The next time someone calls you lazy, take it as a compliment! After all, you may very well be more intelligent than them. Of course, you probably have suspected this earlier, as you ruminated on your couch, but now science has proved it. It seems that laziness and intelligence are connected. A study has found that people who are less active, or in other words ‘lazy’, could be brainier than people who are always active. Researchers found that brainy but lazy people or physically lazy people liked to think more whereas the non-thinkers got bored of thinking easily and filled their time with exercise, sports or other physical activity.
Read on to find out the details of the study, and also how to recognize the lazy geniuses around you (you could be one too!):
New study proves laziness and intelligence are connected
A new study seems to connect laziness to intelligence in a way that you’d never have thought. Traditionally, people who laze around are perceived as less intelligent for whiling away their time not doing anything. But this study seeks to prove that lazy people may have higher IQs than the average person.
The study revealed that high intelligence and boredom were interconnected, as highly intelligent people get bored less easily, which allowed them to think more. Well, history seems to prove this point as we all know what Isaac Newton was doing when the famous apple fell on his head – he was relaxing under the apple tree, doing absolutely nothing, except thinking of course! Looking at Newton and other geniuses throughout history, you might ponder are geniuses lazy? Looks like they are!
Active people, on the other hand, have to get over their boredom with external activity, as they get quickly bored with thinking.
Florida Gulf Coast University study links intelligence and laziness
The university gave a group of students a cognitive test. The participants had to rate how strongly they agreed with statements like “I only think as hard as I have to”, and “I really enjoy a task that involves coming up with new solutions to problems”. Depending on the answers, the researchers selected 30 non-thinkers and 30 thinkers from the group, in order to conduct the laziness and intelligence connection test.
Both the groups wore a gadget for a week, which monitored their activity level and movements, providing researchers with continuous data.
The results revealed that the ‘thinkers’ group were physically quite inactive, than the non-thinking group. It was found that high intelligence and boredom was also linked. The highly intelligent people were less bored with ‘thinking’ and preferred to think, rather than be physically active.
Another surprising and inexplicable thing which was discovered during the study was that, during the weekends, there was no difference in activity levels.
Downside of being lazy but brainy
The downside to being brainer but lazier is that the sedentary lifestyle would have a negative impact on health. The researchers pointed out that clever people should take care to increase their activity levels. So being lazy is good for the mind but not for the body.
What the laziness and intelligence study basically means is that those who like to think (about your research, course study, life in general, working out your strategy etc) should also do some chores, go to the gym or meet friends.
How to recognize a lazy-intelligent person
Or maybe you are one yourself. In that case, you will surely relate to all the things listed below. And if you’re not, you’ll know that extremely lazy person you know, who refuses to move a muscle is actually a hidden genius.
BTW, there’s no stopping you copying their traits whenever you feel like it, and if someone call you out, you just have to say you’re thinking up the latest app!
Lazy people make the least movement to get the most done
The smartest people in your set might be the laziest people you know. Or rather, you thought they were just plain lazy, but observe carefully, and you may find their laziness and intelligence related. On reflection, you will be amazed at how much they get done with the minimum of efforts.
They find the most convenient as easiest ways to accomplish things
Necessity is the mother of invention as they say, and probably online shopping was invented by some genius couch potato, as he or she didn’t want to go out and shop. As laziness and intelligence are closely related, lazy geniuses have probably invented or come up with apps of every description. Being lazy is good sometimes!
They are probably the creative ones who help all of you get out of work
Are geniuses lazy? Most of them are, probably! Haven’t you wondered how that lazy friend of yours who is always power napping, but still manages to get all his work done – office or school presentations and that too perfectly.
It’s because he/she spends the time thinking through the project while lazing in bed, instead of going for that early morning run. Their time spent thinking leads them to come up with creative solutions which are pure genius! Perhaps you’ve received his/her help for your assignments too.
They can wait for hours for someone to come and turn the lights on/off
Lazy-intelligent people have some stellar qualities, one of them being that they are infinitely patient. They can wait for hours on end for someone to come and turn on or off the lights, fans etc. They might even watch something extremely boring as they can’t be bothered to find the remote they lost.
They’re very intelligent as they find a new way to learn anything
A person who has a very high IQ, usually devises new ways to understand something. They grasp concepts quite easily and do not have a problem in applying them.
Usually they have all the tech they need to accomplish things and make life easier for them. The last word has to be by Bill Gates – he once said he hired lazy people because they would find out the easiest way to finish a task! So as laziness and intelligence are connected, keep an eye on your lazy friends who might quite easily become millionaires in the future.
