People Are Sharing The "Signs" Of Someone Being Intelligent That Actually Don't Mean That You're Smart
From "gifted kids" to Glass Onion, society has been challenging our default assumptions about what intelligence is for years now.
Netflix / Via media.giphy.com
Recently, u/Ningerbreadman asked, "What's often incorrectly perceived as a sign of intelligence?" Here are some of the best responses:
1."Being a contrarian. Disagreeing with everything is as lazy as believing everything."
"I used to work with a guy like this. Everything I liked was stupid. Everything universally loved was dumb. He was so edgy and cool. It was exhausting being around him."
2."Good memory. It can be a sign of intelligence, but not a guarantee. Lots of kids just memorize facts and get good grades, but they can't apply those facts to real life."
"Having a good memory can be advantageous in many situations, but it has nothing to do with intelligence. Just like knowledge has nothing to do with intelligence, but is a core component to expertise."
3."Money. 'I have it, you don’t. Therefore, you should listen to me.'"
"A guy I went to high school with won $200,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket. However, this in the same man that who lost a testicle to a snapping turtle."
4."Confidence and arrogance. A guy confidently yelled at me that he knew what confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance are in a disagreement. I asked him to explain them for the group, since they may not know. He almost dissolved in embarrassment because he didn't actually understand the concepts."
5."Fast talking. People often assume I'm intelligent because I speak fast."
6."I’m a Ph.D. student, and one that really irks me is using academic jargon and long-winded terminology. Just because you know a couple fancy words doesn’t mean you’re intelligent. It is usually an indication of the opposite. 'If you can’t explain it to a ten-year-old, you’re not that clever' is what I’ve told undergraduate classes before."
7."Criticism. It’s easy to dole out, so people use it to look smart."
8."The simple fact that somebody has a YouTube channel. All of a sudden, they are seen as an authority on a subject."
"I hate YouTube for this reason. More than once, I have asked someone why they think something — then they send me a 90 minute video and say they won't respond to me unless I watch the whole thing. Who has time to watch that video? And even if I do, am I supposed to refute it point by point? They're not going to respond to me then, either."
9."Starting a thought or article with 'according to science.' There's so much bullshit out there that isn't 'according to science' at all, but people use the phrase to seem more factual than they really are."
"Saying 'according to science' is about as useful as saying 'according to unicorns.' If they aren't referencing a specific study but just general science, there's no point in reading on."
10."Using big words. Some people will use big words to sound intelligent, but in reality they aren't saying anything at all."
"I hate when people use words they don't really understand just to make themselves seem more photosynthesis."
11."Education. Just because you managed to get good grades or a degree is not a reflection of your intelligence."
12."I have a friend who is knowledgeable about a lot of topics, and people have commented how smart he is because of his impressive trivia knowledge. I know him better than they do, and he is dumb as a box of rocks. He has zero critical thinking skills. I marvel at his imperviousness to logic. He believes some of the weirdest shit — even in the field of science. Fortunately, he’s not an anti-vaxxer."
13."In India, intelligence is judged by fluency in English."
"As an American, I can tell you that most Americans don't know how to 'speek good Enlglish.'"
14."Wearing glasses."
15."Debate skills. Just because you're good at arguing doesn't mean you're smart."
16."Having a British accent."
"Honestly, people need to get over our accents. Of all the things they denote, intelligence is at the bottom of the list (if it's on the list at all). They're just regional and social markers."
17."Being good at chess."
"Yup, that's pattern recognition. It takes some effort to actually learn the patterns that you're looking for, but it's still just patterns."
18."Being articulate. Not all who speak eloquently are smart."
"Being articulate is important for communication, problem solving, and self expression. But there’s a big difference between using the right words to make your point and be understood versus vomiting out a smorgasbord of vocabulary-gymnastics-soup.
I remember one dude who many of my peers thought was so smart because he’d talk like some 19th century royal. We were out for breakfast, and he’d be like 'this croissant is exquisite and the texture profile divine!' Then my friend, who is probably the smartest person I’ve ever known, was like 'yeah the muffins are fuckin' wicked too.'"
19."People in leadership positions. Sometimes someone is very good at getting things done because they're aggressive or tenacious, not because they're intelligent."
20."Being old."
"My uncle demands that we respect him because he's older, but he's always been a leech and asshole. I told him, 'just because you've been on this planet longer than me doesn't automatically mean you get my respect.'"
"Respect is earned. It’s not a human right."
H/T r/AskReddit
Some replies have been edited for length and clarity.