Our daily routines and behaviours have a big impact on intelligence and even the way we think… Some of the greatest minds indulge in unusual and even odd behaviours that are signs of a genius.

Talking to yourself is one sign you might be smarter than the average person. This behaviour might seem irrational, but there’s a growing body of evidence suggesting that it is cognitively beneficial, leading to better memory recall, confidence and focus.

In a 2012 study, a team of American researchers showed participants 20 pictures of various objects and asked them to focus on a specific one. They found that people who talked to themselves while looking at the images were able to identify the object faster. A further study in 2017 by researchers in the UK discovered that our brains don’t function quite as well when we stop talking to ourselves.

This is because activating and engaging both visual and sound areas of the brain gives us two ways of associating memories. Interestingly, monkeys also activate separate visual and sound areas of the brain for each task. So talking to yourself will help you process information and stay sharp.

There is evidence that staying up late can contribute to higher IQs.

A study of 26,000 adults, published in January 2024 in the journal BMJ Public Health by Dr Raha West from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, found that those who stayed up late scored significantly higher on cognitive tests than early risers.

Night owls scored about 13.5% higher on the tests than early risers in one group and 7.5% higher than early risers in another test group. Many brilliant minds are known to have had nocturnal habits, so if your mind is most active while the rest of the world sleeps, you might have a higher IQ than the slumbering masses!

Daydreaming is often confused with absent-mindedness, but scientists say that this is also a sign of being smart and creative.

According to Eric Schumacher, a Georgia Tech associate psychology professor, says that people with efficient brains may have too much brain capacity to stop their minds from wandering. Dr. Schumacher’s research found that people who reported more frequent daydreaming scored higher on intellectual and creative ability tests. MRI scans also showed that these people possessed more efficient brain systems.

This evidence suggests that daydreaming is actually good for your brain. So if you find your mind wandering, that may well be a good sign.

Some people are naturally untidy. These people also appear to be highly intelligent and often prefer being untidy.

Researchers set out to determine why that is by putting participants in either a messy or tidy office space and asking them to come up with novel uses for ping pong balls. Though both groups came up with a similar number of ideas, participants in the messy room came up with more creative and interesting ideas. Kathleen Vohs, the scientist leading the project said that ‘Disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition, which can produce fresh insights. Orderly environments, in contrast, encourage convention and playing it safe.’ So… an untidy space may help you think outside the box.

Curiosity is one of the most common signs of intelligence. Asking lots of questions about how things work, where they come from is a sign the mind is always seeking to understand the world. It also means that the individual is always learning, collating and storing new information. The more questions you ask, the more your understanding expands.

This may sometimes seem annoying to other people, but for those with high IQs, this insatiable curiosity is natural.

Many geniuses are introverted and have been known to hide themselves away to work and think in peace and quiet. This makes perfect sense — it can be difficult to focus while surrounded by the constant chatter and stimulation of a social environment, and studies have shown that more introverted people tend to engage in deeper cognitive processing than extroverts. Those people tend to think more thoroughly and critically, which is another trait associated with a higher IQ.

Introverts also tend to prefer activities that require concentration and sustained mental effort, such as reading and research, which also fosters intellectual development.

Avid readers are constantly absorbing new information, expanding their vocabulary, and learning new and complex ideas and different perspectives. Additionally, reading improves mental focus, imagination and our ability to empathise with others.

People who read a lot are constantly developing their intelligence, which means they’re more likely to have a high IQ.