# Why are some people annoyed because of someone else's above average intelligence?



## JTHearts (Aug 6, 2013)

I'm a stupid person and I envy and hate people with above average intelligence because they think they're better than me so they're mean to me so I hate them and want to ruin everything for them.


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## Mr inappropriate (Dec 17, 2013)

JTHearts said:


> I'm a stupid person and I envy and hate people with above average intelligence because they think they're better than me so they're mean to me so I hate them and want to ruin everything for them.


haha, at least your honest :crazy:


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## ScientiaOmnisEst (Oct 2, 2013)

kachina said:


> Stupid people have their own idea of how things are and if you correct them it crushes their little worlds *and they would rather be ignorant than unhappy*.


Not necessarily, it's just extremely disconcerting having your suspicions of your own worthlessness proved correct.



> Funny, why would anyone be jealous of being alienated.


Not all stupid people are popular. Better, I certainly think, to be alienated for being superior to everyone than alienated and beneath everyone. Better to be unable to relate because no one's on your level than just because something's seemingly wrong with you or your personality. 



JTHearts said:


> I'm a stupid person and I envy and hate people with above average intelligence because they think they're better than me....


In honesty, this explains it rather bluntly. Except I've never been bullied and I can't say I want to ruin everything for them, just be on their level so they won't hurt me.


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## Harizu (Apr 27, 2014)

Nothing like that has ever happened to me.
First of all, I don't talk much about having scored high on IQ tests because IQ tests are not an accurate way to measure intelligence, so the fact that I've scored high on them doesn't necessarily mean I'm actually intelligent.
When I talk about it people don't seem jealous or annoyed or anything like that. On the other hand, many of them say they weren't surprised by that.
And anyway, the term "intelligence" is just too generic. What type of intelligence are we talking about? Logical intelligence? Social? Emotional?
A person can't be above-average in all types of intelligence; for example, I scored high on logical and linguistic intelligences but I was way below average on the emotional one.


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## JTHearts (Aug 6, 2013)

ScientiaOmnisEst said:


> Not necessarily, it's just extremely disconcerting having your suspicions of your own worthlessness proved correct.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I know exactly what you mean. Apparently _I'm_ the reason I'm alienated and I resent the people who are better than me because of it.


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## ShadowsRunner (Apr 24, 2013)

Is it normal to be considered "intelligent" but then suck at regular everyday things, and to in a sense lack "common sense" 

???

I find that I can quite easily learn and understand theories, but when it comes to regular things I'm a dunce. 

For example, I knew someone who would always move his cooking pots that he had just finished making, on to a folded up kitchen cloth instead to cool it down, instead of just somewhere else on the oven burner. 

I saw him do that a few times, and I eventually asked, "Couldn't that start a fire if the pot is hot enough? I don't know about you, but I worry too much about anything that could remotely start one to do something like that" and and of course he said "no" and he gave me the reason why, and it was pretty sound(at least the reason he gave was) The thing is, I would never be able to just know something like that the way he did.

It's like sort of a natural 'mechanic' type brain, where they just know the in's and out's of how things are put together, made and work.

of course this guy hardly understood theories at all. He was pretty good at logic and how systems worked, all the details etc, but whenever I'd mention or bring up a theory, he'd just sort of shrug or laugh it off. 

They all sounded crazy to him.


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## Quernus (Dec 8, 2011)

GhostShadow said:


> Is it normal to be considered "intelligent" but then suck at regular everyday things, and to in a sense lack "common sense"


I'm terribly bright, just to be honest, but I really suck at life sometimes. I can quickly absorb and comprehend hands-off theories, but it would be in no one's best interest to allow me to assemble any sort of life-saving device I was unfamiliar with, even if it were relatively simple. I'm terrible with organization, and oblivious to detail -- so while a fascinating science lecture is heaven, the labs are usually hell. 

I'm very poor at learning new skills/routines that seem somewhat arbitrary, if they're not intuitive to me. At some point it clicks... and I usually become very, very good at it. Better than average. I don't know if it's due to making so many mistakes to learn from, or if I delve deeply enough to finally hit on some sort of pattern that answers any new questions that might come up, or what. But .... I am frequently clumsy and prone to oversight.

There are so many different ways to be smart. I figure that the "absent-minded professor" archetype has to come from somewhere. 

I sort of believe that when you're exceptionally talented or good at something right off the bad, you rely on those skills so much that you don't fully develop certain other ones, and it eventually catches up with you. My mind is just exploding with examples right now, actually. I think it's even more common than I realized.


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## ShadowsRunner (Apr 24, 2013)

Quernus said:


> I'm terribly bright, just to be honest, but I really suck at life sometimes. I can quickly absorb and comprehend hands-off theories, but it would be in no one's best interest to allow me to assemble any sort of life-saving device I was unfamiliar with, even if it were relatively simple. I'm terrible with organization, and oblivious to detail -- so while a fascinating science lecture is heaven, the labs are usually hell.
> 
> I'm very poor at learning new skills/routines that seem somewhat arbitrary, if they're not intuitive to me. At some point it clicks... and I usually become very, very good at it. Better than average. I don't know if it's due to making so many mistakes to learn from, or if I delve deeply enough to finally hit on some sort of pattern that answers any new questions that might come up, or what. But .... I am frequently clumsy and prone to oversight.
> 
> ...


Yeah, it's pretty much the same for me. 

I grew up in an environment where "common-sense" was high valued over everything else, so of course I was treated like I was stupid growing up, and had actually thought I was...

But see, that's the thing with intelligence. It strikes me as seeming to be something that is difficult to exactly quantify or pinpoint what it truly is. Is there really only one, and absolute kind of intelligence? or is it more complicated then that.

So I think we shouldn't always be so quick to judge...


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## ShadowsRunner (Apr 24, 2013)

Okay, I just wanted to say that, if that was too personal, or if I had missed my point; I have been merely wondering lately if intelligence is really something that can be exactly measured or observed? 


intellectual arrogance is the worst I think...I don't think many of these people realize it, but they really do come off as being quite condescending at times. And I don't think it's always how, I don't know "intelligent" another person's observations, or views are in regards to have they might have been discussing. It was instead, I find values, preferences, or even just trying to find some simple common-ground with that person. I noticed that many who are well aware of themselves being intelligent, have a tendency to take everything as some I.Q. contest, and find it as some kind of great displeasure to lower themselves to that of the 'plebeians' lol. 

It's not always just how intelligent a person is, but arrogance as well, that makes it difficult to effectively engage and communicate with them. 




I don't know, it just seems weird to me. Maybe I'm the stupid one, but I do share the experience of finding myself, and often struggling to really make conversation, and 'small-talk' quite often...

I can enjoy a person's company though. I forgot to say though, I think that mentioning or speaking about any of your strong suits too much can often upset people, yeah.


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## love_glitter (Jul 20, 2015)

I personally don't have a problem with people above average intelligence until they belittle me. When I am having a conversation and I am trying to fully understand the subject content with questions, and my questions are met with a smug and arrogant response. I am an intelligent individual, I am not "above average" and I know that, but I am always on a quest to learn, and enjoy discussion, but not when I leave the conversation feeling like a joke.


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## MightyLizardKing (Jun 7, 2014)

People, as a general rule, don't have a problem with above average intelligence, they have a problem with arrogance. This manifests in people with low and high intelligence. I mean, what is intelligence anyways?


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## giraffegator (Dec 28, 2014)

MightyLizardKing said:


> People, as a general rule, don't have a problem with above average intelligence, they have a problem with arrogance. This manifests in people with low and high intelligence. I mean, what is intelligence anyways?


That's true. I have a couple of friends (they are twins) who are genius level intelligent. They don't try to hide it or deny it, they don't play it up like it's a big thing either. Because they don't feel that they are any more or less valuable due to their intelligence, they don't think anyone else is less valuable than them by virtue of lesser intelligence. 
So hanging out with them is a real pleasure because they have keen insights and sharp wits, but not a trace of arrogance or condescension. In fact, sometimes I feel condescended to by people who are definitely not as smart as they are, and that is irritating. That never happens with these two friends.


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