You've been frequently told how much smarter you are compared to the average by headlines all this while. And here's some of the usual suspect contents that come along with those kinds of articles. All backed up by science. Truth? What do you think?

Drinking lots of alcohol

Adults who scored high on IQ tests as children or teenagers are more likely to drink more as adults.

Owning a cat

A 2014 study of 600 college students found that those who identified as ‘cat people’ scored higher in cognitive ability tests.

Being the oldest sibling

A Norwegian epidemiologist examined the IQ scores of nearly 250,000 men and found that those who were the oldest sibling in their family had higher scores. On average, first borns had IQs of 103, second borns were 100, and third borns were 99.

Being skinny

A 2006 study of 2,200 adults showed that the bigger the waistline the lower the cognitive ability. Another study with preschoolers linked lower IQ scores with higher BMIs.

Recreational drug use

A British study from 2012 demonstrated that people who scored high on IQ tests as children were also more likely to recreationally use illegal drugs in adulthood.

Being funny

In 2011 a study involving 400 students showed a link between being funny and intelligence. The students first took and intelligence test then were asked to come up with captions for a few cartoons. The captions were reviewed by independent raters. The students who scored higher on the intelligence test were also rated as funnier.

Being left handed

Left handedness is associated with ‘divergent thinking’ or the ability to come up with novel ideas.

Being breastfed

In research that looked at over 3,000 children, those who were breastfed scored 7 points higher on IQ tests. However, these results only held true if the individual had a particular version of the FADS2 gene.

Taking music lessons as a kid

A 2004 study demonstrated that kids who took 9 months of keyboard or voice lessons had an IQ boost compared to kids who took drama lessons or no lessons at all.

Being tall

In 2008, a study conducted by Princeton found that taller people tend to score higher on IQ tests. These correlations were present as early as age 3.

Reading at an early age

Research from 2012 that involved 2,000 pairs of identical twins found that those who started reading earlier also scored higher on cognitive abilities.

Worrying a lot

Research conducted last year suggests that people who worry a lot tend to rate higher in verbal intelligence.