Yes, several studies suggest a correlation where people who stay up later (night owls) tend to have higher IQs and cognitive function compared to early risers, possibly because nocturnal preferences are evolutionarily novel and linked to creativity and non-conformity, though they might struggle in traditional school settings.
Sleep-wake patterns show substantial biological determination, but they are also subject to individual choice and societal pressure. Some evidence suggests that high IQ is associated with later sleep patterns.
Higher cognitive ability is sometimes linked to better sleep efficiency, less insomnia, or more regular sleep schedules in controlled samples. Chronotype associations: higher IQ scores correlate modestly with eveningness in several studies, meaning later sleep and wake times rather than greater total sleep.
Scores on the full-scale IQ test, IQ subtests, Wechsler Memory Scale, Trail-Making Test, and the CANTAB were statistically and substantively indistinguishable between study members with and without insomnia (all P > 0.10).
“What we found was that people who stayed up late, whether they were evening types or morning types, were much more likely to have depression and anxiety,” said the study's lead researcher, Jamie Zeitzer, PhD, co-director of the Stanford Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences.
They Have Higher IQs
Night owls who opt to wake up in the later hours of the day and stay awake until the wee small hours of the morning may be exhibiting a form of evolution. In any case, people with divergent circadian cycles are considered to be more intelligent than those with normal sleep cycles.
The koala is famous for sleeping around 20-22 hours a day, which is about 90% of the day, due to their low-energy diet of eucalyptus leaves that requires extensive digestion. Other extremely sleepy animals include the sloth (up to 20 hours) and the brown bat (around 20 hours), with some snakes like the ball python also sleeping up to 23 hours daily.
The single strongest predictor of a person's IQ is the IQ of his or her mother. Also interesting: However, once you get beyond the school environment, it's not a very reliable predictor of performance. Controlling for other factors, people with high IQs do not have better relationships and better marriages.
Revol et al11 reported that children with high IQ (≥ 130) often complained about their sleep (35% vs 9% of TDC), including difficulties falling asleep, night awakenings, and short sleep duration.
A 72 IQ is considered Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF), falling just above the threshold for intellectual disability (usually around 70), placing it in the lower end of the spectrum (70-79) and indicating slower learning and potential needs for support in daily living, though it's not low enough for an official intellectual disability diagnosis by itself, notes Quora user. It's in the bottom few percentiles of the population, requiring more time to grasp complex concepts but not necessarily severe impairment.
No, an IQ of 97 is not considered dumb; it falls squarely in the average range (90-109), indicating typical cognitive abilities, though some tests might place it slightly below the exact midpoint of 100. An IQ score of 97 means you performed better than 42% of people, and due to the test's margin of error, your score could be anywhere from the high 80s to the mid-100s, still within normal intelligence.
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Psychology Today reported that intelligent people are likely to be nocturnal beings, with those with a higher IQ going bed later on both weeknights and weekends.
Gen Z stays up late due to a combination of technology (blue light, endless content), significant stress and anxiety (FOMO, financial/global worries), biological shifts (natural teenage circadian rhythm), and "revenge bedtime procrastination," where they sacrifice sleep for personal time, often in bed, scrolling social media. This digital-heavy, high-stress lifestyle creates overstimulation and a misalignment with natural sleep patterns, leading to chronic sleep deprivation, notes the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Health Foundation.
Some mental skills are sharpest at different ages, with many not peaking until age 40 or later. Short-term memory is strongest at age 25, stays steady until 35, and then starts to decline. Emotional understanding peaks during middle age, while vocabulary and crystallized intelligence peak in the 60s and 70s.
Leonardo da Vinci and Nikola Tesla, who blessed the world with incredible art and alternating current (AC) electricity, supposedly slept for a total of two hours per day, in which they took 20 minute naps roughly every 4 hours – something known as the Uberman polyphasic sleep cycle.
According to Coren, scores on intelligence tests decline cumulatively on each successive day you sleep less than you usually sleep. The daily decline is approximately one IQ point for the first hour of sleep loss, two for the next, and four for the next.
Because they are high achievers, they're often able to take on more than most. Even so, they eventually find their breaking point, and must start looking for a new solution to the problem of their limited time. Rather than scaling back commitments, high achievers double down and work even harder by sacrificing sleep.
Lady Gaga's IQ is widely rumored to be around 166, placing her in the "exceptionally gifted" or genius category, though this is an estimation often cited in celebrity lists, not a officially verified number from a public test. This high estimate is supported by her early academic achievements, like attending a summer program for the top 1% of students, and her demonstrated creative and musical genius as a composer and performer, notes Us Weekly and Brainmanager.io.
In population-based studies, maternal IQ is the single greatest predictor of child IQ [17]. Maternal IQ reflects not only genetic influences, but also incorporates environmental factors affecting the child.
Snoop Dogg has claimed to have an IQ of 147, a score he revealed on Instagram, which classifies as "highly gifted" or genius level, despite graduating high school with straight C's and considering himself a poor student. While the exact test isn't verified, he has expressed surprise at his own high score, contrasting it with his academic struggles, but acknowledges his brilliance in music and business, notes Esquire Australia and Brainmanager.io.
Yes, the Navy SEAL sleep trick (an 8-minute power nap with elevated legs) is a real technique for quick rest, popularized by former SEAL Jocko Willink, that helps improve alertness and reduce fatigue, though its effectiveness depends on individual relaxation skills and it's not a substitute for full nighttime sleep. The method involves lying down, elevating your feet above your heart (on a chair or couch), relaxing facial muscles, dropping shoulders, and clearing your mind for about 8-10 minutes to promote relaxation and blood flow, preventing grogginess.
Among the most rested countries surveyed by Sleep Cycle, an app that tracks how much shuteye people are getting, New Zealand comes top with the average Kiwi clocking up in excess of 7.5 hours per night. Finland, the Netherlands, Australia, the UK and Belgium all rank highly for sleep, too, with Ireland close behind.
Alpine swifts are one of the most extreme examples when asking what animal never sleeps. These airborne endurance champions spend up to 200 days in flight without landing. Instead of traditional sleep, they rely on micro-sleeps while gliding. This allows them to rest without stopping.