Independent mind

You can tell how clever someone is just by looking at them, American research has found. The researchers were unable to identify the specific indicators of intelligence, suggesting that humans have developed a "sixth sense" which puts everything into the mix - appearance, eye contact, facial and hand expressions and tone and volume of voice - and produces an IQ score which is roughly right.

You can tell how clever someone is just by looking at them, American research has found. The researchers were unable to identify the specific indicators of intelligence, suggesting that humans have developed a "sixth sense" which puts everything into the mix - appearance, eye contact, facial and hand expressions and tone and volume of voice - and produces an IQ score which is roughly right.

Further research by The Independent, we are pleased to announce, has been able to isolate some of the tell-tale signs a little more precisely. 1. Big moustache and beard. Dead giveaway. Einstein, Darwin, Marx. Brainy guys. 2. Glasses. So long as they are not sunglasses or, worse, the type that get darker when the light gets brighter. Solid proof of intellectual status, eg Germaine Greer. 3. Far-away look in the eyes. Definite evidence that someone is calculating pi to the 212th decimal place while trying to remember their mobile phone number. 4. Reading a copy of The Independent. That's the clincher. Look out for that one.