7 Signs You’re Actually a Genius

Have you ever wondered how you compare to the average person in society? In the early 1900s, many European and American intelligence tests were developed to measure people’s cognitive ability (Martschenko, 2017). These are called IQ tests, which are widely used in modern era to measure how intelligent people are. On average, IQ scores fall between 85 and 115, with 68% of the score falling between these numbers, whereas someone who scores 160+ would be considered a genius (Cherry, 2020). Of course, IQ tests are not accurate measures of a person’s overall intelligence, as it does not take into account specific subject areas that the SAT or ACT tests focus on. It does not take into account the emotional intelligence either. So, in this article, I will be addressing 7 signs you’re actually a genius.

You are a night owl

Do you have trouble sleeping early at night? Although a possible reason for this could be constant exposure to blue light or that you had a coffee before bed, it might also be a sign that you’re a genius. If you’re a genius, you’ll feel the most creative at night and will feel too overstimulated to power down and turn your brain off. Even if you don’t get enough sleep, you’re still able to channel your ideas and creations throughout the day (Hotel EMC2, 2020). Furthermore, several studies have shown a direct correlation between sleep habits and IQ. A study published in 2009 in the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences showed that young adults who slept and woke up later had a higher IQ than those who slept and woke up earlier (Lebowitz, 2017).

You are curious

Do you have the thirst to learn something new every day? According to the Harvard Business Review, people who are more curious have more original ideas and acquire more knowledge over time (Griffiths, 2016). As a genius, you’re naturally curious. You constantly question everything, strive to learn new things all the time, and expand your knowledge (Emmen, 2016). You like to try little experiments to find out what happens when you do certain things and might even imagine how the experiment would happen in your head before starting it.

You talk to yourself

Do you often talk to yourself and people think that you have gone mad? Well, you might actually be the opposite of a madman. Talking to yourself is a common trait between people who are considered geniuses (Hotel EMC2, 2020). Additionally, speaking out loud can mean that you have a working mind that is constantly trying to sort through all your innovative ideas and creative thoughts. Being vocal with yourself is not wrong and can be a telling sign that you are a genius.

You worry and overthink things

Are you someone who overthinks things and worries about everything? This could be one of the signs that you’re a genius. Although a lot of people might think that geniuses are full of confidence and pride, in reality, they often doubt themselves (Emmen, 2016). If you constantly find yourself doubting what you do and worrying about everything, it means that you can see past the surface when you have problems or things happening around you.

You are funny

Do you feel like people tend to laugh when you say or do things? A psychology study conducted by the University of New Mexico shows that funny people tend to be smarter (Mautz, 2019). This is attributed to the fact that both cognitive and emotional ability is required to process and produce humour (Dowthwaite, 2017). You not only make others laugh, but you also make yourself laugh. These positive emotions increase the production of dopamine, which opens up the learning centres of the brain (Dowthwaite, 2017). So, if you feel like you can make yourself and other people laugh, then you might be a genius.

You are socially anxious

Have ever tried to escape society’s noise and chaos to focus on your own thoughts and ideas? If you do this very often to the point of being considered socially anxious, then you might be a genius. As a genius, you will try to isolate yourself as much as possible because you prefer to practice mindfulness and focus on your own ideas rather than interacting with people (Hotel EMC2, 2020). You prefer to know yourself and develop your own thoughts rather than being exposed to a large number of superficial ideas that come from society.

You can be very forgetful

Are you someone who tends to forget things easily? This can be a telling sign that you are a genius. As intelligent as you are, the fact that you are overflowing with new ideas and thoughts every single day can make it very easy for you to forget other things (Yenisey, 2017). You might think: “But geniuses are supposed to be able to cope with all these thoughts and ideas”. Don’t forget that being a genius does not mean that you are not human, and like everyone, you can make mistakes and forget things. So, if you forget things because you constantly have new ideas flooding into your head, you might be a genius.

To conclude, if you can relate to any of the signs that I have mentioned in this article, you might be a genius. And even if you’re not necessarily a genius, you’re certainly smart as most of the signs mentioned result in the stimulation of the brain, and can have a positive impact on how many things you learn.

References

Cherry, K. (2020). What Is a Genius IQ Score?. Retrieved 17 December 2020, from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-genius-iq-score-2795585

Dowthwaite, L., 2017. Funny People Are Also More Intelligent, According To New Research. [online] World Economic Forum. Available at: <https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/10/funny-people-are-also-more-intelligent-according-to-new-research/> [Accessed 10 September 2020].

Emmen, J. (2016). If You Do Any Of These 7 Things, You Might Naturally Be A Genius. Retrieved 17 December 2020, from https://www.elitedaily.com/life/signs-you-are-genius/1380484

Griffiths, J. (2016). 10 signs that you’re secretly a genius. Retrieved 17 December 2020, from https://nypost.com/2016/06/27/10-signs-that-youre-secretly-a-genius/

Hotel EMC2. (2020). 5 Signs You Might Actually Be A Genius. Retrieved 17 December 2020, from https://hotelemc2.com/5-signs-you-might-actually-be-a-genius/

Lebowitz, S., 2017. 13 Signs You’re Smarter Than You Realise. [online] Business Insider Australia. Available at: <https://www.businessinsider.com.au/signs-youre-smarter-than-you-realize-2017-11?r=US&IR=T> [Accessed 10 September 2020].

Martschenko, D. (2017). IQ tests have a dark, controversial history — but they’re finally being used for good. Retrieved 17 December 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/iq-tests-dark-history-finally-being-used-for-good-2017-10?IR=T#:~:text=The%20first%20of%20these%20tests,basis%20for%20modern%20IQ%20testing.

Yenisey, Z. (2017). 7 SIGNS THAT YOU MIGHT BE AN ACTUAL GENIUS. Retrieved 17 December 2020, from https://www.maxim.com/maxim-man/seven-signs-you-are-a-genius-2017-4