Are you smarter than average? 11 signs that confirm it.

Some habits and customs are more typical of people with a high IQ.

What is intelligence? Many theorists have tried to define intelligence, and it is not easy.

Different theories propose different ways of measuring our intellectual capacity, from Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences model to the G-factor theory developed by Charles Spearman, to others that emphasize certain aspects of our intellect.

Intelligence: more than an IQ score

Although many academics have tried to question the way we tend to think about intelligence, the truth is that even today the main intelligence tests still measure our intelligence quotient, also known by the acronym IQ.

The intelligence quotient It is often criticized for being a score that does not take into account the complexity and different manifestations of our intellectual capacities. Why is it that there are people who find it difficult to solve relatively simple mathematical problems but have a great capacity to be creative or to convince their interlocutor with perfect arguments? Creativity and expressiveness are concepts that have little or no influence in conventional intelligence tests, but are fundamental skills for an individual to develop and survive in today's society.

Habits and likes and dislikes that can make you smarter than average

Be that as it may, and while academics investigate the different manifestations of human intelligence, what is clear is that there are people who are better able to cope successfully with certain challenges of daily life, while there are others who show more difficulties.

What differentiates people with above-average intelligence? Obviously genetics plays a role, but in reality environmental variables play a very important role. People who do certain stimulating activities and have good habits are more likely to develop higher intelligence. There are also other conditioning factors and coincidences that make us more likely to have higher intelligence.

Through several scientific studies on the subject, today we have compiled a total of 11 we have compiled a total of 11 signs that you are more intelligent than average.

1. Being the older sibling

Although it may seem to be a variable of little interest, science has shown that being the older sibling gives you a greater chance of having an above-average IQ..

How is this possible? The trick is twofold: there are certain Biological factors that "reward" the older sibling, since he or she was conceived and gestated by a younger mother (and usually a father as well), and therefore with a slightly better state of health compared to younger siblings.. In addition, there is also a factor of interaction and psychological stimulation between parents and children, which would endow the first-born with greater resources. In fact, a team of researchers in Norway found that, in a sample of 250,000 men born between 1968 and 1977, the oldest brother had an average IQ of 103, the second brother 100 points and the third brother lowered his score to 99 IQ points.

• More on this: "Older siblings are smarter than younger siblings".

2. Being left-handed

Are you left-handed? Preferentially using the left hand correlates with higher scores on IQ tests.. This does not mean that because you are left-handed you have to be more intelligent "yes or yes", but science has detected that, as a tendency, left-handed people are slightly more intelligent than right-handed people.

In fact, psychologist Maria Konnikova, a contributor and science writer for the New Yorkerexplained that left-handed people are more adept at using divergent thinkingwhich she defines as "that form of creativity that allows inventing new ideas from a symbol". Konnikova also points out that "left-handed people are better at combining several ideas to build a third". In view of this, it seems that left-handers have a special talent for innovation and creation.

• Learn more: "Brain and psychological differences between left-handed and right-handed people".

3. Worry

Are people who are more concerned about their lives those who tend to have a higher IQ? Well, it seems so.

Psychologist Alexander M Penney conducted research on 100 students at the University of Ontario (Canada). Each student answered an intelligence test, and then they were asked about their level of worry. The students who said they tended to have a worry on their minds most of the time were those who scored higher on verbal intelligence tests. On the other hand, another study at SUNY Downstate in New York also reported that patients with severe anxiety had statistically higher IQ test scores than patients with severe anxiety.statistically higher than patients with less severe conditions.

4. Ever having consumed soft drugs

This is not to say that taking soft drugs is good for your intelligence: the opposite is true. But it does seem to have been it seems to have been detected that people with a high IQ in childhood tend to try, sporadically, some soft drugs in adulthood. soft drugs in adulthood.

This conclusion was reached in a 2012 investigation by James W White and his collaborators. White himself commented, "There is a clear relationship between a high IQ in childhood and trying soft drugs as an adult. An above-average IQ may, surprisingly, encourage risky behaviors in adulthood". Be that as it may, much better to avoid drugs.

5. Having attended music lessons

There is a lot of research indicating that learning music helps us develop our cognitive and intellectual abilities, especially during childhood.especially during childhood.

Following research conducted in 2004, it was found that six-year-old children who attended singing or piano lessons for six months experienced an increase in their IQ score. These data were compared with other children who attended drama and acting classes, or no similar extracurricular activity.

6. Drinking alcohol often

Another curious correlation that needs to be qualified. Although some studies have found that people who drink alcohol frequently tend to be a bit smarter, this does not mean that drinking alcoholic beverages makes us smarter.. In fact, it is exactly the opposite.

There is a study conducted at the London School of Economics and Politican Science led by Satoshi Kanazawa that reported that there is a relationship between IQ level and the consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs. But we must insist: these are correlational tendencies that, for both our physical and psychological health, we must reject. Healthy living!

7. Living with a cat

Another curious correlation, but true. Or at least this is what several scientific studies say: people who live with a cat tend to score higher than average on intelligence tests..

Are you more of a dog person or a cat person? If you're more of a feline person, you can feel satisfied, since a study conducted by Denise Guastello in 2014 detected that cat owners score statistically higher on IQ tests. It is also true that dog owners differed in their personality profile with respect to cat owners, scoring higher in extraversion.

8. Having been breastfed

Many books and studies agree in pointing out the importance of breastfeeding during infancy for a child's cognitive development.

No more and no less than 7 points of difference in IQ between breastfed and bottle-fed children, according to research carried out in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

9. A must: a sense of humor

Is there a link between intelligence and having a great sense of humor? Well, it seems so, at least that's what science says.

Research from the University of New Mexico, in the U.S., found a statistically significant relationship between intelligence and having a sense of humor, found a statistically significant relationship between a sense of humor and intelligence quotient.. To obtain these results, scientists tested more than 400 students at the university to measure the IQ of each one of them. Later, these students were asked to add a commentary to satirical cartoons from a well-known newspaper, and the quality of the comments (in terms of humor, of course) was rated by anonymous subjects. Thus, it was found that the most intelligent students were also the wittiest and funniest.

10. Knowing how to read at a young age

At what age did you learn to read? This is not a trivial fact, since science has shown that there is an important trend: the earlier we learn to read, the more intelligent we will be as adults.

A team of researchers carried out various tests on more than 2,000 identical twins in the United Kingdom. It was found that the sibling who first learned to read had a higher intelligence in the future, as expressed in his or her intelligence test score. As it is easy to guess, learning to read at an early age increases our verbal and logical skills.

11. Is it possible to increase intelligence?

Yes, it is definitely possible to stimulate and enhance our intellectual abilities. I explain it to you in the following article:

• "The 5 key tricks to increase your intelligence".