These 6 Surprising Signs Will Show You Are Intelligent

As Shakespeare put it: “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” Indeed, less-smart people tend to think they are smarter than they really are while smart people usually do not realise that they are smarter than they think.

If you’re not too sure about your intellect, here are 6 science-backed signs that you are considerably smarter than you think.

You learned to read early

A UK study found that people who learned to read at a very young age are more intelligent. This depends on how much and what kind of books that they read. So, the earlier you learnt the alphabets, the more books you were likely to read as a child and the broader your horizons became.

You’re the oldest child in the family

If you’re a firstborn, then you have a reason to jubilate. A Norwegian study at the University of Oslo has proven that older children are almost alway smarter than their younger siblings. In fact, their IQs are higher by an average of 3 point. Surprisingly, this has nothing to do with genetic or biological factors. It happens because parents have a huge psychological influence on their first borns. However, there are a good number of brilliant minds in history who were last borns. This serves as a reminder to take stereotypes with a grain of salt.

You’re tall

Studies show that taller children usually have higher IQ levels and tend to earn more money when they grow up. There are plenty of real life examples that suggest this may be true from Steve Jobs to Elon Musk to Nikola Tesla. However, short geniuses like Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking may disagree with this study!

You’re don’t really like physical activity

A recent study has concluded that people who prefer brain work are less likely to engage in physical activity. On the other hand, those that love sports have less interest in learning new things. Intelligent people do better in activities that require patience and mental stimulation such as playing chess. Confusingly enough, lack of physical activity can lead to excess weight gain, which is a sign of a low IQ.

You’re highly sensitive to noise

If you get easily distracted by someone’s loud breathing, or the sound of pen tapping, or loud chewing, then you might just be more intelligent than you think. This is actually a condition called Misophonia. Scientists from Northwestern University suggest that there is a correlation between hypersensitivity to background sounds and high levels of creativity. So, if your blood boils when you hear particular sounds (e.g. sound of someone eating), then you might just be a brainy individual.

Your ring finger is longer than your index finger

Interestingly, there is a correlation between intelligence and finger length. A group of Norwegian researchers found this out when they carried out studies on cognitive abilities and finger length. Their findings showed that people with long ring fingers tend to be good at Maths and spatial thinking but lack verbal skills. On the other hand, those with longer index fingers do better in humanitarian fields like language and literature. There’s also more research to show that people with longer ring fingers often earn more.

Which other signs do you think indicate intelligence? Let us know in the comment section below.