Theory: Too Smart for Your Own Good?

[cowboyup]

Which is because the more you learn the less you feel you know. One question answered always opens up several more questions and so on.

^Very true statement!

I'm OCD when I read a book and I come across a word I've never heard/don't know meaning of (though I could deduce from reading the sentence) I usually have to google the word, and put it in my file of 'dictionary words' - yeah, weird, I know.

 

[coyote]

...more willingness to learn rather than be socialialy distracted? just a thought.

i doubt that intelligence necessarily corresponds to educational drive or social desire

me and my fellow 'gifted' classmates were probably the biggest slackers and partiers in my school :ironicsmile:

 

[BlackPuma]

reading things on this forum I cannot help but come to the conclusion most people here are of above average intelligence and pretty well informed.

I wonder if this intelligent perception is picked up during school years, as not having social distractions allows one to spend more effort/focus at the tasks at hand allowing one to better learn and educate themselves with what is taught.

more willingness to learn rather than be socialialy distracted? just a thought.

I don't think it's a case of stone cold intelligence as much as it's a case of focus.

In anxiety, what do we do? We over think things. Another way to observe that is that we concentrate on things that should, theoretically, be instinctive. As such we pick up on bits of information that, normally, would be hidden in the flow of social interaction.

It can be argued that that concentration, observation and mentally applying what you discover is intelligence. This would also mean that there's a lot of people whom are a lot smarter than they realized because they've never been challenged.

 

[spearhunter]

i think that we as socially anxious person, we develop a hypersensitivity more then other people. I was not a hyper-sensible person at the age 6 but i become one in high school, probably something to do with puberty or something.After the onset of hypersensitivity , that hypersensitivity was struck by something negative, like some one said something to you, or look at you badly and it was struck many time and since then the subconscious mind
associate that strong negative feeling with that special situation. And now ever sine that my mind did everything in it s power do not repeat this situation or anyone that might resemble to it. And from that day my SA was born.

 

[WishingICould]

I'd rather be dumb and popular.

 

[Matt88360]

Perhaps there's a few things everyone (including me) should keep in mind about the IQ tests. First, IQ measures intelligence capability rather than actual learning. So you can be very intelligent but poorly educated. Second, as it was said, there's a difference between thinking more and thinking well.

But if I may complicate matters a little more, let's remember that you can't just "think": you have to think about something. That would be like saying "I'm going to do!" Well, you can't "do," you have to do something. So if you pick up more, you're going to think more. I think (no pun intended) almost everyone on here said they think a lot. Now does this relates to higher intelligence? I would say yes, it does. Much of thinking revolves around distinctions. If you pick up more, you're making more distinctions because you're distinguishing between the things you observe. That means you have the capacity to know more: and this capacity itself is intelligence.

Like when I said originally that a given tone of voice can mean several different things. If you can distinguish five different possible meanings, you're picking up more in that tone of voice than others. More information. But you couldn't process more info unless you had the ability: and it's back to capacity.

Then there's other people's lack of a similar discretion. I've often been told (and others on here too, I'm sure, have heard this) that I "read too much" into stuff. But that's seeing more possibilities. More choices, more info, more capacity. Thinking "too much" may be a lack of "common sense" in realizing how to interpret the actions of others: where "common sense" is not really instinct, like others may think; it's learned: and social phobics never learned it.

 

[Matt88360]

Also, this is not an all encompassing theory. I can imagine psychological issues, psychiatric issues, bad experiences, and so forth can also lead to social phobia.

In retrospect, I should have said this from the outset. I never intended to set this forth as a general rule, but rather one of what I'm sure are many possibilities.

 

[cowboyup]

Second, as it was said, there's a difference between thinking more and thinking well.

You had me at your proper use of well.

:bigsmile:

 

[mikebird]

There are all levels of factors around this issue. Nothing is just binary and simple, BUT a lot of people are.

I developed a dislike for people who hold my career in their hands, and have gross errors with spelling, grammar and puncuation. Of course, it's important to compromise. I feel valuable for the work experience of 15 years. I hate that my fate is sealed by people who HAVE NOT DONE anything to do with what I do. They say I live too far away from the office to be considered, when the last position, at the top of my CV was longer to drive each day.

The world is not fair. I get riled at simple callcentre grade recruiters who just talk to people. I could make the effort to be more pleasant. Judged by the simpletons who start work age 16, get married, making children and go on holidays every year. They should not rule out and judge seasoned professional engineers as not worthy of the job by their own personal attributes as smiling to the camera.

I can respect police, paramedics, builders, firefighters, nurses, lawyers, doctors... Who can do things which I don't know how to do. But there should not be middlepeople who ban a job candidate from meeting their boss, on the principle that they are not suitable....? Simon Cowell who judges singers. Don't know if he can sing? I don't watch that TV show

I feel superior to the judge who doesn't have a clue what the job involves, and cannot speak meaningful English or structure a sentence or paragraph without errors. I see no errors on this website. If there were, I wouldn't mind, as we share common interests.

Why don't they let me thru their net to speak to the employer. The emloyer loses. I lose. They make commission

 

[Silatuyok]

Fiona, the girl I'm interested in, is one of the smartest people I've met. So smart that she feels the need to correct people if they're wrong about something, which is a trait I'm hoping won't affect my attraction to her in the long run.

Ugh. My sister does this ALL THE TIME. One time she was complaining that nobody seems to like her, and I told her, as nicely as I could, that it is because she acts like a know-it-all. I, on the other hand, don't have the gumption to correct anyone even if I'm 100% certain they are wrong. h:

 

[hexagon_sun]

If everyone had an IQ of 150, nothing would get done. They would constantly be trying to con one another into doing each others share of the work... I don't mind getting my hands dirty. To me it's a learning experience. Knowledge and experience is more valuable than all the money in the world. If civilization were to collapse from, say, a asteroid impact, which would you rather have: a fist full of cash or basic carpentry skills? I find that really smart people often cheat themselves out of valuable experiences to stay ahead of everyone and to maintain their "status." They are on a bullet train to success, wizzing by so quickly, they don't have time to take in the scenery along the ride there. They appear to have acomplished much because of the accumulation of status symbols and accolades, but are often humbled by people who are down in the trenches working, experiencing and therefore knowing. This is where arrogance kicks-in.... "What could you possibly teach me? Look at all the stuff I have! How dare you!" Nature has checks and balances. That's why I welcome criticism from people. It's an opportunity to learn. Even if it hurts my feelings. The truth will set you free, if you use it constructively. Ignorance will ultimately bind you.