Last month I read an interesting article in Business Insider with this catchy title: 13 Science-Backed Signs You're Smarter Than Average. The article discusses 13 things - some of them I found surprising and all of them backed by at least one scientific study* - that indicate an individual is likely to be of above-average intelligence. Let's see how I did on the list ...
You Took Music Lessons. Off to a poor start ... not only did I never take music lessons, I couldn't carry a tune if it had handles on it.
You're the Oldest. Yep, got that one. I'm the oldest of four ... I have a younger sister and two younger brothers.
You're Thin. Well, I used to be ...
You Have a Cat. Wrong again ... if I want to be dissed by an animal, I'll just post something innocuous on Facebook and wait for the trolls to emerge.
You Were Breastfed. Yep. I still admire the beautiful containers the milk comes in.
You've Used Recreational Drugs. Wrong. Never did and never even had the inkling to do so.
You're Left-Handed. Nope ... righty all the way.
You're Tall. Nope. At 5 feet, 10 inches, I'm about average. Of course, compared to my grandchildren, I'm still a giant.
You Drink Alcohol Regularly. I enjoy a nice gin and tonic, dirty martini, or peartini two or three times a week, which I assume means "regularly."
You're Politically Liberal. Yes and no. I'm more politically schizophrenic - part conservative (not the crazy part) and part liberal (not the pie-in-the-sky part). I like to think of myself as a slightly right-of-center independent, even though my conservative friends seem think I'm way to the left of Lenin.
You Learned to Read Early. Absolutely. My parents (particularly my mother) were voracious readers, and we all got started reading at a very early age. This may indicate above-average intelligence, but it also tends to indicate financial destitution from a lifetime spent buying books.
You Worry a Lot. Oh, yes!
You're Funny. No matter if they mean "funny (ha-ha)" or "funny (odd)," I think I'm solid on this one.
Well, let's see ... I figure I scored about 6.5** out of 13, for 50% ... which would make me halfway smart. That's not so bad ... I'm still far ahead of the entire GOP presidential field and Hillary Clinton.
* If you're a Republican, don't let that "backed by scientific study" part worry you ... you can always discount it on the basis of liberal bias.
** I gave myself half credit for the "thin" trait, because ... well ... I used to be.
If I take a half on the thin and a half on the funny it gives me a 9.
ReplyDeleteI may not be Menza but according to this list, not dumb either. :-)
ReplyDeleteFunny thing, I just said to a friend that it isn't a coincidence that all college towns are liberal as well as the university folks. Your report agrees with me. Gee maybe I'm not so dumb. :-)
Giving myself lots of half-points (for thin, cats, liberal, and alcohol consumption) I came up with a 7.
ReplyDeleteI'll give myself half points on the liberal and music ones. I drink, am thin, have a cat. The jury is out on my being funny. Right handed.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm about a five. No worries.
6 to 8 depending on who you ask.
ReplyDeleteI'm a six -- youngest, lefty, think I'm funny, not too liberal, learned to read early, drink alcohol, does pot count? I'm 5'7", got a cat, worry some
ReplyDeleteEight -- maybe nine
ReplyDeleteOK,here goes: piano, only child (guess that counts), thin enough, yes, bottle-fed, yep and now I live in Denver, right-handed, about as tall as I am thin (too subjective), oh yeah, right-of-center but not crazy, is 6 early?, definitely a worrier but I talk myself down a lot, and only others can judge that but so I've been told. Phew. What was the question? And of course you're smarter than Hillary so please don't vote for her.
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