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25 Qualities That Are Often Falsely Perceived As A Sign Of Intelligence, According To Folks In This Online Group
Sometimes we consider someone smart and intelligent just because they can do something we can’t. Maybe they have a good memory and they don’t need to study as much for a test or they can play chess, but you can’t figure it out and think it must be because you’re not smart enough.
A person being able to do one thing that you can do doesn't necessarily mean they are a genius. Actually, people on Reddit listed some of the signs that we consider indicators of intelligence but they don’t always mean that, and you realize it only after talking to the person a bit more.
Do you think there are other qualities that we consider to belong only to smart people? Do you agree with the ones that were listed in the Reddit thread? Let us know in the comments.
More info: Reddit
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#1
I’m a PhD student and the one that really irks me is using academic jargon and long-winded terminology. Just because you know a couple fancy words — that most do not know — 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.
Thomas Bentley 1 year ago
my dear associates in The Jaded Ailuropoda Melanoleuca, with much debate, I have come to the conclusion that I Thomas Howard Bentley, am superior to all others due to my mammoth intelect, and higher up bringing. thank you and good day.
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#2
Education. Just because you managed to get one is not a reflection of your innate intelligence
Stardust she/her 1 year ago
As someone with a PHD (from University of Shitheads), I believe that you are wrong and that I really am very intelligent
#3
f**k_korean_air said:
Confidence!
Sauerteig added:
Confidence/arrogance for sure. One incident I can give is someone years ago who confidently replied (yelled) to me he knew what confirmation bias/cognitive dissonance was in a disagreement.. asked him to explain them for the group, since they may not know.. he almost dissolved in embarrassment because he didn't. Yes it was political.
#4
BubblesMagic18 said:
Going to an Ivy League.
Allmightydohllah
That just shows you're connected. Now if you went to MIT, then it's safe to say you're smart. You have to be to get in.
#5
"good memory"
Often a sign with intelligent people but doesn't guarantee inteligence ...
Lots of kids just memorise and then write in exam and get good marks but they just can't apply it in real life
Thomas Bentley 1 year ago
why, thank you for confirming my suspicions that, due to my ability to remember, i will not be cursed to consider how i could have responded better on the 31st of december, 2015, at precisely 0807 Am to my sister who called me, by text 'a single celled amoeba brain fart'
#6
Money. “I have it, you don’t. You should listen to me”
Donkey boi 1 year ago
A great man once said 'Money cannot buy intelligence. In fact, it mostly make you dumber.'
#7
Knowing a lot of facts.
I have a friend who is knowledgeable about a lot of stuff (geography and history, for example, not just things we would think of as “trivia”) and has other markers of intelligence, like a big vocabulary and a career in the sciences. He’s worldly, handsome, and yes, wears glasses. Mutual acquaintances have comnented about how smart he is, usually citing his impressive storehouse of facts.
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 s**t - even in the field of science. (Note that I discovered this long before covid-related idiocy came along. Fortunately he’s not an anti-vaxxer)
Chez2202 1 year ago
I know so many things that I have no business knowing and that I don’t need to know. If I forget something people stare at me in shock. Having a good memory doesn’t make me bright (although I am apparently). Having a good memory makes me a freak show in some places and a popular choice for a pub quiz team in others.
#9
Lack of empathy and/or hating people.
"Everyone is a bastard" does not deserve a Nobel Prize.
#10
From a 3rd world country here. Speaking fluent English increases your value 10 times more than usual
Mindy Keys 1 year ago
I disagree. As a (so called) educated American - I struggled with a basic 2 year course in a second language. It does not help that we start in junior high school when we are 16 or so, but in my book - anyone who can speak more than their native language is a freaking genius to me! Huge respect to them.
#11
Narfu187 said:
Being good at chess.
Frank_Woodford added:
Being good at chess is a sign of being good at chess. Most good chess players are not significantly more intelligent than average.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
I would imagine that great chess players need to have advanced spatial perception skills. But then so do dentists. (It's part of the exam to get into dental school. Would you want someone with lousy spatial perception skills to be poking a buzzing drill in your mouth?)
#13
throwaway3132710 said:
School grades
No_Instance_1851 added:
They can be a reflection of intelligence, but they're definitely more a sign of competence. Great, you do your homework and pay attention in class. Grade inflation has gotten ridiculous. My daughter has a couple of friends that have well over 4.0 GPAs and miraculously don't even come close to breaking triple digits on their SATs (I know, I know, standardized tests are problematic in this realm, as well).
OnAFreakingRollercoaster 1 year ago
I did very well in school, sure not proud of how my life has turned out 🤷🏼♀️😓
#14
The simple fact that somebody has a YouTube channel, they are seen as an authority on a subject…
Thomas Bentley 1 year ago
as long as they are indian, and it is to do with maths, then this is true. /s
#15
quite simply, politeness. A well spoken, silent, polite individual will almost always be perceived as somewhat intelligent even if he or she isn't. A polite individual shows a good upbringing, perhaps a good education etc. Be polite!
Thomas Bentley 1 year ago
Being polite is the most basic form of intelligence I have observed, but it has to be taken with many different factors to give a good indication of intelligence.
#16
Starting every online article with "according to science". So much bs out there that isnt according to science at all but they use it to seem more factual than they really are.
#17
Citing reporting from FOX News
Jason 1 year ago
I was at a car dealership a few weeks back and it was on. The anchor was going off about how poor people can't make decisions to eat healthy food (not because it's expensive). How food stamps need to be regulated so the poors don't waste their money on soda to get fat and cost the healthcare system more money. Literally panned over to him drinking a coke. He said it's different because he's drinking a small one cause that's the size it used to be and it's fine. Thought it was the onion at first
#18
A PHD.
Too many people who have no clue about real-life also have a PHD.
#19
Professional-Salt-31 said:
British Accent.
Gibbonici:
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.
All they are to us are regional and social markers. That's it.
XanthippeⓐWulf🇨🇦 🇬🇧 1 year ago
I laughed way too hard at this! So unfair, lol. We currently live in the states, and when I speak (Canadian) people are like "say 'about', say 'sorry', say 'eh' teehee!" 🤭 and when my partner speaks (Brit) it's like f*****g magic!✨️🌈🦄
#20
Debating skills
E2U&U2 1 year ago
I was a nationally ranked high school debate champion many irrelevant decades ago. I was made to join the debate team or serve a ton of detention hours for basically being a PITA for my teachers. Debate taught me critical thinking and the ability to successfully argue both sides of the prompt with commitment and passion. It taught me to dispassionately analyze an issue by putting aside my own biases. It has helped me communicate and learn from people that I would have thought I was diametrically opposed to their point of view. Using debating skills to be a blowhard and overwhelm other's points of view isn't cool. But the ability itself can be very useful.
#22
robb911 said:
Quietness.
SvenBubbleman added:
Some people are quiet because there is nothing going on inside.
#23
Being Articulate. Not all who speaks eloquently are smart.
sofacushionfort 1 year ago
Did they deliberately blend the singular and plural to somehow prove their point?
#25
The presence of a personality, social, or communication disorder or serious mental illness.
What do you think ?
Bi-Polar Express 1 year ago
Nothing means you are intelligent. Apparently, intelligence has no definition and no measure.
mayaexists 1 year ago
I mean I think that's the point. Intelligence has no one measure.
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Sonja 1 year ago
Scoring high on an IQ test. IQ is what the IQ test measures. It's not necessarily a viable measure of intelligence. Up to today, we do not even have a valid, universal definition of intelligence that scientists truly agree on. And a high IQ can be an indicator of great intelligence, but so far it's biased and not the ultimate tool to measure intelligence. It's just like a BMI without a muscle to fat ratio analysis, just a number that can be indicative but also worthless without context
Mickysixxx 1 year ago
Aristotle said something along the lines of "the sign of an intelligent mind is somebody who able to entertain ideas without accepting them"
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Two_rolling_black_eyes 1 year ago (edited)
There is a difference between knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom. Sometimes you need to know something to be effective. Sometimes you need to know how to apply it to be effective. Sometimes you need to know whether to apply it to be effective. I know the 1970 Egyptian built VW Bug can use a log to replace its rear axle. I can figure it out how to do it to get back civilization in an emergency. However, I'm not going to replace my broken axle with a log just to avoid paying for the parts to fix it for real.
Hypoxia Smurf 1 year ago (edited)
>"There is a difference between knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom." < Also skill. I'd a childhood friend, a very amiable sort with seemingly little brainpower, whose hands skillfully worked on small machines. Norm was skilled, but little more. Or maybe wise, for not trying to over-extend himself.
Load More Replies... Bi-Polar Express 1 year ago
Nothing means you are intelligent. Apparently, intelligence has no definition and no measure.
mayaexists 1 year ago
I mean I think that's the point. Intelligence has no one measure.
Load More Replies... Sonja 1 year ago
Scoring high on an IQ test. IQ is what the IQ test measures. It's not necessarily a viable measure of intelligence. Up to today, we do not even have a valid, universal definition of intelligence that scientists truly agree on. And a high IQ can be an indicator of great intelligence, but so far it's biased and not the ultimate tool to measure intelligence. It's just like a BMI without a muscle to fat ratio analysis, just a number that can be indicative but also worthless without context
Mickysixxx 1 year ago
Aristotle said something along the lines of "the sign of an intelligent mind is somebody who able to entertain ideas without accepting them"
Load More Replies... Two_rolling_black_eyes 1 year ago (edited)
There is a difference between knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom. Sometimes you need to know something to be effective. Sometimes you need to know how to apply it to be effective. Sometimes you need to know whether to apply it to be effective. I know the 1970 Egyptian built VW Bug can use a log to replace its rear axle. I can figure it out how to do it to get back civilization in an emergency. However, I'm not going to replace my broken axle with a log just to avoid paying for the parts to fix it for real.
Hypoxia Smurf 1 year ago (edited)
>"There is a difference between knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom." < Also skill. I'd a childhood friend, a very amiable sort with seemingly little brainpower, whose hands skillfully worked on small machines. Norm was skilled, but little more. Or maybe wise, for not trying to over-extend himself.
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