Three Weird Traits Scientifically Connected With Geniuses

Factual ways to identify fakers and truly smart people.

Three dozen kids sit in neat rows with their heads down and pencils churning. The test proctor glances down at a timer and announces that the time’s up. Each student lifts their head and looks around, trying to see if everyone else is as confused as they are.

This is a common scene in testing centers, high schools, and colleges around the world. However, I don’t want to talk about the testing and whether or not it’s effective. I want to talk about what the students did immediately after completing the test.

Judging the intelligence of others is a basic human activity — something everybody does but few do well. Plenty has been written about this topic, albeit unprofessionally.

This is a look at the science behind geniuses, but not the mainstream qualities of reading more and talking less. Scientists have found unconventional things that define some geniuses.

People consistently talk about the pseudo-science connecting handedness and creativity. Handedness isn’t specifically connected to intelligence, but brain symmetry is.

The science shows that balanced brains are more likely to have mental issues like schizophrenia, but they’re also more likely think outside the box. The propensity for mental illness probably explains why unbalanced brains are more common.

This is actually connected to handedness because ambidextrous and some left-handed people usually have greater brain symmetry. Right-handers are more common because their brains can stably separate tasks between each side of their brain.

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