Ever wonder why some people seem to be smarter than others? If you think it has something to do with intelligence, you might want to think again. New research suggests that there are nine habits truly smart people share — and they’re not all book smarts.
In this post we’ll discuss these habits and the science behind them: what they can teach us about intelligence and how we can improve our own lives by implementing the lessons learned. We’ll start by exploring the nine habits, how they relate to intelligence and what works best for smart people. Then we’ll discuss how you can adopt each habit as a mindset and as a way of life. The rest of the post will walk you through these habits and we’ll finish with some tips for improving your own intellect.
Habit 1: Are Smart People Creative?
One of the first things that comes to mind about creative people is that they’re not very smart. They’re unpredictable and their ideas might seem stupid at first glance — but creative people don’t need to be smart in order to be creative! In fact, new research suggests creative thinking is correlated more to emotional intelligence rather than intelligence itself.
There are different forms of creativity. One of them is an ability to be more innovative in solving problems, finding solutions to new obstacles and coming up with new solutions to old problems. This type of creativity is related to IQ. On the other hand, another type of creativity associated with emotional intelligence is called divergent thinking — or the ability to come up with original ideas on how to solve an unfamiliar problem quickly. Divergent thinkers also tend to be more optimistic and flexible, which are both aspects of emotional intelligence, not cognitive intelligence.
A study conducted by London Business School shows that creative people are more emotionally intelligent than their non-creative peers. This study also shows that people with stronger emotional intelligence are more creative. It’s not surprising, really. Creativity is only possible when you have the energy to pursue your ideas and you’re open to new possibilities. Both of these factors are key to emotional intelligence.
