Twitter Users Share 30 Everyday Signs That Show A Person Is Very Smart But Others May Confuse Them With Stupidity
You may know a person that is really intelligent: they have college degrees, they have written papers, they understand concepts that most people believe are out of their reach, yet they still do some things that make them look kind of stupid.
They may be more quiet or ask a lot of questions with seemingly obvious answers. However, according to people on Twitter, these qualities actually mean a person is intelligent.
Image credits: Mike Mozart
Image credits: MorningBrew
Media company Morning Brew asked Twitter users to name signs that a person is intelligent but that people often confuse with stupidity. Take a look at them and upvote the ones you agree with the most. If you have anything to add, leave it in the comments!
More info: Twitter
This post may include affiliate links.
Bored Panda has written a fun article in which intelligent people with several degrees confessed what stupid things they have done that caused them embarrassment. If you would like to read it, you can click here after you’re done reading through this thread.
This time, people on Twitter were discussing the things that mean a person is actually intelligent but that others would think is a sign of stupidity. A lot of them were repeating that a silent person, a person that asks a lot of questions and a person who isn’t afraid to admit that they don’t know something may indicate that they are thoughtful, thinking things through carefully and not pretending to know it all.
There are more qualities that an intelligent person possesses. Among the above mentioned traits, various psychology research papers say that people who have higher IQ read a lot, are open-minded and are not afraid to change their point of view. They also enjoy their own company and they usually have a great sense of humor.
Higher intelligence was also tied with being taller, having a smaller waist and having learnt a musical instrument. Psychologists say that older siblings tend to be smarter than the younger ones. And various experiments reveal that left-handed people have a more creative way of thinking.
Epitome and hyperbole are two I still occasionally pronounce wrong simply out of habit.
I have the same problem - I call it brain-mouth dyslexia. My brain knows exactly what it wants to explain or say but my mouth just can't make it happen.
I have that too. I tend to speak very fast and read very fast as well. I can’t really read out loud because I just start stuttering and making mistakes. My classmates and one teacher loved making fun of me for that.
Load More Replies...
Many people with ADHD have this issue. It's definitely a struggle of mine. When I have a question for my boss at work, or I'm trying to explain something, it comes out more complicated than it should, or messy. It's embarrassing. Part of it is that my thoughts aren't always linear, but most of the issue is for sure that I think faster than I speak.
I end up Yoda speaking half the time. Get the end part out, then have to go back and fill in the beginning.
Me too. People start to wonder if English is my first language...
Load More Replies...
Everyone thinks faster than they can speak. Intelligence is being able to regulate those thoughts and form speech in time with them.
I don't think it is intelligence that regulate this
Load More Replies...
Also, figuring out how to explain something that makes total sense in your head
I have that problem. A kind of learning disability. Very frustrating
Sometimes I think faster than I speak, sometimes it’s the other way around
Same with writing. Starting the next word before finishing the last one
This happens a lot to ppl who r bilingual. Piensas en español while u r talking in english.
Guilty. My boss teases me that sometimes they have to put my words together to form normal sentences
I have this bad and getting a bt worse now that I am older. back in school, my hand couldn't keep up with my brain and now my mouth can't.
Happens to me all the time.. including tying on phone or keyboard. Darn! my fingers won't work as fast as my brain.
Wait until you get older and just lose a word. You know what you wanted to say, but a word is just missing and you can't find it.
Generally the word is at the tip of your tongue but won't roll off, making you fumble or look stupid.
Load More Replies...
this is a big problem with me. when it comes to the written word, i am very articulate and succinct. but, when i have to speak i can't keep up with my thoughts so i come across as unsure or speaking without knowledge.
I tend to pause after 3/4 of about every sentence. I have to back up my thoughts, because my mouth couldn't keep up with what I wanted to say. Sometimes it's worse, and I loose track of where I was, and the things I say don't make sense at all anymore
I’ve done something extraordinary similar, it’s where you have an answer and you think about it and when you have the chance you say it and it comes out starting and the middle of the sentence.
Yep that is me. I often tell people if you give me time to write it down you wil understand what I mean!
It’s nice to read such articles and find that you can relate to the things that are said, because it is hard to value your own intelligence. There is a theory called the Dunning–Kruger effect, which suggests that smart people tend to underestimate their capabilities and people who are less smart tend to think that they are more clever than they are. So if you have some pointers, you can have a clearer understanding of what you may need to work on.
I always feel the need to start my question with ‘this may be a stupid question’ or ‘just to clarify’
I have always had conversations with myself, aloud and in my head. Usually when I am trying to decide between two courses of action.
Of course, a person can be intelligent and not have these qualities, either mentioned in this list or in other research papers as they only show some tendencies that come up in test groups. Nonetheless, these kinds of generalizations are always good fun if you don't take them too seriously.
So what do you think of them? Do you find that some of these are not true at all? We are always interested to hear your opinions!
My daughter and I do this all the time. I'll have an idea, and she'll improve on it, whereupon I'll accept that her idea is better. However, we both consider these situations to be collaborative efforts. Neither of us is necessarily wrong; instead, we came to the conclusion together.
Some people would rather stay in ignorance than admit they don't already know everything.
As a compliance officer this right here is everyday. People expect me to know everything about all regulations in my industry. You know how many different regulatory agencies a single company has to abide by, how many volumes of regulations each one has, and how often they change or get updated? Google, Google is 80% of my job.
I don't have a strong opinion on anything and it can come across as if I'm hiding my true opinion or that I'm naive or clueless. The truth is, there's soooo much we don't know so it's pointless trying to forge solid conclusions. I'm also skeptical of all forms of news and rely on personal observations more than news reports and second hand stories, because the amount of propaganda out there is frightfully high.
To the person who downvoted: do you really want a particle physicist swapping out your breaker box?
most issues do not have a black and white, right or wrong "side" some however do for instance, killing someone can have some grey area, sexual assault no.
Again, not necessarily a sign of intelligence. That may indicate that you're dealing with a bright person who changes their opinions when they receive game-changing information, or you may be dealing with one of those idiots that always believes what the last person told them.
"In your own words. Do you have your own words? Personally, I'm using the ones that everyone else has been using. Next time they tell you to say something in your own words, say, "Nigflot blorny quando floon." George Carlin
Some of these MIGHT indicate intelligence. Sometimes silence is not an indicator of being thoughtful and profound, sometimes we are just too dumb to speak.
Standing for yourself even when a stupid crowd tries to look like a majority and to silence you.
The ability to listen to others rather than subbornly stick to your opinion despite the evidence.
Load More Replies...
I would reiterate on the poor language and leave out the false information of being multi lingual. What I agree with is difficulty finding the word you want or having to use less intelligent sounding words. I know first hand from experience with a form of aphasia created by seizures and the difficulty communicating exactly what I want to say with part of my epilepsy being located in the speech section of my brain. I often find myself using the "long way around" to explain something and to people who don't know me, it makes me sound very simple, even uneducated. I use the dictionary and thesaurus a lot to find if words are correct or to find the correct word.
Patience and prudence, specially in America are mistaken for stupidity
Being generally weird. Every genius who ever lived has been a complete weirdo.
There are things that others just cannot understand.
Load More Replies... I can't believe "MIsspelling words" is not on this list. Lots of highly intelligent people are poor spellers. Conversely, a lot of fantastic writers are complete idiots.
Wouldn't that depend on the language? I mean, if someone often misspells German words (as a native speaker) I'd expect them to have dyslexia or some such thing or to really not have done well in school. But our words and pronunciation of the letters are far more straightforward than English, which is a wild mix and match.
Load More Replies...
Knowing your audience and adapting your methods of communication to ensure they are included and that you keep their interest. This works on all levels, it doesn’t matter if you are playing with children or talking to a conference full of the brightest professors, use the wrong language or adopt the wrong body language and you’ll lose them in a moment.
I was hoping someone would have said my biggest problem. Being profoundly hearing impaired. When you have to ask people to repeat themselves over and over, they tend to think you're a moron. It's one of the main reasons I rarely socialize. Invisible disabilities can be some of the hardest ones to deal with (in social interactions, that is). When people can't see it, it's harder for them to understand.
But that is not a sign of intelligence, unless you want to say that the more intelligent someone is, the more likely they are to be hearing impaired? Your example is an invisible disability being confused with being stupid. :)
Load More Replies...
Being able to recognize when you're wrong (not just in terms of facts, but in terms of how you act, too)
This post makes me so happy :) I do a LOT of these naturally and its nice to see acknowledgment of their value. Having wisdom is something very important to me.
Some of these MIGHT indicate intelligence. Sometimes silence is not an indicator of being thoughtful and profound, sometimes we are just too dumb to speak.
Standing for yourself even when a stupid crowd tries to look like a majority and to silence you.
The ability to listen to others rather than subbornly stick to your opinion despite the evidence.
Load More Replies... I would reiterate on the poor language and leave out the false information of being multi lingual. What I agree with is difficulty finding the word you want or having to use less intelligent sounding words. I know first hand from experience with a form of aphasia created by seizures and the difficulty communicating exactly what I want to say with part of my epilepsy being located in the speech section of my brain. I often find myself using the "long way around" to explain something and to people who don't know me, it makes me sound very simple, even uneducated. I use the dictionary and thesaurus a lot to find if words are correct or to find the correct word.
Patience and prudence, specially in America are mistaken for stupidity
Being generally weird. Every genius who ever lived has been a complete weirdo.
There are things that others just cannot understand.
Load More Replies... I can't believe "MIsspelling words" is not on this list. Lots of highly intelligent people are poor spellers. Conversely, a lot of fantastic writers are complete idiots.
Wouldn't that depend on the language? I mean, if someone often misspells German words (as a native speaker) I'd expect them to have dyslexia or some such thing or to really not have done well in school. But our words and pronunciation of the letters are far more straightforward than English, which is a wild mix and match.
Load More Replies... Knowing your audience and adapting your methods of communication to ensure they are included and that you keep their interest. This works on all levels, it doesn’t matter if you are playing with children or talking to a conference full of the brightest professors, use the wrong language or adopt the wrong body language and you’ll lose them in a moment.
I was hoping someone would have said my biggest problem. Being profoundly hearing impaired. When you have to ask people to repeat themselves over and over, they tend to think you're a moron. It's one of the main reasons I rarely socialize. Invisible disabilities can be some of the hardest ones to deal with (in social interactions, that is). When people can't see it, it's harder for them to understand.
But that is not a sign of intelligence, unless you want to say that the more intelligent someone is, the more likely they are to be hearing impaired? Your example is an invisible disability being confused with being stupid. :)
Load More Replies... Being able to recognize when you're wrong (not just in terms of facts, but in terms of how you act, too)
This post makes me so happy :) I do a LOT of these naturally and its nice to see acknowledgment of their value. Having wisdom is something very important to me.
