are people with social anxiety cleverer than average?

[dont_swallow]

that's a serious question - I'll add a poll.

I am of above average intelligence (e.g. school was always a breeze, currently I am doing a PhD in climate dynamics), and I have always wondered whether being able to think "too fast" - is a factor behind getting so nervous.

Don't get me wrong, I know that being a nervous freak is not a requirement to being clever, but on the other hand, my high-school "friends" always said "Your problem is you think too much", which makes me wonder whether dumb people are capable of being nervous freaks.

This thought has always helped me justify not seeking help - the idea that a lot of the world's geniuses have been fuck ups of one kind or another (not that I am claiming genius status for myself here), and that maybe taking a "happy drug" would dull my cognitive strengths.

Any opinions? Wishful thinking?

 

[Carstuar]

I don't even know anymore. I used to feel smart when I was in school, but I feel dumb and inadequate now.

 

[dont_swallow]

I don't even know anymore. I used to feel smart when I was in school, but I feel dumb and inadequate now.

Yes, I often feel like that as well - e.g. when reading a textbook/scientific paper, if i take my time and really concentrate, I am able to understand things, but if someone asks me to explain things, I just panic and fail miserably.

 

[HEYBRITTANYxx]

Yes, I often feel like that as well - e.g. when reading a textbook/scientific paper, if i take my time and really concentrate, I am able to understand things, but if someone asks me to explain things, I just panic and fail miserably.

I'm the exact same way! I easily understand things and learn new things quite quickly. But since I am quite smart, teachers always try to pull me in front of the class to explain things in the class since I'm the only one who gets it. Haha but I just get up there and make absolutely no sense and everyones like "what!?" and the teacher has to reteach it anyway. Sadly, they never learn and repeatedly try to get me to do it.

 

[asubscriber99]

i always felt like that, many people has told me that i think too much, and i've been praised many times for my intelligence.

but, frankly, my performance have worsened many times by performance stress that i feel so often.

so now, i try to do things quietly, without letting anyone knowing what i'm doing, to avoid that feeling.

 

[bleach]

dont_swallow,

I sincerely doubt your problem is 'thinking too much.' More likely, you're thinking too much about the wrong things -- focusing on how you look, how the other person perceives you, how you acted in past situations, and other distracting thoughts that destroy your confidence. Communication is a skill that requires your mind to be clear of those distractions and only focused on listening and speaking.

You don't necessarily need a drug to get over social phobia, either. Most people will tell you that exposure therapy is surest way to beat the problem (I can't vouch for it, but the idea has a lot of supporters, anyway). Certainly therapy of some kind is required -- whereas drugs may help a person or may not.

 

[dont_swallow]

Yes, I often feel like that as well - e.g. when reading a textbook/scientific paper, if i take my time and really concentrate, I am able to understand things, but if someone asks me to explain things, I just panic and fail miserably.

I'm the exact same way! I easily understand things and learn new things quite quickly. But since I am quite smart, teachers always try to pull me in front of the class to explain things in the class since I'm the only one who gets it. Haha but I just get up there and make absolutely no sense and everyones like "what!?" and the teacher has to reteach it anyway. Sadly, they never learn and repeatedly try to get me to do it.

Yeah, it's a nightmare - I would avoid standing up to talk in front of my peers at all costs, especially if it was impromptu, with no preparation. If I go to a talk, I can never ask a question, because even the thought of it makes my heart go like a steam-train and my palms start leaking sweat!

And yet I seem to have chosen a career where it is perfectly possible that i'll be asked to teach classes.

Duh!

 

[Lexmark]

Thinking to much is more OCD which i think a lot of people with SP suffer at least a little from. I know I do.
I had one psychologist tell me that SP is something that generally intelligent people suffer from. I didnt beleive him and he pulled out this massive psych book and it actually said it so who knows. :wink:

 

[Kien]

Uhm I would say I am less smart than common people.

 

[soulsearcher]

I think I'm pretty intelligent...I am an optometrist and had to go thru a lot of school. Of course, my anxiety didn't really start to strike BIG TIME until the spring before graduation so I don't know if I would have been able to complete the education I did feeling like I do now. Try feeling anxiety around people when your job is to see people all day. It's not always easy. But I would say that my thoughts and my mind spin way too much and I wish I wasn't as observant as I am. I can sense when people don't trust me, don't like me, think I'm unattractive (or is it all in my head??? this is the dilemna)

 

[Zarrix]

Im intellectually smart, but not socially smart (obviously). But when faced with a little bit of pressure from other peers, it seems to( or I think it does) fall away a little bit. Maybe because im never good enough to create a pleasing impression =(.

Its hell weird though, people see me as dumb and smart, because while I can figure out some fairly complex problems, I can also bomb on the east stuff, all because of SA. Not that theyll ever understand that of course

 

[ImSorry]

while numbers can be related due to bullying towards nerds, i don't think intelligence is a double implication of shyness, i know many counterexamples about socially awkward people who weren't very intelligent

i think i am above average in intelligence, but depression severely reduces my productivity

 

[villacjs]

I beleive I am of above average intelligence, going to university (college) to do an accountancy degree. I do believe if I did not have social phobia I would have done a lot better in school. Every day at school SA was at the back of my mind, eg thinking wich class would the teacher ask me a quession casusing me th blush . I look back on it now I realize I should have been on meds back then (about 16), a real missed opportunity Anyway back to the question, I do believe people with SA/SP are of above average intelligence but could be much brighter with SA/SP off their back.

 

[daffodil]

I dont know if we are "cleverer" but I think people who suffer with social phobia, in school are often quiet, and therefore to avoid being bored to death we actually omgshockhorror listen to what the teacher is saying and take it in, rather than yell at classmates across the room etc.


But, in saying all that, when I was youngster i was very clever, way way above the average in almost everything, but when my social phobia started getting bad, I became just average, but that could be because of all the days i skipped school , I do remember the teachers being amazed I was at the average- maybe even a little above most of the students.

 

[dont_swallow]

dont_swallow,

I sincerely doubt your problem is 'thinking too much.' More likely, you're thinking too much about the wrong things -- focusing on how you look, how the other person perceives you, how you acted in past situations, and other distracting thoughts that destroy your confidence. Communication is a skill that requires your mind to be clear of those distractions and only focused on listening and speaking.

You don't necessarily need a drug to get over social phobia, either. Most people will tell you that exposure therapy is surest way to beat the problem (I can't vouch for it, but the idea has a lot of supporters, anyway). Certainly therapy of some kind is required -- whereas drugs may help a person or may not.

Sorry about the slow reply - apparently I can only make 7 posts a day.

Worthy comment.

I am in 2 minds about whether we think about the wrong things, or if we just think the same shit that everyone else thinks, but way way more, but are not able to "step back" and see it as a joke (which is how the good days feel).

Why is it that when I meet people, if they're clever, I can (and do) make them feel nervous, with all my hyper attention to even the slightest bit of body language (fractional twitch of the eyelids, slight tension in the lips)?

Because they're feeling the same shit, just way less intensely. And they should feel that shit, because social judgment is an evolved discrimination tactic that we use to quickly deduce ones place in a social hierarchy, which would be invaluable if day to day interactions were a matter of life and death.

I don't know man, sometimes I really feel that having social anxiety is a really good thing, and it's a very thin line between that and social phobia - often the line is moved by other people's false confidence (actually living up to the all consuming fuckwit dreams sold through TV and bilboards).

Then again, I just got back from the pub, so, you know, confidence is pretty high right now....

 

[coriander1992]

I beleive there are many different types of intelligence.

A lot of people seem to have the type of intelligence that helps you pass exams, fair enough, but what good is this without good old common sense!
You see so many people who have X amount of degrees etc, but not once ounce of common sense. (Take the candidates for the UK's "The Apprentice" series for example - supposedly the best in the country :roll: )

Unfortunately I seem to be one of those people who has the exam passing intelligence, but not as much common sense as I would like.

There are clever people, and then there are clever people. :wink:

 

[sketchy24]

I'd consider myself fairly clever but not smart per se. When I think of "clever", I'm thinking along the lines of critical and creative thinking.

Like the Myst games. You don't have to be smart to play Myst. But you do have to exercise critical and creative thinking to solve the puzzles. Or logic puzzles... again something I don't think you need to be very smart to figure it out... just critical thinking really.

I do extremely well at games like Myst (I've been a fan of myst since I was quite little).

Most people don't play them because they think they're not smart enough but really, its not smarts IMO. Everything you need to figure out the puzzles are there. Games like Monkey Island exercise more creative thinking as the puzzles are a lot more "zany". It was kind of funny cause the other day my brother was playing a game similar to monkey island. He said he had to give swiss cheese to a mouse but he couldn't find swiss cheese anywhere though there was a bunch of regular cheeses. Without even seeing the game I was like "what'd you do, pull out a gun and shoot holes in a regular piece of cheese?" He was quite surprised that I figured it out without even playing the game or knowing the character even possessed a gun. Took him hours.

But smart as in... something that would actually matter IRL or something, I think I would do quite poorly.

 

[Lea]

No in fact I admire people who have high IQ, are good with technique, math, solving puzzles etc. There are also people with phenomenal abilities like having a calculator in their head (mostly these are people with aspergers, and they say Einstein was one). I wish I had these abilities. But it doesn´t make them superior or better people, it needs wisdom or emotional intelligence as well.

 

[scarednotshy]

I had my first IQ test in second grade. I was told it was 120. Every IQ test i've had since has been the same.

I was always told 120 is average but my daughter recently told me that it is above average.

Either way, I have a sneaking suspicion that people with SA/SP ARE above average intelligence, even if the IQ tests don't show it.

I've been reading here a few days and read and contemplated so many of your thoughts/feelings and seen your artwork and diff. talents.

Let me say that I find many here mindblowingly (is that my own word?) brilliant, in many sorts of ways. Some just in their words and insight, some in their artwork, but many, many in their humor!!!!!!!!!!!!! (which is the greatest art of all, in my opinion) You guys, in spite of all your pain, have made me laugh. To make me LAUGH is to make me fall in love. I think I'm falling...........

There are those who I see feel they are nothing and think that others on here are so much better, but what they don't realize is that I see their posts.........I see how very friendly and bright and intelligent and funny they are......yet they seem to think they are the worst off on the boards.......

Oh, CONTRARE my friends......I would be HONORED to say I was your friend!!!!!

 

[scarednotshy]

I said, "many" mindblowingly brilliant. Should have said MOST!!!!!