Laziness is actually a sign of high intelligence, researchers say

In the real world, spotting intelligent people isn’t quite as simple as looking for people who babble gibberish like Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock.

Traits such as enjoying sick jokes and enjoying being alone can be signs of intelligence – and another is even more surprising: physical laziness.

Refusal to go to the gym might actually be a sign that someone is a deep thinker, a new study has suggested.

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