Six unexpected signals associated with a high intelligence quotient by science.
For decades, measuring intelligence seemed to be a matter of numbers and results. However, research from various disciplines has revealed that intelligence can be hinted at in gestures, decisions, and ways of relating to the world. It is a combination of science, history, and personal nuances.
The visible footprint of intelligence
Beyond tests and metrics, intelligence is visible. Constant reading, for example, remains a cornerstone, a bridge to new knowledge, and a way to nourish critical thinking. But it also adds other clues: early creativity in childhood, visible in drawings, improvised constructions, or invented stories, seems to be closely related to the ability to process information in an innovative way.
In this context, intelligence is not about sports skills, but about the ability to remember movement patterns, coordinate actions, and reproduce complex gestures effortlessly, a sign of refined communication between mind and body.
Psychology and less obvious traits
Intelligence can also be reflected in unexpected psychological traits. Anxiety, for example, can function as an early warning tool against potential risks. In 2016, the Journal of Research in Personality published a study led by Norman P. Li and Satoshi Kanazawa that analyzed more than 15,000 young Britons: while most felt happier surrounded by friends, intelligent individuals showed a preference for solitude and introspective work, leaning towards long-term projects rather than immediate rewards.
Research suggests that for some brilliant minds, constant social interaction is not a driving force but rather a diversion of energy and focus.
A portrait that breaks stereotypes
The list of signals also includes empathy, engines of deeper relationships; inexhaustible curiosity; the ability to manage emotions accurately; and a sharp sense of humor, as revealed in a study by the British Journal of Psychology in 2011. Surprising correlations also appear, such as a higher likelihood of being the eldest child, adapting to changing environments, and even displaying “messy” behaviors that could stimulate creativity.
In conclusion, intelligence is not confined to numbers or unique definitions; it unfolds in a network of habits, emotions, and ways of perceiving the world that together paint the complex anatomy of an intelligent individual.
