THIS is such an underrated quality in someone! I love people who can do this. (I showed a flat earther that experiment where they used lasers to try to prove the earth was flat, but it only proved that it is in fact curved, but the flat earther was basically plugging his ears and going LALALA I CANT HEAR YOU LALALA”)

I do this at work, (teacher), my kids always seem shocked that I don't know everything.

So avoiding the "stupid person" bait?

“You cannot reason a person out of a position he did not reason himself into in the first place.” - Jonathan Swift

I'm very bad at this. And not arguing in general. Listen, I was raised by a philosopher and a lawyer, both Jews. I'm the kid of several stereotypically argumentative people. It would be a miracle if I wasn't argumentative.

My neighbour, she knew that I've had Covid, was seriously ill and almost died. I talked to her about the vaccines because she started the conversation and told her how I was one of the first people in our city to have the AstraZeneca. Do I know everything about Covid? Nope. But I do know a lot. Especially as the hospital I was in is a teaching hospital, we had some of the top specialists in the UK there. I wrote things down, kept notes so I could learn. But she said that she's refused the vaccines and got really verbally aggressive. I asked her to leave because she was getting too verbally aggressive. Starting to scare me. She refused at first but eventually did leave. She is no longer welcome in my home. Mainly because she is not vaccinated, I'm not going to put myself in danger for anyone elses beliefs and if I'm put in a situation where I might have to call the police after I've asked you politely repeatedly to leave? What am I supposed to do?

I didn't do this, and I'm not "smart", just tired

You can't convince an idiot that they're wrong. You can only reinforce the fact he's an idiot!

Again, personality trait, NOT intelligence.

This!!!

I really like to do this and wish math and science teachers would do the same. God the amount of complex sentences and equations they have to use nearly fried my brain but when I finally got a tutor he explained everything complex in such a simple matter I went from "the most incompetent, underserving of success of a student (words spoken to me by principal and teachers) to one who ranked 1st in biology, Language, Computer out of all the students in my school while improving in maths, chemistry, physics, business studies better than before.

I understand why some people take it personally though. If you say “I believe X” and someone says “X is a stupid idea to believe in for these reasons,” I might feel like they’re calling me stupid. Intelligent people can disagree with your points without making you feel like they’re attacking you, ignorant people can’t

Jonathan Gerow

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I do this when i am in a new situation like a job or even a social gathering. I don't stay absolutely silent but I choose what I say carefully and observe how others are in the environment until i feel comfortable with what i can say to who.

Listening and hearing, not just waiting to talk.

And read a wide variety. Even when I was reading almost nothing but romance novels, i read a wide variety of the subgenres. As well as the newspaper, and 4 science-based and 2 arts based magazines that I subscribed to. I do the same now online, except I'm into sci-fi

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I like to play devils advocate a lot. Doesn't necessarily mean i believe in the point I'm trying to make but I believe it helps enrich the conversation and maybe help the other person see things differently.

Well I fail that one...I semifrequently walk into walls or chairs or whatever because I'm not paying attention.

Punny, thats what I find funny

They are also the ones that got away

Using comparisons and analogies shows a deeper understanding of the subject they’re talking about - they’re not just repeating words they heard somewhere but ACTUALLY understanding what they’re talking about.

One way I figured out a long time ago with a friend if mine that helped prevent arguments was presenting something as "I feel that" instead of saying something "IS" a certain way. Like saying "I feel like you've been a little grumpy with me lately. Have I done something to upset you?" Vs "You've been really grumpy with me lately." Because the latter is being presented as a fact, whereas the former is taking responsibility for the fact that the speaker could be wrong, and that they could have a perception of something that may or may not be there. When it's presented as fact, people tend to bristle and feel offended more because it feels more like someone's TELLING them how they feel or how they are instead of asking.

I am disagreeing with this one. I have taught students how to give presentations about their research. Saying one thing wrong and then correcting yourself is not a sign of low intelligence. No one will remember that you misspoke. They will remember that you explained things clearly so that the audience could understand.

this would be the social type, which is more specialized and suffers from some of the usual social diseases. the slightly off type socially, but more generalized/flexible in skills would need context at least the first time, or a bit after. and their enemies know, hence the non-touch approach.

...or can they

Sometimes I can feel a fact evaporate the second I share it. Thst is because they have been stored in" not relevant for me but cool info to be able to share with someone else". When my brain feels this purpose is accomplished it shreds my fact, without even asking or discussing it with me first. Not cool, dude.

only when it doesn't affect them directly; sometimes, these are a mere subversive act, and their high degree of "stupidity" is simply the measure of them despising you enough to not struggle more. 90% of the press releases, or that nice lady and respectable gent in the comments...

Mental acuity is not the same as emotional intelligence. Many young smart people has been smart long enough that they are used that intelectual things are easy for them, so when they face a challenge they opt for the easy exit. Why make effort and keep being a straight A kid when you can be a C+ kid without any effort with what you already know? They are also smart enough to know that no inmediatte reward comes from being a top student and could lead to ostracism from your peer, so they dont see a reason without some guidance.

And people...

I don't downplay my intelligence so much as I'm realistic about its usefulness. Hard work and opportunity, among other things, play a much larger role when it comes to being successful in many areas of life. I know a lot of people who aren't as smart as me, but are more successful. Largely due to the aforementioned other things. I also know people much smarter than me who are way less successful

Avoid people who take themselves too seriously. Nothing goes smoothly or enjoyably with them.

I, like many in the US right now, are trying to find facts behind BS being spewed to make a decision. One of the best programs that delve into issues, should they cover it, is called Left, Right, and Center. I am absolutely addicted to hearing both sides, and using nuance and details to make up my mind.

If someone has to tell you they're smart, they're not.

Thats because they have listened and learned from all the arguments presented, weighted them with the true pros and cons with a solo fokus ln solving the Task instead of being the only voice to win. If they are truly intelligent and emotionally aware, they also correctly place the ideahavers of the contributions that are part of the ultimate solution if they want to gamble, they aslo add a few counterpoints that where valid, but counter them with a way to get around it with said ultimate solution.

I’m not too sure about this one, at least for myself. I’m not by any means trying to boast, but people say I’m intelligent/academic, and I still lead with my heart. Yes facts and logic play a big role, but I feel like this post confuses being intelligent with analytical. Intelligence isn’t usually an absence of emotion, it’s just using that emotion in a constructive way alongside logic. The two sides of the brain don’t have to be mutually exclusive

This is a bit of a hit and miss one... Assumptions aren't intelligence, so someone assuming they know what you're going to say isn't necessarily a sign they're intelligent. I'd say that being able to follow a speaker and come up with relevant responses that genuinely add to the topic is a better sign

IQ =/= knowledge, just like stupid doesn't necessarily equate to uneducated. You're born with your intelligence or lack thereof - remaining ignorant is a function of your environment or your decisions.

I loved quizzes and tests. They were like games to me. BTW, for anyone with test anxiety, if you can make yourself approach it as if it's a word or math game, instead of a test, they can actually become enjoyable, or at least less stressful. I had awful anxiety before I learned to do this

Why would anyone need to act stupid?

Because I refuse to lie, my other go to is "Hmm. You've given me something to think about"

Someone more clever than I pointed out that it must have been really hard for the first person to use sarcasm to explain it.

My son was this person. Then my youngest daughter grew up. They had a disagreement to the correct usage of bovine or bovid. I looked it up and she was right. It was the first time (of which I knew) that he was wrong since about age 10. Was nice to point out to him that he was human and was a very good experience for all involved.

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I tend to do the quiet observation when I am in a new environment like just starting a new job. I like to get the vibe of the place and the people who are in it. I'll be talkative but only to a limit until I know who I can talk to and what I can say.

My Socrates facts bring all the boys to the yard

Sounds more like manipulation than true intelligence.

This is totally incorrect.