According to a collection of studies, drummers are extremely intelligent - due to a variety of factors relating to being in the rhythm section.

The news comes courtesy of Polymic, who have compiled a series of reports from Oxford and Harvard universities to name a few. According to their research, that dude at the back of the band isn't the head scratcher that you might think he is, in fact he (or she) is more likely to be the smartest of them all. 

For example, researchers at Stockholm's Karolinska Institutet found that drummers who kept a tighter rhythm also scored better on a 60-question intelligence test. This is a reflection of better problem solving skills, which creates a positive impact on those around them. 

 Get smarter by watching the below drum solo

If that wasn't enough, other studies added that rhythmic music actually makes people smarter. A University of Washington study showed better results from participants who undertook rhythmic light and sound therapy. Additionally research from the University of Texas tested the same process on children with ADD, finding that it not only had the same effect as ritalin, but their IQ's actually went up. 

Going further than simple intelligence, Oxford University found that drummers produced a "natural high" when playing together, which heightened both pain and happiness thresholds. On top of this, at Harvard, they discovered that drummers who missed a beat were actually tapping into the rhythm of the earth, which moves in waves rather than like a clock. 

So there you go, drummers are not only smarter than everybody ever, but they are also at one with the earth and happier than you are. Time to take up some lessons. 

 Below: 11 really, really rubbish jokes about drummers