Intelligent people tend to be messy, stay awake longer, and swear more (2024)

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Were you annoyed as a kid, when your parents told you to clean your room, sent you to bed early and scolded you for cursing? There might be a reason for your behaviour.

Studies suggest, that it can be linked to an increase of your IQ.

Intelligent people use more curse words

You always hear, that people who swear have a “limited vocabulary”. But if you think about it, those who don't use any swear words are the ones who limit their own vocabulary, because they intentionally use fewer words than others.

In fact, there is a study deconstructing that myth about curse words. The result showed that people who could name the most swear words within a minute also tend to score higher on an IQ test. The study concludes that a rich vocabulary of swear words is a sign of rhetorical strength rather than the attempt to hide verbal deficits.

Intelligent people are night owls

Like to stay up late? This also could be a sign for intelligence. Scientific research has linked night owls with higher IQ scores for quite some time now. President Obama, Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, Keith Richards and Elvis Presley are all famous for nocturnal activities. If you tend to go to sleep rather late, you're definitely in good company.

A messy desk and intelligence go hand in hand.

You swear a lot and stay awake late? Look, if you also tend to leave a bit of a mess behind, there's good news for you.

A study by the University of Minnesota suggests, that the messy desk of geniuses is actually linked to their intelligence. If you don't spend much time cleaning and organizing everything around you, your mind is obviously occupied with more important stuff.

The study went on to show that a messy enviroment led to a more creative workflow.

Psychological scientist Kathleen Vohs says: “Disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition, which can produce fresh insights. Orderly environments, in contrast, encourage convention and playing it safe.”

This is a good day for all the swearing, messy night owls among you. Does any of this sound familiar?

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Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.

Intelligent people tend to be messy, stay awake longer, and swear more (2024)

FAQs

Intelligent people tend to be messy, stay awake longer, and swear more? ›

A messy desk and intelligence go hand in hand.

Do intelligent people tend to be more messy? ›

Highly intelligent individuals may have a propensity for creative thinking, which can manifest in their living spaces. They might see the potential for innovative projects or artistic endeavors in their clutter, making it challenging for them to prioritize tidying up.

Why do intelligent people swear more? ›

Surprisingly, studies have shown that well-educated people with a wide range of words at their disposal are better at producing curse words than those with less verbal fluency. This suggests a correlation between language ability and intelligence.

Do intelligent people tend to stay up late? ›

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.

Do smart people have bad habits? ›

From gossiping to biting your nails, these 11 'bad' habits could be signs you're smarter than you think. "Bad" habits like showing up late and gossiping may actually be more beneficial than people assume. Procrastination, for instance, boosts creativity, one expert finds. Biting your nails may help prevent allergies.

Can intelligent people be clumsy? ›

One possible explanation is that those intelligent people who are clumsy and impractical simply lack practice in activities that require physical skills.

Do intelligent people overthink? ›

People with higher intelligence are prone to overthinking and overanalysing situations. You might analyse every situation, imagine negative outcomes and want to make sense of everything you observe. This leads to problems getting magnified, distorted and misinterpreted.

Which language swears the most? ›

The language with the most overall swear words is English. As the world's most spoken language, this comes as no surprise, but the number of people who speak the language comes twelfth overall. The languages with the politest language per speaker are Mandarin and Portuguese.

Which people swear the most? ›

We also discovered that men use swear words more often (12.98 times per day) than women (8.23 times per day) and that younger generations have a greater tendency to use foul language.

How do you tell if you are extremely intelligent? ›

A key sign of high intelligence, according to psychology, is open-mindedness. The truth is highly intelligent people are often willing to accept and consider other viewpoints. They don't just blindly follow their own opinions, but instead, they're eager to explore different angles, new ideas, and alternative solutions.

Are disorganized people more intelligent? ›

Messy people are smarter – backed by science

However, almost all of the time you left it messy. Well, scientists discovered that this was a sign that you probably have a higher IQ than the average Joe. We are not kidding. This claim is backed by the findings of scientists from the University of Minnesota.

Do geniuses sleep a lot? ›

Albert Einstein is said to have slept 10 hours per night, plus regular daytime naps. Other great achievers, inventors, and thinkers – such as Nikola Tesla, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Leonardo da Vinci, and Sir Isaac Newton – are said to have slept between two and four hours per day.

Are smart people night owls? ›

Early risers are missing out on valuable hours

Previous studies have proven that night owls are smarter and richer than early risers, but recent findings show that they are also quicker and more alert when doing complex tasks throughout the day.

Are intelligent people disciplined? ›

Intelligent people are highly disciplined and able to self-regulate in managing emotions, impulses and behaviours. Self control is a sign that a person is mature and in intelligent people, the quality of self control is commonly seen.

Why don't intelligent people gossip? ›

Gossiping can be a time-consuming activity that doesn't contribute to personal or professional growth. Gossip can also erode trust among individuals. Smart people understand the importance of trust in personal and professional relationships and avoid gossip to maintain a reputation of reliability and integrity.

Is being lazy intelligent? ›

So it's not hard to see why lazy people are considered to be less smart and successful in their careers. Fortunately, for all the “lazies” out there, science has discovered evidence that laziness might actually be a sign of intelligence.

Is being messy a personality trait? ›

Character Traits of Messy People

Messiness is a widespread personality characteristic, as shown in real life and academic research. People aren't always interested in sprucing up their living conditions.

Are intelligent people more likely to be depressed? ›

Depression and intelligence do not have a linear or causal relationship. Someone with a low, average, or high IQ can develop depression. It is thought that measures of intelligence may influence a future psychiatric diagnosis.

Why are some people more messy than others? ›

Excessive messiness isn't always just a result of laziness. It may be a sign of mental health struggles making it harder for you to focus on certain tasks. Your messiness could also be linked to your personality traits, or various underlying conditions. Unfortunately, messiness can also lead to a range of other issues.

Are highly intelligent people happier? ›

While they might have high standards and big picture concerns, research shows that people with high IQs are actually more likely to be happy; data from the research showed that people with the highest IQs were much happier than those with the lowest IQs.

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