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It's perfectly fine to think that you are more intelligent than those around you, you might be right. Generally speaking, though, if it's true you'd shut the fuck up about it and maintain your advantage.
That's the thing. Many would say that declaring it out loud is already proof it's not true, but I'm not sure that logic holds up.
I can totally imagine a person of below-average intelligence thinking they're smart. But would a genuinely smart person conversely think they're actually stupid? I don't think so. They might be more humble about all the things they realize they don't know, but that's a different thing.
Also, being socially clumsy and saying stuff like that is exactly what I'd expect from a truly intelligent person. When I picture an actual genius, social skills aren't the first thing that comes to mind.
Intelligence might be desireable but it can come with trade-offs. It doesn't exist in a vacuum and may not thus be all good.
But would a genuinely smart person conversely think they're actually stupid?
There have been studies that disagree with you. The less you know, the more you think you know. The more you know, the more you realize how much you don't know.
That's why I said:
They might be more humble about all the things they realize they don’t know, but that’s a different thing.
This doesn't mean they think they're less intelligent than average. They just have a more accurate view of their actual skill level.
A person might be highly competent in their field and objectively well above average in knowledge, yet still remain acutely aware of how much more there is to know - stuff they didn't even realize existed when they started.
No, that's the opposite. Humility is when you know you're good but don't flaunt it. These people know enough to know they're NOT good.
I don't think that knowing how much you don't know equates to believing that you're stupid. I know enough about a few subjects to know that I couldn't do them professionally, but I still don't feel stupid in those areas because I know more about them than the average person.
know that I couldn't do them professionally,
That's exactly the point. People who know less than you do think that they could do it. They're ignorant of their ignorance.
The most relatable example I can think of: how often has your boss come to you and asked for something that's super complicated, but he thinks it's easy to do because he doesn't know enough.
Intelligence is multifaceted. You can be highly intelligent in some areas, and not very intelligent in others.
And variable. You can be highly intelligent today, but in ten years? A dumbass.
Modern media can turn a person's mind to mush. People who stay sharp are the people who keep reading (books, not memes and comments!), who challenge themselves to learn new useless things, who stay active in mind and body.
I think we've all seen our fair share of people go through this as they age. They find a comfort zone and become programmed by their routine.
I’ve got an IQ of ninety-six.
That’s not the real number, or maybe it is. At least, that’s what I tell people how much my IQ is. I haven’t been tested in a long time, and I don’t really want to be. The important thing is, ninety-six is such an absolutely average number, and it’s on the ever-so-slightly low side of average, that it immediately deadens all further IQ-related questioning, and helps explain that IQ is a bullshit concept anyway.
IQ is a measure of specific kind of intelligence but those terms are not synonymous. ~~Also, 69 is nowhere near average - 100 is.~~
I think they said ninety six, not sixty nine. And ninety six is close to a hundred. Right?
Don’t you dare.
Let his artwork stand as a testament to his person.
Oh indeed. I misread that. Yeah, score of 96 definitely counts as average.
I’m only four percent off of a perfect score! 96 IQ is so strong! I can Einstein a hundred Eulers all day long!
Thank you for the explanation, that really helps me out. I left my original comment unedited so it can help others too.
Nice.
Well yeah. 11 out of 10 times the people calling themselves more intelligent than most mean that they are just superior. Being unable to shut the fuck about it is also a sign of one aspect of it being lower.
Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm the dumbest genius or the smartest idiot.
If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room.
Kindergarten teacher shows up for the first day of school:
"I'm in the wrong room!"
They aspire to become the least intelligent person in that room.
What? Who frowns on people who think they're above average intelligence? People around here get frowned upon if they are a jerk about it, but not otherwise.
The more you think you know, the less you understand. It's just how humans function, so if you think you're smart the odds are that you are not.
The more you think you know, the less you understand.
This doesn't quite make sense to me.
That would suggest that my perceived knowledge about plumbing systems is a strong indicator that I don't actually understand them - despite having done it professionally for over a decade.
What I think is true is that someone with a very basic level of knowledge simply doesn't know what they don't know - which explains the strong conviction and lack of nuance, for example. But I don't think that the belief in one's knowledge or abilities alone is an indicator of the opposite being true.
Let's aim for a higher than 50% chance — we have to make the average go up.
this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2026
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:
- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
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