Drummers Are More Intelligent Than Everyone Else, Says Study
Haven't you always wanted to date a guy in a band?
4 PM production / Shutterstock It's one of those common movie stereotypes: In a rock band, the lead singer/guitarist is presumably the leader, the keyboardist is the smart one, the bass player is the bad boy, and the drummer is the simpleton.
Then you get one scene or two where the simpleton drummer has a moment of genius, and everybody stares at him like he's grown two heads.
But let's be honest, when we were all young teenagers, we would dream of dating a guy in a popular band, and having all the girls jealous that he chose us, even if he was the drummer.
But it turns out, according to science, that stroke of genius may not be too far from the truth, and that the stereotype of the dumb drummer might not be true at all. Hasn't every famous band always had a weirdly hot drummer?
In a study by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, researchers studied volunteers taking a 60-question intelligence test while keeping in time to a drumstick. They found that those with the best sense of rhythm scored better.
"The rhythmic accuracy in brain activity that is observed when a person maintains a steady beat is also important to the problem-solving capacities measured with the intelligence tests," said Professor Frederic Ullen. Nothing like a guy who knows how to dance to the tune of his own drums, if you know what I mean.
This intelligence actually has more to do with rhythm than actual drumming. Other studies have shown that a good sense of rhythm improves cognitive function. This must be why I always find it easier to work to really heavy rock music, which everyone tells me is weird, but I'm just trying to support my future husband.
An Oxford University study found that most musicians, such as drummers, produce endorphins while playing, giving them a "natural high."
This makes them happier and allows them to have a much higher pain tolerance. Not only is he smarter, but he doesn't get as hurt as easily as your other ex-boyfriends did.
Not only that, but Harvard researchers found that drummers have a different internal clock that imitates rhythm found in human brainwaves, sleep heart rates, and feline auditory nerve firings.
So not only do drummers make hot boyfriends (and girlfriends!), they're smarter, happier, and move to the beat of their own bodies. And when he's up on stage he'll be able to sneak a wink only for you, and you'll find yourself lucky that you got the hottest, and the smartest, member of the band.
Caithlin Pena is an editor and former contributor for YourTango. Her work has been featured on Thought Catalog, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Psych Central, and BRIDES.