6 subtle signs that you are smarter than average

Chances are, you probably think you're smarter than your peers.

If social media is anything to go by, the constant stream of condescension and abuse, everyone thinks they're smarter than average.

However, its clear to anyone with the concept of "averages" this isn't the case for half of you.

Here are some signs that you're not in this half:

1. You're sarcastic

It's among the lowest form of wit, but a new study has suggested that it can promote creative thinking and requires considerable brain power.

As Professor Francesca Gino, one of the study's authors, explained:

To create or decode sarcasm, both the expressers and recipients of sarcasm need to overcome the contradiction (i.e., psychological distance) between the literal and actual meanings of the sarcastic expressions.

This is a process that activates and is facilitated by abstraction, which in turn promotes creative thinking.

2. You're bilingual

Speaking more than one language can slow the rate of diseases like Alzheimer's and Dementia.

In addition it can affect your brain development and efficiency - so get on a course sharpish.

3. You're the oldest child

Oldest children tend to score slightly higher on IQ tests than younger siblings - according to one study.

However, this did not appear to be genetic and seemed to be related to familial environment.

4. You're left handed

Left-handed people are only 10 per cent of the world's population, and studies have shown they very well may excel a little more.

Lefties have been shown to have slightly better cognitive skills than the average human.

5. You're funny

There's an evolutionary advantage to being funny - humans are social animals and we find funny people attractive.

A good question is, why? It's possibly because if you have strong abstract reasoning skills, or verbal intelligence you're likely to be smarter.

A joke is essentially just finding a twist in disassociation or dissonance and joining two dots that sit weirdly with each other, which releases endorphins when you laugh - it's a social point of connection, a "we both get this" moment.

If you can engineer that consistently, you're probably a little bit smarter than average.

6. You doubt your intelligence

Socrates once said:

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.

He was a pretty smart guy.

He hinted at the Dunning-Kruger effect, first observed in 1999, which found that intelligent people are more able and willing to correct their own mistakes.

If you're willing to spot errors and amend them, rather than stubbornly believe you're right, you're probably a shade smarter than others.

HT Spring

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