“Unlocking Genius: The Surprising Bedtime Emotion That Boosts Intelligence, According to New Research”
Added on February 16, 2025 inASTROLOGY CARDS
Popular
Numerology Meets Netflix: Get Your Daily Dose of Cosmic Cinema Suggestions Powered By Our AI Astrologer. Find The Show Or Movie You Were Meant To See!
Then Join Our FREE Newsletter To Watch Your Choice Of Movies And Shows For FREE Plus Get The Latest Entertainment News And Updates!
“Stop worrying!” If I had a nickel for every time my mom has said that, I’d probably have enough money to pay someone to worry for me! Honestly, I’ve been a bit of a worrywart for as long as I can remember. Sure, I’ve picked up some nifty stress-relief tricks along the way (thank you, spinning classes!), but the overthinking? Yeah, that’s stuck around like an unwanted houseguest. Whether I’m pacing over whether the stove is secretly plotting a fiery comeback or replaying that cringe-worthy moment from last month’s dinner party, it’s clear I’m not alone in this, right? But hey, what if I told you that all this fretting could actually mean something… smart? Dive in as we explore how our worrying tendencies might just be linked to intelligence, and maybe, just maybe, we can find comfort in our own anxious quirks! LEARN MORE
“Stop worrying!” I think my mom has said that at least twice in every conversation we’ve ever had. I’ve always been a worrier. I’ve even worried over the fact that I’m a worrier. I’d say it’s gotten better over time as I’ve found better stress-relief techniques (sup, spinning?), but I’m still one to overthink.
Sometimes it’s irrational, like OMG, but what if the stove magically turned itself back on after I turned it off and left the apartment? And other times, rehashing past events keeps me up at night.
Advertisement
One study in Current Psychology “examined the relations among rumination, emotional intelligence, and anxiety [the results] indicated that when participants reported a low level of emotional intelligence, those with higher rumination reported greater anxiety. However, the impact of rumination on anxiety was not significant in the group with high emotional intelligence. The foremost finding of this study is that emotional intelligence could serve as a protective factor in the path from rumination to anxiety.”
Advertisement
I know it’s silly to stress about the past or the things that haven’t happened yet (and maybe even won’t) but sometimes I’ll justify it by saying it keeps me on my toes — it makes me focused, perceptive, trying to improve. I’d rather be someone who cares too much about things — even if one of those things is preventing my apartment from burning down. Isn’t it better to care than not?
PeopleImages.com – Yuri A via Shutterstock
Advertisement
After researchers gave 126 undergrads surveys to measure both their intelligence and how much they stressed over events in their lives, they found a link between worrying and verbal intelligence.
On the other hand, they also found that the more respondents replayed past events in their minds, the lower they ranked on non-verbal intelligence. OK, so it looks like you’re not a complete genius from all your fretting.
Why’s that? According to lead researcher, Alexander Penney, people who are verbally intelligent fixate on past and future events in greater detail, leading to more intense dwelling, while non-verbally intelligent people are better at processing what happened in the moment, so they don’t need to re-think events in their heads after.
Advertisement
Worrying also impacts memory, another study from the Journal of Cognition and Emotion, “investigated the relationships between anxiety, working memory, and intelligence, and showed that the negative impact of anxiety on working memory functioning diminishes with increasing intelligence. So there you have it, fellow worrywarts.
Michelle Toglia is the Executive Editor at Elite Daily, overseeing the site’s entertainment, news, style, dating, and experiences coverage.
Advertisement
){kind=link}