The 7 surprising signs of high intelligence

Why bother with an IQ test when you can just study your own personality for signs of intelligence?

A whole host of characteristics have been linked to cleverness - but some of them make a big brain sound far less appealing.

1. You use drugs

Your grandma might call your drug-filled university days dumb, but a scientific study suggests she's wrong.

This may be because intelligent people are more open to new experiences and get bored more easily.

Yet this association is stronger in women than men, so some of us still have to listen to gran.

2. You're a liberal

Conservative grandparents' worse fears are coming true yet again.

People with liberal political views allegedly have higher IQs.

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The reasoning is that liberal beliefs go against our evolutionary instincts; more intellectual firepower means you're more likely to overcome them.

3. You're a loner

The idea of happiness conjures fantasies of laughing with your friends for most of us.

But apparently socialising can make intelligent people miserable.

In fact, the more intelligent people socialise with their friends, the less satisfied they are with life, research finds.

4. You go to sleep late

It might not be helpful for careers, school or pretty much anything else in life, but a study suggests intelligent people are more likely to make a not-so-smart move: going to sleep and getting up later.

5. You're lazy

Don't assume your nearest couch potato isn't working hard: according to new research, their brain is.

Lazy people are more likely to enjoy thinking, while those who don't need to do more stuff to get out of their own heads.

6. You've had mental health issues

Research indicates that a higher childhood IQ is linked to features of bipolar disorder.

Clever people are also more prone to anxiety, another study found.

7. You were a teenage virgin

Yep, studies suggest the stereotype of the nerdy virgin unlucky in love isn't too far from the truth after all.

Though a lot of these qualities don't sound great, at least you can intelligently defend them if you're smart about it.