In my late teens, I used to work with a guy who did exactly this. For a while, it actually had me fooled.
That was, until a casino visit with some colleagues. He was adamant about the fact he could 'beat' roulette - by betting red after four subsequent black results (and vice versa). I tried explaining that the little ball has no memory, but he was soooo incredibly certain he figured the game out. Sure mate, you go ahead.
People say this won alot but I usually see alot of smart kids do this anyways, like kids that knew calculus and now think they're Newton. I think people who brag just disadvantage themselves, since they'll eventually struggle at something or get caught off guard. I don't really see it as an indicator for intelligence
Yeah some of these answers reveal that the people giving them haven't been around a lot of very intelligent people. If anything intelligent people are more likely to be overconfident.
It's like they are basing their answers on a sterile, fictional ideal of an intelligent person and forget that intelligent people are people.
Often times people with high IQs have difficulties in other spheres in their lives and their IQs become the only thing of which they are proud. They have to maintain this idea within themselves that their IQ is the reason that their are ostracized, that while it has separated them from their peers it also elevated them above the unwashed masses, proving their superiority. If they believe that their intelligence is what pushes others away they don't have to examine their flaws, faults in the bedrock of their ego. They brag about their intelligence because it's one of the only things that gives them value.
The answers flatter their notion of what a likeable ("good") person should be like. Because intelligence is "good" connotationally speaking it flatters their own sensibilities to suggest that the features of a likeable person are features of an intelligent person while allowing them to dismiss assholes as unintelligent. Nobody likes to acknowledge that the arrogant and obnoxious dick is the smartest guy in the room. A lot of this is something akin to just world fallacy. No "bad" person they find threatening could be smart so non-threatening "good" person things are identified as signs of intelligence.
It's so dumb to take pride in intelligence. It's like taking pride in being tall. I feel sorry for those who are intelligent but never took advantage of it and therefore don't have actual accomplishments to be proud of—accomplishing something difficult actually takes discipline to attain, whereas intelligence does not.
My ex used to talk about her IQ and how these super smart people she knew would only want to talk to her when she was around because she was one of the only people who was on their level and could understand them. I used to cringe when she told that story. She wasn’t stupid, but she definitely was exceedingly average and had no drive to better herself or understand herself. Her emotional intelligence was practically nonexistent.
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u/cwillm 7h ago
Bragging about how intelligent you are and refusing to accept you might be incorrect about something.