Are You Physically Lazy? You’re Probably More Intelligent, Study Finds

Many of us tend to look down on slobs who sit watching Netflix all night and never drag themselves to the gym.

But physical laziness might actually be a sign that someone is a deep thinker, a new study has suggested.

Researchers from Florida Gulf Coast University rated 60 volunteers using a ‘Need for Cognition’ test - dividing them into ‘thinkers’ and ‘non-thinkers’.

They then monitored their physical activity for a week - and found that the ‘non-thinkers’ tended to be much more active than the thinkers.

The reason could be, simply, that more cerebral people can entertain themselves using the power of the mind - while less thoughtful types entertain themselves in the gym.

The researchers write, ‘High-NFC individuals seem more content to “entertain themselves” mentally, whereas low-NFC individuals quickly experience boredom and experience it more negatively.

‘The relationship between cognition and physical activity is an important question for the human experience, and the interaction likely extends across the lifespan.’