Lazy people are smarter (statistically)

Laziness could be a sign of intelligence, according to a recent study.

Many people would find it very easy to identify themselves as lazy, but intelligence is somewhat more difficult to measure and, although everyone may have an idea of what their intellectual level is, it is difficult to have a reference for this without resorting to IQ tests.

However, a recent study has found a link between these two dimensions of our mind. Specifically, it has been observed that the most intelligent people are also the most likely to slack off during the workday..

So, while excessive loafing may lead to isolation and thus a diminished ability to think nimbly, sitting still and doing seemingly nothing much may be an indication that we like to devote time and effort to squeezing our intelligence.

Smart people are less active

This research, conducted by Todd McElroy of Florida Gulf Coast University and published in the Journal of Health Psychology, indicates that people who show a greater need for cognitively stimulating and motivating tasks spend less time than others on chores that require physical activity.

The need to engage in cognitively stimulating tasks, which is related to the level of intelligence, gives an idea of how we tend to keep ourselves mentally active by engaging in novel, challenging tasks that move away from monotony and repetition.

Why does this happen? The key lies in cognitive challenge

This discovery is related to the idea that challenges and hobbies that occur only in our brain and are not based on the performance of physical activities (understood as tasks for which it is necessary to use several Muscle groups, because thinking is also, after all, a physical process) are such a stimulating pastime and task that people accustomed to them do not need to move too much.

Thus, this research serves to reinforce the idea this research serves to reinforce the idea that the most intelligent people are not so prone to boredom. as the others, since they tend to take advantage of the moments in which they do not exercise physical efforts to think, reflect, carry out mental exercises... etc. On the other hand, people who do not stand out especially for their intelligence would have more reasons to seek entertainment in direct interaction with their environment.

How was the research conducted?

These researchers from Florida Gulf Coast University relied on the use of tests to obtain information about a series of volunteers. Among the questions on the tests were several designed to explore each person's tendency to engage in cognitively demanding activities.

For example, these people had to say whether they more or less agreed with statements such as "I really enjoy finding new solutions to problems."

Based on these data, the researchers selected 30 of the people most likely to exercise their cognitive abilities and another 30 who presented the opposite characteristic, and fitted them all with a device on their wrist. This bracelet was used to track their movements and output data on their activity levels, and this information was collected over several days. this information was collected over several days..

The results

People less likely to tackle cognitively demanding tasks moved more and showed higher levels of activation. and showed significantly higher levels of physical activation than the others, but, interestingly, this difference only appeared from Monday to Friday. On weekends, this difference tended to disappear.

This last finding has not yet been explained, so further research on this topic will be necessary if this point is to be clarified.