Women With Bad Tempers Tend To Be Smarter, Study Says

If people often tell you that you're too grumpy as a woman and need to smile more, there's now a scientific study that you can use to throw it back in their faces. A scientific study concluded that women who are regularly bad-tempered are also generally smarter.

So if you're a little less happy and shiny, and a little more dark and moody, you're more likely to have a good head on your shoulders. If you're still skeptical, the science really backs it up.

What The Study Found

Scientists from the University of New South Wales and Stanford University collaboratively ran a study with over 50 participants which concluded that bad-tempered women are usually more intelligent.

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Photo Credit: moviestillsdb / ABC

The results pointed to the fact that, when women get moody, they make better decisions and exhibit a more acute memory to retrieve specific details and facts from their minds.

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Why A Bad Temper Though?

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A bad temper is characterized by mental negativity which leads to people being more aware of their surroundings. This means that when a woman is grumpier, she tends to precisely focus on her environment, personal thoughts, and actions at the moment, making her ability to assess her situation and reason more effectively.

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It Has To Be Consistently There

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Bad-tempered women have a constant underlying bad mood that is integrated into their personalities and allows them to pay closer attention to their everyday lives. Over time, they hone their skill and are able to be smarter and more analytical when making decisions in diverse areas of their lives, such as their professional and social spheres.

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In Contrast, Disproportionately Cheerful People Can Be More Impulsive

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The study also examined how "happy" people reacted when in a situation that required them to examine the facts and make a decision, and generally they are more creative when coming up with solutions.

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However, they also tend to make more impulsive or careless decisions without thinking about the long-term effects or negative impacts.

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You Don't Always Have To Be Angry

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Of course, you're not running around like Grumpy the dwarf all the time — our mood naturally fluctuates on a regular basis and our bad temper or extreme joy is generally temporary.

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However, this study shows the value of having stern, temperamental traits when facing a problem that requires strategic decision-making. You're much more likely to explore all possible negative outcomes and see the problem within the bigger picture.

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While A Bad Temper Is Useful, It Also Can Have Negative Effects

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A little bit of bad temperament makes you a more analytical leader with good judgment, but there are some negative impacts of this trait. Your tendency towards being irritated and negative can make you more stressed and more vulnerable to depression.

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The scientists who conducted the experiment suggested acknowledging how your temperament affects you and managing your emotions to achieve a type of balance. Either way, you can tell the next person who tells you to smile to shove it.