People Are Sharing The "Signs" Of Someone Being Intelligent That Actually Don't Mean That You're Smart

    "People use the phrase 'according to science' to seem more factual and intelligent than they really are."

    Alice Lahoda
    by Alice Lahoda

    BuzzFeed Staff

    From "gifted kids" to Glass Onion, society has been challenging our default assumptions about what intelligence is for years now.

    Netflix / Via media.giphy.com

    Recently, u/Ningerbreadman asked, "What's often incorrectly perceived as a sign of intelligence?" Here are some of the best responses:

    1. "Being a contrarian. Disagreeing with everything is as lazy as believing everything."

    graphic of someone opposing a group
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    —ucankickrocks

    "I used to work with a guy like this. Everything I liked was stupid. Everything universally loved was dumb. He was so edgy and cool. It was exhausting being around him."

    —squaredistrict2213

    2. "Good memory. It can be a sign of intelligence, but not a guarantee. Lots of kids just memorize facts and get good grades, but they can't apply those facts to real life."

    graphic of a brain lifting weights
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    —Ningerbreadman

    "Having a good memory can be advantageous in many situations, but it has nothing to do with intelligence. Just like knowledge has nothing to do with intelligence, but is a core component to expertise."

    —emponator

    3. "Money. 'I have it, you don’t. Therefore, you should listen to me.'"

    older woman fanning out $100 bills
    Fabio Formaggio / Getty Images/EyeEm

    —Alfalfa4Idaho

    "A guy I went to high school with won $200,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket. However, this in the same man that who lost a testicle to a snapping turtle."

    —Dunjee

    4. "Confidence and arrogance. A guy confidently yelled at me that he knew what confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance are in a disagreement. I asked him to explain them for the group, since they may not know. He almost dissolved in embarrassment because he didn't actually understand the concepts."

    person adjusting their tie
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    —Sauerteig

    5. "Fast talking. People often assume I'm intelligent because I speak fast."

    person with post-its stuck to them as they sit and write. more out at their desk
    Jessica Peterson / Getty Images/Tetra images RF

    —InformationGreat9855

    6. "I’m a Ph.D. student, and one that really irks me is using academic jargon and long-winded terminology. Just because you know a couple fancy words 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."

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    —mknbeans

    7. "Criticism. It’s easy to dole out, so people use it to look smart."

    mom scolding daughter
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    —zapatocaviar

    8. "The simple fact that somebody has a YouTube channel. All of a sudden, they are seen as an authority on a subject."

    graphic of a computer
    Yoginta / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    —DonJuanDingdong

    "I hate YouTube for this reason. More than once, I have asked someone why they think something — then they send me a 90 minute video and say they won't respond to me unless I watch the whole thing. Who has time to watch that video? And even if I do, am I supposed to refute it point by point? They're not going to respond to me then, either."

    —throwaway_4733

    9. "Starting a thought or article with 'according to science.' There's so much bullshit out there that isn't 'according to science' at all, but people use the phrase to seem more factual than they really are."

    microscope
    Anchalee Phanmaha / Getty Images

    —rilles94

    "Saying 'according to science' is about as useful as saying 'according to unicorns.' If they aren't referencing a specific study but just general science, there's no point in reading on."

    —PoorlyLitKiwi2

    10. "Using big words. Some people will use big words to sound intelligent, but in reality they aren't saying anything at all."

    dictionary entry for inflation
    Kinga Krzeminska / Getty Images

    —Stage_Party

    "I hate when people use words they don't really understand just to make themselves seem more photosynthesis."

    —Graytis

    11. "Education. Just because you managed to get good grades or a degree is not a reflection of your intelligence."

    graduatoin cap
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    —BlockHeadJones

    12. "I have a friend who is knowledgeable about a lot of topics, and people have commented how smart he is because of his impressive trivia knowledge. 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 shit — even in the field of science. Fortunately, he’s not an anti-vaxxer."

    person putting on a tie
    Simon Potter / Getty Images/Image Source

    —Squidwina

    13. "In India, intelligence is judged by fluency in English."

    kid practicing writing his letters
    Peter Dazeley / Getty Images

    —mangeshgiri

    "As an American, I can tell you that most Americans don't know how to 'speek good Enlglish.'"

    —copingcabana

    14. "Wearing glasses."

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    —Odd_Adhesiveness4804

    15. "Debate skills. Just because you're good at arguing doesn't mean you're smart."

    person at a podium
    Ignatiev / Getty Images

    —Moceannl

    16. "Having a British accent."

    kid holding the england and usa flag
    Vitalii Petrushenko / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    —Professional-Salt-31

    "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). They're just regional and social markers."

    —Gibbonici

    17. "Being good at chess."

    chess board
    Sankai / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    —Narfu187

    "Yup, that's pattern recognition. It takes some effort to actually learn the patterns that you're looking for, but it's still just patterns."

    —bananastanding

    18. "Being articulate. Not all who speak eloquently are smart."

    person speaking on stage
    Ryan Mcvay / Getty Images

    —ThirdCultureFreak09

    "Being articulate is important for communication, problem solving, and self expression. But there’s a big difference between using the right words to make your point and be understood versus vomiting out a smorgasbord of vocabulary-gymnastics-soup.

    I remember one dude who many of my peers thought was so smart because he’d talk like some 19th century royal. We were out for breakfast, and he’d be like 'this croissant is exquisite and the texture profile divine!' Then my friend, who is probably the smartest person I’ve ever known, was like 'yeah the muffins are fuckin' wicked too.'"

    —tykogars

    19. "People in leadership positions. Sometimes someone is very good at getting things done because they're aggressive or tenacious, not because they're intelligent."

    person standing over a guy in a cubicle
    Image Source / Getty Images/Image Source

    —Illuminarrator

    20. "Being old."

    older man
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    —Ozydrax

    "My uncle demands that we respect him because he's older, but he's always been a leech and asshole. I told him, 'just because you've been on this planet longer than me doesn't automatically mean you get my respect.'"

    —Allmightydohllah

    "Respect is earned. It’s not a human right."

    —Mediocre_Surprise_63

    H/T r/AskReddit

    Some replies have been edited for length and clarity.

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