Most of us wish we could just be a bit smarter. Naturally, there’s no shortage of studies that try to find out what smart people have in common. After all, if we can’t beat the genetics part that keeps us from shaving off a few extra seconds from that Sudoku problem (or nailing that product development issue), it makes total sense to go after the part that we have some control over – our habits.
OnlinePHDPrograms.org recently distributed this infographic on “The Good and Bad Habits of Smart People”. While interesting, there are a couple of fundamental problems with it.
For example– there is no such thing as a “Genius IQ”. Genius is a function of creativity that is only loosely tied to IQ. Andy Warhol for example, had an average IQ, but was undoubtedly an artistic and entrepreneurial genius. IQ’s of 125-159 and 160< are more accurately called “Superior” and Very Superior”, though different models will have their own terms for it.
And another thing: Changing your habits to match the smarter set’s much easier said than done. How many of us have stuck with our New Year’s Resolutions, for one?
If you can get past these problems, this infographic provides plenty of food for thought.
If you’re planning on trying any of the less healthy habits like substance abuse and not getting enough sleep, this is where we put a huge red flag up that says:
Correlation does not equal causation!
In the end, the only thing an IQ test can accurately measure is how well you can take IQ tests. There are plenty of other factors that play into how smart – or successful – someone is in the fields they choose.
Have you consciously tried any of these habits, good or bad? How did it work out? Comment below!
Image credit:
Rubic’s Cube: baracoder via photopin cc