According to Vohs, one study found that subjects in a messy room were capable of solving brain teasers more quickly than those seated in an organized room. The scientist Albert Einstein, famous for his genius and creative thinking, was known for having a messy desk.
Historically, geniuses were always pictured with a cluttered desk, as in this 19th-century portrait of 18th-century über-pundit Samuel Johnson: Back in the day, a clean desk was considered a sign of slothful laziness. Busy people, and smart people didn't have time to straighten up.
A study from The University of Minnesota found that it's actually messy people who are more intelligent AND more creative. So we are just as productive and brilliant as the people with a laundry system, just in a different way.
Intelligent people often override common sense with their considerable brain power — but this isn't always a good thing. Smart people think in situations where they should feel, like in relationships. They may avoid the correct response because it doesn't seem rational when we all know that life isn't always rational.
Studies have also found that higher IQ is associated with more mental illness, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
Intelligent people get bored easily – Being curious and being smart are not the same thing. If a person has both of these qualities, they may start getting bored easily. Some success comes about as a result of creativity, but others come as a result of becoming an expert in a niche area.
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.
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.
Geniuses are known for their eccentricities. From standing naked at an open window to pouring water all over themselves, we look at some of the quirky habits that fired the creativity of seven well-known geniuses.
Being highly intelligent is associated with psychological and physiological 'overexcitabilities' which make an intelligent person ruminate more, triggering a physical stress response in the body and increasing the chance of chronic anxiety.
People with ADHD have a difficult time with many of the executive functioning skills most of us unconsciously use every day. These invisible skills are what enable us to plan, prioritize, manage our time, and get things done. A person without ADHD might look at a messy room and think, “Okay.
You may be overwhelmed
A messy space could indicate creativity or someone who is too busy but a messy space could also indicate further issues like anxiety or ADHD.
They inquire about everything, including themselves
Asking questions is a more fundamental aspect of intelligence. A person with intelligence doesn't hesitate to ask questions that others wouldn't even dare to ask or are frightened to doubt a thing.
Did you know that insomnia is more common for those who have a high IQ. Intelligent people have a harder time switching off their brain. So, maybe you are just too clever to snooze! Don't panic, high IQ or not, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia can help you.
A study published in the journal Sleep found that sleep is important for cognitive performance and that individuals who have better sleep quality tend to have higher intelligence scores.
IQ peaks at around 20-years-old and later effort will not improve it much beyond this point, research finds. The complexity of people's jobs, higher education, socialising and reading all probably have little effect on peak cognitive ability.
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.
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.
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.
Scientists have said that people who forget small details like birthdays, names, or where you kept your car keys may bear signs of higher intelligence. Memory lapses are normal and there is no need to worry about forgetting things, say researchers.
By having an inquisitive nature, you are more likely to develop new ways of thinking and uncover previously unexplored ideas. People deemed geniuses often pursue knowledge in an almost obsessive manner, beyond what the average person may consider reasonable.