The “Quirky Habits” of Geniuses Throughout History

Albert Einstein walked around the house naked, Nikola Tesla wiped his spoon with 18 napkins before eating, and Charles Dickens brushed his hair hundreds of times a day… these are some of the “strange” habits of geniuses.

Few realize that many writers, politicians, and researchers have peculiar habits that help spark brilliant ideas. It would be remiss not to mention American writer Jack Kerouac, who turned to alcohol to “free his soul” and create literary inspiration, or poet Thomas Stearns Eliot, who had the unusual habit of applying powder to his face and painting his lips green; Friedrich von Schiller sought poetic inspiration from the smell of rotten apples.

The question many wonder about is whether these strange habits create geniuses or if the inherent “talent” leads to these unusual “quirks.” Let’s explore some of the eccentric habits of geniuses in the following article.

1. Novelist Charles Dickens – brushed his hair hundreds of times a day

Regarded as one of the greatest writers of the Victorian era, English novelist Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870) had several strange habits. An employee revealed that Dickens could not tolerate his hair being “disheveled”, which is why he always kept a comb nearby and brushed his hair hundreds of times daily.

Additionally, he had the habit of walking back and forth while composing and reading aloud for his secretary to transcribe. The two would then have to ponder each sentence multiple times, replacing words as needed and rearranging phrases before continuing to write.

Experts studying Dickens’s life and work suggest that his case exhibits mild traits of obsessive-compulsive disorder, with more severe manifestations resembling epilepsy.

2. Inventor Thomas Edison – took multiple naps each day

Before becoming research associates of Thomas Edison (1847 – 1932), candidates had to pass a rigorous interview process, which included eating a bowl of soup while under the watchful eye of this talented inventor. He would observe whether they added salt to the soup before tasting it.

Edison would immediately dismiss anyone who added salt without tasting first. According to him, this test was to weed out novice applicants who jumped to too many conclusions.

Edison also tried to minimize essential needs as much as possible, such as sleep. He divided his sleep into several short naps to have more waking hours to work.

Unlike regular people who sleep 6-8 hours continuously, he divided his sleep into multiple short naps during the day

Polyphasic sleep is a method for those who wish to have more awake time to accomplish other tasks, thereby increasing productivity. Besides Thomas Edison, the genius Leonardo da Vinci also practiced this sleep method.

3. Inventor Nikola Tesla – wiped his spoon with 18 napkins before eating

Nikola Tesla (1856 – 1943), the father of over 300 inventions such as the electric magnet, radio, and asynchronous motor, often began working at 3 AM and continued until 11 PM.

This habit led him to suffer from exhaustion by the age of 25. However, he quickly recovered and maintained this lifestyle well into old age, working tirelessly for 38 years without a break.

Additionally, he lived a solitary life and befriended pigeons. Tesla also had hidden fears, particularly of overweight women and jewelry (especially pearls).

He feared overweight women.

Moreover, he was afraid to shake hands due to germ phobia. Whenever he dined, this inventor had to clean his knife, fork, and spoon with exactly 18 linen napkins before feeling comfortable enough to enjoy his meal.

4. Doctor Sigmund Freud – befriended “Mary Jane”

Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) provided profound insights into the human subconscious, which helped psychologists better approach their patients. However, few know that this seemingly perfect man’s vices included nicotine and cocaine.

He began his addiction to these stimulants early on and smoked continuously. A close friend and fellow doctor warned him that smoking cigars daily could lead to dangerously irregular heartbeats.

Freud tried to quit but soon fell into a state of depression. He once shared, “Immediately after quitting, my heart felt even worse than when I was smoking, and my mind was never at peace because images of death and farewells kept repeating.”

Ultimately, Freud returned to “Mary Jane” and had once consumed a large dose of cocaine. He even underwent 33 surgeries on his mouth and jaw to remove cancer cells but still spoke highly of this “wonderful substance.”

5. Writer Honoré de Balzac – drank 50 cups of coffee daily

French realist writer Honoré de Balzac (1799 – 1850) had such a passion for coffee that he could drink up to 50 cups a day and rarely slept while writing his novel “Lost Illusions.”

He even dedicated an article to extolling the “beauty” of coffee in flowery and poetic prose: “This coffee pours into your stomach and immediately creates a shock. Ideas begin marching like battalions in a battle.”

Honoré de Balzac referred to coffee as “the great strength in life”, thanks to this beverage, he managed to survive a “grueling” work schedule: going to bed at 6 PM, waking up at 1 AM, and working until 8 AM, then taking a short nap before continuing to write for 7 hours.

He drank excessively to maintain his work pace and even consumed coffee grounds on an empty stomach. As a result, Honoré de Balzac wrote 85 novels in 20 years and passed away at the age of 50.

Many speculate that his death was due to overwork and excessive coffee consumption, while others theorize it was caused by high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.

6. Dr. Yoshiro Nakamatsu – Ideas Emerged When the Brain is Deprived of Oxygen

Throughout his 74 years of life, Dr. Yoshiro Nakamatsu held 3,300 patents, the most famous being the floppy disk. Many of Nakamatsu’s inventions were conceived in situations where he almost drowned. This brilliant inventor believes in the benefits of oxygen deprivation when humans are underwater.

He stated: “To deprive the brain of oxygen, you need to dive deep, and about 1.5 seconds before death, I can visualize a new invention”. He then wrote down this idea on waterproof paper before swimming back up.

Another key to Nakamatsu’s success is brainstorming in a room lined with 24-karat gold. According to him, this layer of gold can block radio and electromagnetic waves that are “harmful to the creative process.”

7. Mathematician Pythagoras Hated Beans

Mathematician Pythagoras. (Photo: Prezi.com)

Known as the <em“father of vegetarianism, Greek mathematician Pythagoras did not eat meat, only vegetables. However, this genius had no love for legumes. He refused to eat anything related to beans and even forbade his students from touching them.

It remains unclear whether his aversion stemmed from health reasons or religious beliefs. However, this dislike ultimately led to the mathematician’s demise.

According to records, when ambushed, Pythagoras would rather die than run across a field of beans.

8. Albert Einstein Walked Around the House Naked

Genius Scientist Albert Einstein. (Photo: Quotesgram.com)

As a child, Einstein was a slow and awkward speaker. Nonetheless, he later believed that this slow development gave him ample opportunity to ponder fundamental elements like space and time. His curiosity about these matters led him to ask unusual questions, resulting in breakthroughs such as the theory of relativity.

Einstein’s driver recounted witnessing the scientist pick up a grasshopper from the ground and chew on it.

To save money on haircuts, Einstein often asked his wife to cut his hair. He particularly enjoyed eating eggs, consuming at least two at a time, whether fried or boiled.

He was also fond of mushrooms, eating them up to three times a day. Einstein’s housekeeper mentioned that he had the peculiar habit of walking around the house naked.

“Perhaps he didn’t care about clothing, or maybe he just forgot he wasn’t wearing anything,” the housekeeper remarked.

9. Forgetful Professor Werner Heisenberg

Werner Heisenberg (1901 – 1976) was an outstanding theoretical physicist. He was one of the founders of quantum mechanics and won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1932.

One of Heisenberg’s most famous discoveries was the uncertainty principle, which states that the position and momentum of a particle cannot be known precisely.

Despite his numerous lifelong achievements, Professor Heisenberg was also known for having his head often “in the clouds”.

He even failed his doctoral thesis defense due to his almost complete lack of knowledge about experimental techniques. In a theoretical exam, Heisenberg once failed to answer extremely simple questions, such as “How does a battery work?” posed by a professor on his thesis committee.

10. Oliver Heaviside Loved Pink Nail Polish

Oliver Heaviside (1850 – 1925) was an English scientist, physicist, mathematician, and electrical engineer. He developed complex mathematical techniques to analyze electrical circuits and solve differential equations.

Despite being a rare genius, he also belonged to the group of “eccentrics”.

Heaviside was known for always painting his nails bright pink, designing his home with massive granite blocks, and even surviving for days on nothing but milk.

This scientist also suffered from hypergraphia, a condition that compels individuals to write excessively. While working, he often jotted down numerous ideas in notebooks, many of which became significant studies.

11. Physicist with a “Lock Picking” Hobby Richard Feynman

Richard Feynman (1918 – 1988) was one of the most prominent and famous physicists of the 20th century. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 and is regarded as one of the top 10 physicists of all time. Feynman participated in the Manhattan Project to create an atomic bomb.

In addition to his scientific achievements, Feynman was also known for being quite mischievous and having unusual hobbies.

One of these was his special interest in spending his free time “playing” with security locks, often resulting in him being able to open most of the secure file cabinets in the research lab.

12. Stephen King is Strict About Grammar

Stephen King has a very strict view on grammar; he once drafted 2,000 words each day without using adverbs. This has been part of his secret to success.

In his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King writes: “I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will climb onto the roof to shout this from the rooftops.” He also claims that adverbs detract from the detail and specificity of the entire sentence. He writes: “Adverbs are the product of a lazy writer’s mind.”

Stephen King also has an extensive body of work, with his books frequently appearing on the New York Times bestseller list.

13. Agatha Christie Did Not Write Stories at a Desk

Agatha Christie is the author of 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections. However, she did not write her stories at a desk. In fact, she never had a dedicated office. She wrote the book Murder on the Orient Express in her hotel room. Instead of writing by hand, she used a typewriter to draft her works. She often wrote stories whenever she felt inspired, sometimes in the kitchen or bedroom. Additionally, she frequently developed stories before having a plot.

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