7 habits of people with an above average IQ

Studies have shown that genetics make up a big part of how intelligent we are or can be.

But the environmental factors cannot be dismissed, according to experts.

When you have an above-average IQ, you’ll almost certainly engage in certain habits.

And those habits can impact your health, education, and overall cognitive development.

If you’re wondering whether you’ve got an above-average IQ, check out these 7 habits of people with a higher level of intelligence than most!

1) They look inwards

People with an above-average IQ are always working on themselves – whether that’s perfecting their form at the gym or trying harder with public speaking at work.

When you reflect on yourself and the things you do, you can improve your mindset and your actions.

You can grow in ways you never thought possible, and build new strengths.

People with high intelligence are never satisfied with how they’re doing in life.

They’re always reflecting on their behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses – and continuously find ways to be better in life.

This could be through journalling it out or meditating for 10 minutes every day.

Either way, they prioritize self-reflection, no matter what’s going on around them.

2) They make their own decisions and try to figure things out by themselves

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help.

Whether that’s with college work, a business project, or something in your personal life.

However, people with above-average IQs don’t immediately turn to others to fix all their problems.

A firm habit of theirs is to figure things out for themselves.

This shows in the small ways and the big ways.

Like if they’re taking their plate out into the kitchen, they don’t ask their partner if the dishwasher is clean or dirty.

Instead, they open it up to look for themselves.

Likewise, if they’re using a new formula in Excel, they try to crack it themselves before Googling it or asking the tech guy for help.

In the bigger ways, they think about their life decisions before asking others for their opinions.

For example, they’d never ask their friends if they should break up with their partner unless they’ve already come to a pretty solid conclusion themselves.

Or ask their partner to decide whether they should sell their house or get a new job.

Instead, they make their own decisions and always try to find a way ahead themselves before seeking advice.

3) They self-validate

Self-validation means encouraging yourself, acknowledging your strengths and successes, and treating yourself with the utmost kindness.

It means prioritizing your needs and meeting them yourself as best you can.

While experts tell us it’s important to get some validation from our friends, family, and (most importantly) romantic partners, it’s also important to find it from within.

People with above-average IQs have strong self-awareness.

So they know what they need and when they need it – and they make time to give themselves what they need.

This could look like complimenting themselves for getting through the day.

Or telling themselves they look good, powerful, and put-together in their work outfit.

Either way, they make a habit of saying nice things to themselves and self-validating when doubts pop into their head.

4) They know when to stop talking

Having an above-average IQ isn’t just about how smart you are academically. It’s also about having high emotional intelligence.

A habit of a smart person is knowing when to talk and when to (to be frank) shut up.

Allowing pauses in a conversation gives the other person the opportunity to speak about something they want to speak about.

It enables more balanced discussions and gives the other person a chance to share more about themselves – which is particularly important if you’re doing some low-level detective work.

In a similar respect, they also know when someone is trying to get information out of them.

They can spot signs that someone’s tricking them into divulging more detail than they’d otherwise care to – and stop sharing.

The same goes for business meetings. A smart chair allows short silences to give people the chance to reflect on what’s been said and share their ideas.

So if you make a habit of feeling comfortable with a bit of silence, you’ve probably got an above-average IQ.

5) They overthink (but in a good way)

Overthinking is often coined as a bad trait. But, provided it doesn’t take over your life, it can actually be a good thing.

Taking time to think about things, reflect on past happenings, and analyze the things people say and do can help you connect the dots.

It can help you uncover the real reasons why someone is doing the things they are doing.

Here’s an example.

When you think about what makes a good detective, it’s their powers of observation.

They notice things, think about them a lot, and overanalyze until they come to a conclusion (or multiple conclusions that need to be checked out).

It’s these exact habits that make them so good at their jobs.

People with high IQs do the exact same thing.

They know when their partner says, “I’m fine”, they probably aren’t and there’s also probably a reason for it (one they’re already well aware of if they take the time to think about it).

They know that thinking about things can often help them connect the dots and draw a strong conclusion about what’s really going on.

Which is, after all, what intelligent people do.

6) They always look after number one (i.e., themselves)

People with above-average IQs know that they are the most important people in their lives.

No matter how much they love and want to protect their loved ones, they know that to be their best self for others, they need to treat themselves right, too.

When they need alone time, they find ways to recharge their batteries – even if it’s just with a 10-minute meditation.

When their body needs rest, they give it rest.

When they want to perform their best every day, they make sure they eat well, drink enough water, and get enough sleep.

And it’s a completely mindless habit of theirs.

7) They continuously learn new things

Just like they always strive to do better, intelligent people are continuously learning.

They know that keeping their brain active through mental exercises helps them stay alert and keeps their memory in tip-top condition (just like research tells us).

Whether that’s something major and long-term (like a new language) or something relatively quick and ordinary (like a new formula in Excel).

Either way, they always find ways to keep their brain active.

Because keeping your brain healthy and active is one of the best ways to stay alert, energetic, and, well, intelligent!

Final thoughts

Even though studies have shown that genetics plays a part in our ability to learn things, we aren’t born with certain IQs.

Many activities can boost your overall IQ so it becomes above average.

Adopting many of the habits on this list can help you increase, or simply sustain, your IQ levels.

And, according to research, people with higher IQs are often significantly happier in life!