12 Odd Habits That Usually Indicate A Person Has A Low IQ
Not everyone can be a genius.
SB Arts Media / Shutterstock Intelligence is complex and multi-faceted. Someone might be smart in specific areas but lack knowledge or critical thinking skills on other topics. Because people’s level of intelligence varies so widely, it’s important not to pass judgment, but rather, try to understand where they’re coming from. And there are certain odd habits that usually indicate a person has a low IQ, as their patterns of behavior reflect how they see and process the world and their place within it.
It's important to remember that the ways in which our minds work impact our daily lives and overall well-being dramatically. Treating people with compassion is crucial, no matter what their IQ might be.
Here are 12 odd habits that usually indicate a person has a low IQ
1. They avoid learning new things
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An odd habit that usually indicates a person has a low IQ is having an avoidant mindset when it comes to learning new things. They keep themselves closed off to information they don’t already know, which limits their outlook. They avoid reading sources they don’t already agree with, so they exist in an intellectual echo chamber.
Their limited mindset makes it hard for them to understand other people’s experiences, but they don’t ask questions or dig any deeper, keeping their relationships on the surface level. By avoiding new information, they don’t have to challenge themselves to see things in a different light. They ask very little of themselves, and their rigid adherence to what they already know keeps them from living an expansive life.
2. They’re impulsive
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Another odd habit that usually indicates a person has a low IQ is being impulsive. They take action without considering the consequences or long-term effects, which can be harmful to themselves and the people around them. As psychologist Guy Winch pointed out, “Impatience is wanting something to happen. Impulsivity is making it happen.”
”Impulsiveness (or impulsivity) has been defined as a predisposition toward acting in a rapid and unplanned way without considering the consequences,” he explained. While feeling impatient happens to everyone, being impulsive and acting on that impatience is more problematic.
Winch noted that impulsivity is considered to be “a problem with executive functioning,” which he defined as “the suite of abilities that include decision-making and impulse control.”
He shared that treatments exist to help people who struggle with impulsiveness, specifically citing mindfulness meditation as a method to “slow down emotional reactivity."
3. They act like an expert even when they’re not
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An odd habit that usually indicates a person has a low IQ is acting like an expert when they decidedly don’t have expertise in a certain area. They might make unfounded declarations and talk over other people who know more than they do about the subject, refusing to see the gaps in their knowledge.
In an article published by “Advances in Experimental Social Psychology,” David Dunning discussed the Dunning-Kruger effect, which occurs when “poor performers in many social and intellectual domains seem largely unaware of just how deficient their expertise is.”
He touched on the idea of “meta-ignorance” or “ignorance of ignorance,” stating that “the scope of people's ignorance is often invisible to them… because lack of expertise and knowledge often hides in the realm of the ‘unknown unknowns.’”
A person who has a low IQ doesn’t know what they don’t know, which keeps them caught in a state of dissonance. Claiming to be an expert, even when they’re not, is an odd habit that usually indicates a person has a low IQ.
4. They don’t entertain different perspectives
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Being unable or unwilling to hear different perspectives is an odd habit that usually indicates a person has a low IQ. They have a low tolerance for listening to people whose opinions and experiences don’t line up exactly with their own. They dismiss how other people feel instead of offering validation, even for the parts they do agree with.
Their inability to entertain opposing perspectives keeps them closed off from intellectual debate and challenging discussions. They can’t hold space for the idea that everyone sees the world through a different lens. Their insularity holds them back from making deeper connections, and it usually indicates they have a low IQ.
5. They don’t adapt easily
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An odd habit that usually indicates a person has a low IQ is not being able to adapt easily to new environments or ways of thinking. They cling to outdated information, putting all their belief into methods that have been disproven.
They don’t accept any new approaches to how they operate. Their inability to embrace change means they often stay stuck in a way of life that no longer serves them. This rigidity often shows up in their dichotomous, all-or-nothing thinking, which means they struggle to see nuance. Their limited, over-simplified thought process keeps them from fully understanding complicated issues, revealing that they have a low IQ.
6. They live unbalanced lives
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Living an imbalanced life is an odd habit that usually indicates a person has a low IQ. They have a hard time finding the middle ground, which means they only have two speeds: go hard or do nothing at all.
Their lack of balance affects their personal and professional lives. They struggle to separate the two, which means they either push past their limits and work themselves into the ground or they ignore their responsibilities completely.
According to Mental Health America’s Work Health Survey, people who reported having a good work-life balance feel more satisfied with their job and their life outside of work, and they experience fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression. MHA revealed that over half of the survey respondents said they cope with workplace stress by engaging in unhealthy behaviors, like substance abuse or being emotionally reactive in their relationships.
While an imbalanced life can stem from many different things, it can also be an indication that a person has a low IQ.
7. They make decisions solely based on emotions
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An odd habit that usually indicates a person has a low IQ is making decisions based on emotions alone. They don’t incorporate any logic or strategic thinking into their decision-making process. Instead, they base their behavior around how they feel and nothing else, which shows a lack of emotional intelligence.
Psychologist Nick Wignall shared that following your emotions without questioning them is a sign of low emotional intelligence. “Emotions often give us useful information," he explained, "But they’re just as likely to mislead us.”
The way people feel is an indication of what they’re going through, yet as Wignall pointed out, not every emotion sends a message that should be acted upon. A person can feel anxious about going on a first date with someone they’ve never met, but that doesn’t mean they should cancel their plans.
“Emotionally intelligent people listen to all their emotions but never put blind trust in any of them,” he concluded. “It can be just as dangerous to overvalue them as it is to undervalue them.”
8. They don’t plan for the future
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An odd habit that usually indicates a person has a low IQ is living only in the moment and not planning for the long-term. While being mindful and staying present are helpful psychological tools, a person who’s incapable of thinking about the future at all often has a low IQ.
Being in “the now” can help people manage stress and hardship, but it can also hinder their ability to live a successful, well-rounded life later on. A person who uses all of their rent money to buy an ice cream truck because it seemed like a good idea before the first of the month lacks foresight and basic common sense, which can indicate they have a low IQ.
9. They believe in conspiracy theories
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They might get their news from the National Enquirer and truly believe the headline declaring that every professional athlete in the world is actually an alien. How else can you explain their speed, strength, and agility?
They accept ideas that have no factual basis as facts. Their best friend’s cousin once went camping in Canada and saw a 6-foot tall creature he absolutely swears was Bigfoot, which means they believe Bigfoot exists, without asking any more probing questions.
Believing in conspiracy theories to an extreme degree shows a lack of analytical thinking and is an odd habit that usually indicates a person has a low IQ.
10. They don’t question authority
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Another odd habit that usually indicates a person has a low IQ is that they don’t question authority, ever. They pledge full loyalty to people in positions of power, without doing any research on their belief systems or investigating how their actions affect society as a whole.
They don’t think about the intentions that authority figures have, which means they follow any direction given to them, showing that they’re not thinking about things on a deeper level.
During a speech at Duke University, Dean and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Steve Nowicki touched on reasons why questioning authority is actually a good thing to do, as long as people stay open-minded about the answers they receive.
“We’re right to question authority when we think that authority is unfounded, unjust, or otherwise just screwed up somehow,” he said. “But if we ask the question, we need to be willing to help find the answer, understanding that the answer might be complicated, that it might be difficult, or that the answer might be different from what we initially think it is.”
“When someone offers you an idea, it’s good to ask where that idea comes from, to ask what reasoning it’s based on, to consider the evidence yourself before accepting the idea,” he said. “Reasonable people might sometimes differ in what they think the answer is, because they reasonably see the world from different perspectives.”
Not questioning authority shows that someone has a lack of curiosity around understanding how the world works, and it usually indicates they have a low IQ.
11. They frequently interrupt others
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An odd habit that usually indicates a person has a low IQ is interrupting the flow of conversations on a frequent basis. They have very little patience for hearing how anyone else thinks and they can’t wait to tell them how wrong they actually are.
They don’t pick up on social cues, which means they don’t notice that the way they’re acting makes it seem like they were raised without good manners. They don’t see anything wrong with cutting someone off when they’re speaking or interjecting their own opinions into a conversation without being asked. This odd habit often means that other people have a hard time engaging them in any discussion that challenges their way of thinking, which usually indicates a low IQ.
12. They ignore feedback
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Ignoring feedback is an odd habit that usually indicates a person has a low IQ. They don’t have a deep enough level of self-awareness to understand that feedback is meant to help them become a better version of themselves. Instead, they interpret any form of feedback as a personal attack.
They dismiss critique outright, without giving it any consideration. They take a hardline stance against the person offering the feedback, declaring them to be jealous haters who don’t know anything. Their refusal to be reflective and integrate people’s suggestions for self-improvement usually indicate that they have a low IQ.
Alexandra Blogier, MFA, is a staff writer who covers psychology, social issues, relationships, self-help topics, and human interest stories.