- [Instructor] Hey, Psych2Goers.
Are there certain traits that can aid in one's development?
Do having particular traits
make some people smarter than others?
Well, there are a few sets of traits
intelligent people have in common.
If you find yourself relating to many of these traits,
you may just be smarter than you think,
or it's just a coincidence?
Research has found that smart people
have these six common traits.
How many do you have?
First up, number one, they're funny.
Who doesn't love a joke or two?
Turns out smart people seem to be
some of the funniest individuals out there.
According to a study published in 2011
by psychologist Gil Greengross and Geoffrey Miller,
comedians may have it easier in many ways.
The study found that out of 400 student participants,
200 men and 200 women,
those who wrote funnier cartoon captions
scored better on a test of verbal intelligence,
so if you have a bit of humor,
it may benefit you in more ways than you think.
Number two, you're curious and open to new experiences.
Are you curious?
Do you enjoy learning about history,
about other cultures, or interesting facts?
Licensed psychotherapist Christine Scott-Hudson
told Bustle that intelligent people
engage their passions and ask questions
like who, what, when, where, how, why, and what if.
She explains they're also very open to trying new things.
According to 2016 research from researchers
Adrian Furnham and Helen Cheng,
there's a connection between openness
to experience and your intelligence as a kid.
The research study used a longitudinal dataset
of 5,672 adults followed for 50 years.
They found that children aged 11,
who had a high score on their IQ test,
were found to be more open to experience
when assessed at the age of 50.
They also explained that all of the big
five personality traits, openness to experience
is often shown as the strongest correlate of ability,
particularly creativity, and intelligence,
so if you're open to new experiences,
you may also happen to have a high IQ as well.
Have you heard of Parkinson's law?
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Number three, they're loners.
Are you an introvert?
Do you favor the days where you get to spend the evening
in pleasant solitude alone in your room?
Well, odds are, you're pretty smart.
Researchers Norman P. Li and Satoshi Kanazawa
had 15,000 individuals, 18 to 28,
to take a survey and IQ test.
The individuals who were highly intelligent
were found to be not as happy with their lives
the more frequently they socialize.
Number four, they're highly empathetic.
What about emotional intelligence?
Many psychologists say that empathy
is an important part of high emotional intelligence.
If you're open to new experiences,
you may just be one who is open and understanding
to other individuals' experiences as well,
which means you may be high on the empathy scale.
If so, your emotional intelligence may just be as great too.
Number five, they're often neurotic.
Are you anxious?
Do you worry?
How much?
If you worry more than the average Joe,
then you may just be smarter than him too,
at least when it comes to verbal intelligence.
In a 2015 study, researchers had 126 undergraduate students
complete questionnaires, indicating how much they worried,
ruminated on worrying thoughts,
and thought about scenarios that upset them.
What did they find?
Students who often spend time worrying
and ruminating on thoughts held a high score
in measures of verbal intelligence.
Those who didn't worry as much scored
higher in nonverbal intelligence.
And number six, they're adaptable
and recognize when they need to change.
Can you adopt well under stress?
Can you recognize when you're the one
who needs to change a part of yourself
in order to achieve your goals?
Many psychologists believe adaptability
is a sign of intelligence.
Robert J. Sternberg, professor of psychology
and dean of the School of Arts and Sciences
at Tufts University, writes that psychologists
have generally agreed that adapting
to the environment is the key to understanding
both what intelligence is and what it does.
He continues, stating that such adaptation
may occur in a variety of settings:
a student in school learns the material
he needs to know in order to do well in a course,
a physician treating a patient with unfamiliar symptoms
learns about the underlying disease,
or an artist reworks the painting
to convey a more coherent impression.
For the most part, adaptation involves making
a change in oneself in order to cope
more effectively with the environment,
but it can also mean changing the environment,
or finding an entirely new one.
So even if you don't think you're the smartest,
and perhaps have a hard time on a project or task,
you may just need to change your way of thinking,
adapt to the scenario,
try a new approach to studying or creative strategy.
Learning to adapt could very well help
improve your overall intelligence.
Who knows, it may just be the smartest decision
you ever make, so how many of these traits do you have?
Let us know in the comments down below.
We hope you enjoyed this video.
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