01/4​You stay up late

​You stay up late

In movies, the creative genius always works late into the wee hours of the night by candlelight—and perhaps this stereotype is rooted in fact. A study found that people who tend to go to bed later have higher IQs. The root of lies in our evolution—because nighttime was extremely dangerous, our ancestors who ventured into it instead of going to sleep needed to be more intelligent. But if you are a night owl, remember to still get your seven to nine hours of sleep!

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02/4​You swear

​You swear

It’s commonly thought that swearing is a reflection of low education and intelligence and the theory that when people can’t think of the right adjective, they resort to slang, including curses. But research suggests otherwise! Taboo or ‘swear word’ fluency is positively correlated with overall verbal fluency. Linguistic ability is one of the traits people with higher intelligence possess, so it shouldn’t be surprising that smart people know more curses—even if they don’t use them all the time.

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03/4You talk to yourself

You talk to yourself

You may think that mumbling to yourself makes you seem crazy, but in reality, it might be a sign of higher thinking, memory, and perception skills. In a study from the University of Wisconsin and the University of Pennsylvania, researchers asked participants to remember and find objects. They were better able to recall the list of items to look for if they had said the names of the objects out loud. By vocalizing aloud, you activate visual properties in your brain.

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04/4The sound of chewing annoys you

The sound of chewing annoys you

Have you ever been aggravated when dining with a loud chewer? A study from Northwestern University found that people who tested high in creative cognition tended to have an inability to filter out irrelevant sensory information—they have 'leaky sensory gating.' This means you’re taking it all in, sometimes to a fault. Leaky sensory gating may help people integrate ideas that are outside of the focus of attention, leading to creativity in the real world. Interestingly, other studies have shown that chewing gum yourself improves intellectual performance.

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