If you have these two annoying habits, psychologists say you could be super intelligent

I used to think that if my mind drifted during a task or while listening in a meeting, it meant I wasn’t disciplined enough. The same went for those moments when I would catch myself quietly talking through a problem in my head. I actually thought it was something I should aim to “fix.”

As I looked into it more, I found that maybe I was being too hard on myself and this is something that was covered in a recent article for Psychology Today by Mark Travers, Ph.D.

According to emerging psychological research, behaviors we label as distractions can, in the right context, signal cognitive flexibility and strong self-regulation.

Why daydreaming isn’t always a lack of focus

Mind-wandering certainly has a bad reputation. We associate it with inattention or laziness, and I’d be lying if I said I haven’t made a comment to my kids suggesting this. Let’s call it weak moment on my behalf. Yet Travers points to a 2025 study of more than 1,300 adults that found deliberate mind-wandering predicted higher creative performance. Brain scans showed stronger communication between executive control systems and the default mode network, which supports imagination and internally generated thought.

Another 2024 study referenced, published in PNAS Nexus, analyzed spontaneous thoughts from over 3,300 participants. Researchers found that so-called idle thoughts often organize around personal goals and help consolidate memory. In other words, your brain may be quietly working through problems even when you appear to be staring into space.

You, like me, may have noticed that some of the best ideas show up when we stop forcing them. The key, researchers say, is balance. The ability to let your mind wander and then return to the task at hand is what reflects flexibility.

The surprising upside of talking to yourself

Talking to yourself can feel awkward, especially if you’re on a busy bus or a packed sporting arena. Still, a 2023 study in Behavioral Sciences cited in the article, found that university students who reported more frequent inner speech also showed stronger self-regulation and clearer self-concept.

Inner dialogue can serve as a kind of mental scaffolding. By walking yourself through a plan step by step, you reduce cognitive clutter and impose structure on complex ideas. I can attest to narrating what I need to do next during relatively stressful moments, and have found it often sharpens my focus rather than distracting me. Yes, it can work.

Before you go off and start incessantly muttering to yourself to prove a point, note that this does not mean constant self-talk equals high intelligence. When it turns into rumination or harsh self-criticism, it can do more harm than good.

When these habits help and when they don’t

Travers emphasizes context. Mind-wandering paired with attention control can enhance creativity. Self-talk used intentionally can support planning and goal tracking. Without moderation, both habits can slide into distraction or anxiety.

Intelligence does not always look like perfect concentration. Sometimes it looks like a mind that knows when to drift, when to narrate, and when to refocus.

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