Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
“Always Having An Answer”: 41 Subtle, Surprising And Obvious Signs Of Very Low Intelligence
It is said that one should never argue with an idiot because they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience. And often, it’s the ones with the lowest intelligence that will argue the hardest and loudest.
We aren’t talking intelligence in terms of exam marks, IQ tests, or acing pub quiz nights. What we are referring to is the kind of blunt brainpower that shows up in everyday behavior: rigid thinking, zero curiosity, immunity to evidence and the uncanny ability to be so completely and confidently wrong while flat-out refusing to reflect on it for even one second.
Someone recently asked, “What is a sign of very low intelligence?” and more than 12,000 frustrating replies came flooding in. From not listening, to being loud, and ironically, always having an answer, it was like a massive spotlight went on to reveal the least sharpest tools in the shed.
Bored Panda has put together the best responses, as well as some psychology-backed signs that scream someone was last in line when intelligence was served.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Lack of curiosity.
Thinking they know it all.
MystyMoonShadow 2 hours ago
Curiosity is one of my favorites here at BP. I love many panda who contribute their knowledge on different topics.
It's funny how often, the ones with the lowest intelligence are actually the ones who think they know the most. That's because a glaring sign of sub-par brightness is a lack of curiosity or willingness to learn.
Intelligence isn't about high IQs, acing tests, or flying through trivia. It's the ability to derive information, learn from experience, adapt to the environment, understand, and correctly utilize thought and reason. That's the definition, according to the American Psychological Association.
Many of those lacking in intelligence will, quite ironically, see learning as a waste of time and it's unlikely they'll get this far down this article.
"They don’t have the intelligence to see how learning can benefit them. They stop learning when they graduate," explains the PsychMechanics site. "On the other hand, high-intelligence people accept that learning is a lifelong thing."
RELATED:
#2
Usually the words "do your own research" coming out of their mouth is a pretty good indicator. .
#3
Immediately resorting to insults upon disagreements.
Curiosity makes the world go 'round, and a lack thereof keeps people with low intelligence stuck exactly where they are... with just enough knowledge to barely get by in an ever-changing world. And that's why these folk struggle to adapt if or when things suddenly shift, which they ultimately do.
"Adaptability is critical to problem-solving and survival," notes the site. "When their problem-solving methods no longer work because things have changed, people with low intelligence struggle with adapting to new circumstances. They get too comfortable with their old ways of thinking and doing things."
#4
Confusing 'being loud' with 'being right.' The loudest person in the room is rarely the smartest.
#5
Not realizing that everything has nuances.
#6
Making fun of other cultures or disrespecting and discriminating against people because of their ethnicity.
Glen Ellyn 34 minutes ago
They're so afraid of what they don't know about others' ethnicities or cultures that they decided to insult and hate instead. Definitely low IQ.
#7
Refusal to learn, grow and change your views from evidence provided.
StrangeOne 1 hour ago
The most moronic thing I've heard someone say. "I don't believe in science. Science is a religion. It's theories. There's no proof science exists. Where? Where is there science?" I still question if this person actually paid any attention in school, or if they bothered to go to school, at all.
#8
Being anti-vaccine.
Daisydaisy 1 hour ago
They're called "sovereign citizens" here. Clogging up the courts with their nonsense, and occasionally ki-lling police officers
#9
Start shouting you down when they can't win the debate with reason and facts. Turn to vicious insults instead. This happens pretty quickly too, which also shows me that such people have low distress tolerance.
#10
Lack of curiosity. No sense of humor. Can't understand sarcasm. Unwavering insistence that complex problems will have oversimplified solutions while conversely attaching complicated, conspiratorial explanations to rather straightforward events. .
Daisydaisy 1 hour ago
It seems to be a thing, that stupid people have zero sense of humour and are especially unable to laugh at themselves. Not always, but a lot of the time
#11
Ironically, Always having an answer.
Phantom Phoenix 57 minutes ago
The problem lies more with their level of certainty about their answer. It's not so bad if they're willing to have their answer challenged, and listen to conflicting evidence
#12
Treating politics like rooting for a football club.
Tucker Cahooter 2 hours ago
Complete with simple three syllable chants to go with it e.g. "Four More Years!", "White Lives Matter!", "Hang Mike Pence!" etc
#13
Bragging that you haven’t read a book since high school.
#14
Be blinded by religion.
#15
Believing anything they see on social media.
Rick Murray 1 hour ago
...and preferring a random Facebook post to the advice of an actual expert.
#16
When they get mad when they are being corrected.
StrangeOne 1 hour ago
Do this to a narcissist and you'll see what people mean by 'Narc Rage". It's on a whole other level.
#17
This has been clinically proven. If you are a MAGA supporter you are likely of low intelligence.
Glen Ellyn 28 minutes ago
Cheeto said he likes the uneducated, so... But then again, he's one of them.
#18
When presented with an statement that generalizes something, they will use an anecdote as a counterexample and think that it completely refutes the statement.
Example: travelling in an airplane is generally safer than in a car
"Actually that's not true, I know someone who perished in an airplane crash".
Glen Ellyn 4 minutes ago
Don't you just love the folks who think their one example disproves the facts? Sheesh. 🙄
#19
One move chess player.
This is like an analogy to how some people think and act and vote. A good chess player is thinking 3 or more moves ahead. a bad one is playing one move ahead only.
When people say things like "Why should I pay school taxes if I don't have any kids!?" they are playing one move without thinking ahead. Better schools means a more educated populace means less crimes and more economic opportunity for your area, thus it benefits everyone whether they have kids or not.
Grape Walls of Ire 13 minutes ago (edited)
Yeah, obviously is6 good to think ahead in life, but when it comes to chess, I like an anarchic approach. It's hard for my opponent to strategize against seeming randomness.
#20
Repeating the same mistakes and blaming everyone else.
#21
Idolising politicians.
#22
Anyone listening to all Red Pill Alpha Male podcasters.
Phantom Phoenix 46 minutes ago
As a fan of The Matrix, I hate that these people have appropriated the red pill metaphor. As if their misogynistic and far-right ideologies are The Difficult Truth that they've woken up to. And I'm confused because I thought "woke" was a bad thing to these tools
#23
People getting angry when you treat them the same way they treat you.
#24
Bigotry. i've never in my life met a bigot who was actually genuinely intelligent. intelligence tends to come with a curiosity for the world and a more open mind as a result.
#26
Bragging about how you aced a cognitive exam.
#27
Not being able to understand or engage with hypotheticals. It is a meme online but that is actually a sign of low intelligence. "Individuals with IQs under 90 often struggle with conditional hypotheticals—such as "How would you feel if you hadn’t eaten dinner?"—responding with factual rebuttals like "But I did eat dinner.".
StrangeOne 1 hour ago
This reminds me. I was telling someone in my family about an interesting show. I started to explain the concept, and mentioned the name of the show 'Drain The Oceans'. She immediately cut me off, asking "What? What do you mean "Drain The Oceans" That sentence doesn't make any sense. How do you drain the oceans?" So, I had to tell her again that 'Drain The Oceans' is the name of the show and it's a hypothetical observation about what lies on the bottom of the oceans, and what we would see if the water was drained. She still couldn't comprehend this was all hypothetical, how the show used CGI and radar mapping. She got irrationally upset, too. So, I let it go.
#28
Watching videos on your phone without headphones in public.
#29
Not questioning anything. Like when they see something on a social media platform, not questioning its authenticity or validity. The same when watching the news or listening to a podcast. They take what is said without actually researching it. Without questioning the person or what was presented.
Also, a lack of empathy. This shows they're not able to think of others. They're incapable of putting themselves in others shoes. They see everything as black and white. They can't understand the reasoning behind something or do even try to.
#30
Not having self awareness of how you come across to others even after years and years.
#31
Random shopping carts in your yard.
#32
Electing a sociopath and expecting your life is going to improve.
#33
An inability to listen.
Rick Murray 1 hour ago
"I hear what you're saying but...", said quickly enough that it is clear that the only thing they heard was a gap in the conversation.
#34
Bragging about IQ scores.
#35
Texting and driving. scrolling and driving. Doing anything on with their phone in their hand while driving.
#36
Can't think for themselves. Always repeats whatever their peers tell them without questioning.
#37
Getting all your news and life events from Reddit.
#39
Saying things like "It's not that deep." It means "I'm not capable of thinking about this with any complexity or nuance".
#40
Being obsessed with AI.
Grape Walls of Ire 5 minutes ago
No, that's not true. I work with several people who develop AI. Smart folks.
What do you think ?
David Paterson 1 hour ago
I can think of at least twenty more. Like "not hiding when being shot at", "hurting yourself in order to hurt someone else more", "centering your life around fear and hatred", "not calling for help when you need it", "being swayed by emotional language", "swearing unnecessarily", "missing the obvious", "not considering the consequences", "lying and then falling for your own lies", "endless repetition".
Sian E 29 minutes ago
There's an older gentleman on my bus route who for many, many years was extremely opinionated and 'always right'. He would get extremely worked up and aggressive. Problem was that he had similar interests to me so I knew exactly when he was talking out of his rear end because I bother to check sources. Since his massive heart attack a few years back he's thankfully learned to keep his mouth shut as getting in an argument is likely to cause a fatal heart attack now.
David Paterson 1 hour ago
I can think of at least twenty more. Like "not hiding when being shot at", "hurting yourself in order to hurt someone else more", "centering your life around fear and hatred", "not calling for help when you need it", "being swayed by emotional language", "swearing unnecessarily", "missing the obvious", "not considering the consequences", "lying and then falling for your own lies", "endless repetition".
Sian E 29 minutes ago
There's an older gentleman on my bus route who for many, many years was extremely opinionated and 'always right'. He would get extremely worked up and aggressive. Problem was that he had similar interests to me so I knew exactly when he was talking out of his rear end because I bother to check sources. Since his massive heart attack a few years back he's thankfully learned to keep his mouth shut as getting in an argument is likely to cause a fatal heart attack now.
You May Like 36 Stories About Creepily Intelligent People “Her Eyes Went Glassy”: 58 Stories That Prove Intelligence Can Be Creepy As Hell “Made Me Feel Like My Brain Was Spaghetti”: 65 People Share The Creepiest Displays Of Intelligence They’ve Seen In Others
Gabija Palšytė
Mantas Kačerauskas
Ilona Baliūnaitė
Related on Bored Panda
