New research seems to prove the theory that
brainy people spend more time lazing around
than their active counterparts.
Findings from a US-based study seem to support
the idea that people with a high IQ get bored less
easily, leading them to spend more time engaged
in thought.

And active people may be more physical as they
need to stimulate their minds with external
activities, either to escape their thoughts or
because they get bored quickly. Researchers from
the Florida Gulf Coast University gave a classic
test – dating back three decades - to a group of
students.
The ‘need for cognition’ questionnaire asked
participants to rate how strongly they agree with
statements such as "I really enjoy a task that
involves coming up with new solutions to
problems", and "I only think as hard as I have
to".

The researchers, led by Todd McElroy, then
selected 30 ‘thinkers’ and 30 ‘non-thinkers’ from
the pool of candidates.
Over the next seven days both groups wore a
device on their wrist which tracked their
movements and activity levels, providing a
constant stream of data on how physically active
they were.
Results showed the thinking group were far less
active during the week than the non-thinkers.

The findings of the study, published in the Journal
of Health Psychology, were described as “highly
significant” and “robust” in statistical terms.
Researchers suggested the findings could lend
weight to the idea that non-thinkers get bored
more easily, so need to fill their time with
physical activity.