'microprocessors', powering the thought process of the brain. Research shows that geniuses have fewer dopamine receptors in the thalamus.
A genius is someone who is very intelligent and usually excels in one specific area (science or mathematics, for example). They generally have extraordinary creative abilities, which allow them to look outside the box and view things in a way that the majority of us aren't capable of.
Geniuses think productively, not reproductively
They tend to come up with many different responses, some of which are unconventional and possibly unique. Leonardo da Vinci believed that to gain deep knowledge about a problem, you have to learn how to restructure it in many different ways.
While many endeavors of geniuses lead to remarkable results, it doesn't always come, worry-free. In fact, a common trait that geniuses have is the tendency to overthink things and worry, incessantly.
Being a genius isn't as simple as being smart or having a high IQ. While intelligence is, of course, a prerequisite of genius status, there are other things at play here – including creativity, self-awareness, and an innate ability to ask questions few others have ever asked.
Adaptability: High IQ people are flexible and willing to try new things and explore different ways of approaching a problem. Curiosity: Highly intelligent People are curious about the world and want to learn more about how it works.
The 12 Qualities of Genius
To provide a structure for educators that can make the concept of genius useful, I've expanded its meaning to include 12 basic qualities: curiosity, playfulness, imagination, creativity, wonder, wisdom, inventiveness, vitality, sensitivity, flexibility, humor, and joy.
According to studies, genetics can drive anywhere between 30-75% of the variations in people's IQ levels. However, certain environmental factors and socioeconomic status can prevent a person from achieving their true genetic potential of IQ levels.
Typically, 70% of all people will have an IQ between 80-120. About 95% of all people will have an IQ between 70-130. High IQ people usually score above 130 IQ points, depending on which test is used. The top 1% of intelligent people in the world, according to these tests, have an IQ of over 145.
Research has shown that there is a high correlation between being intelligent and socially anxious. The higher your IQ, the higher the chance your social apprehension is higher than usual. Of course, that doesn't mean that your social anxiety should be classified as a disorder.
Past midnight—The golden hour(s) for human IQ.
Psychology Today reported that intelligent people are likely to be nocturnal beings, with those with a higher IQ going bed later on both weeknights and weekends.
Faces that are perceived as highly intelligent are rather prolonged with a broader distance between the eyes, a larger nose, a slight upturn to the corners of the mouth, and a sharper, pointing, less rounded chin.
Exceptional memory is the ability to have accurate and detailed recall in a variety of ways, including hyperthymesia, eidetic memory, synesthesia, and emotional memory. Exceptional memory is also prevalent in those with savant syndrome and mnemonists.
Notably, the average IQ score falls between 85 and 115. A score above 140, meanwhile, is considered to be genius level.
The most pressing reason why smart people struggle to succeed in life is that they don't hold importance to social skills. Hence, they fail to develop crucial social skills like relationship building, active listening, effective communication, and empathy. This alienates them from the people around them.
Talking to yourself, it turns out, is a sign of genius. The smartest people on earth talk to themselves. Look at the inner monologues of the greatest thinkers.
What is the difference between Genius and Intelligent? All intelligent people are not geniuses, but all geniuses are highly intelligent. A genius is more creative than a person who is merely intelligent. It is creativity that leads to invention of new products and is labeled as a prerequisite in a genius.
Science supports laziness
The data found that those with a high IQ got bored less easily, leading them to be less active and spend more time engaged in thought.
Individuals with higher intelligence test scores are more likely to prefer predominantly instrumental music styles. There you have it. All those Bach-listening, Kraftwerk-loving, ambient-adoring strange people in your life are actually the brainy ones. Are you ready for the twist? (No, not the song.):
However, some estimates suggest that only about 2-3 percent of the global population can be considered geniuses. This figure is based on the number of individuals who have an IQ score of 140 or higher (IQ scores are a measure of intelligence that range from 0 to 200).
While geniuses tend to be exceptionally intelligent, they also use imagination and creativity to invent, discover or create something new within their field of interest. They break new ground rather than simply remembering or reciting existing information.
Like most aspects of human behavior and cognition, intelligence is a complex trait that is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.