2006-10-20 18:19:35 · 17 answers · asked by olin1963 6 in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
I find this question funny..and I really shouldn't.
Yes, I'm guilty of presenting myself as less intelligent than I am. It's because so many people take offence when you question what they say, even when you question in the nicest possible way..or in the maturest possible way.
It only works for a little while though. The people who decide to get to know you better work it out..you can be having a totally innocuous conversation with someone you've known for a while & let slip with something intelligent. "Where did THAT come from Tuppence?"
These are the people who have grown to know me well enough that they're thrilled to discover another side of me.
When it comes to evaluating intelligence..well I don't go for the conventional. I know mathematical geniuses who can't tie their own shoelaces. I know people who can manage a hectic homelife but can't add 2+2.
Everyone is equally intelligent..we just have different areas of expertise.
2006-10-20 18:42:51 · answer #1 · answered by Chencha 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have certainly had to bite my tongue a time or two. But that was more because I wasn't interested in confronting a person who was trying to look intelligent by spouting off a lot of incorrect facts. I find with people like that that it is best to nod politely and excuse myself at the first opportunity. But like some others have said, I think there is a big difference between being intelligent and being arrogant about it. If you are humble and don't try to show how smart you are, or how you know more than the other person, then I think there is nothing wrong with allowing your true self to come through.
2006-10-20 18:38:51 · answer #2 · answered by Jeremy C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. I did that all through junior high and half of high school. It was a pain in the *** when I decided I wanted to go to college, and realized that I had some catching up to do. I wouldn't do homework or would just blow through a test because I didn't want the negative reaction from my friends. Then it occurred to me that it was kinda cool that I was smart and decided to tell my friends to kiss off if they didn't like it. Turns out, they were crap friends. Once I started being myself, interesting people gravitated for me.
2006-10-20 19:00:29 · answer #3 · answered by imhalf_the_sourgirl_iused_tobe 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. I sometimes hide my intellect to avoid the stuck-up, rude people who are as intelligent as I.
2006-10-20 18:23:06 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes I don't correct people in conversation because I worry I'll seem condescending. But, most of the time I have no problem letting my intelligence show.
2006-10-20 18:28:03 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO, why would that be a problem, unless I am trying to sell something?
What can anyone say or do negatively to an intelligent person anyway? Afraid of them????
2006-10-20 18:31:12 · answer #6 · answered by kay w 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, because people with less intelligence are always negative anyway, and pretending someone you're not will not change that, so..might as well show that u are intelligent so they will not be too dumb around you...
2006-10-20 18:30:19 · answer #7 · answered by ♦cat 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't know if hide is the right word, but I do play it down. Especially when it comes to education. I go to a highly ranked law school that has a good reputation, and when people ask me what I do, I will say, "I go to school." Only when they press will I reveal that it's law school...and then only when they ask which one will I tell them. And if people say that I'm smart, I'll say that I do okay.
2006-10-20 19:52:21 · answer #8 · answered by Jamir 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Haha,, this is amusing.. in many situations you have to adapt. I won't "dumb" myself down,, but I have had to make a conversation more understandable based on the other persons capabilities of interpretation. ... that's people skills, not a measure of intelligence!
2006-10-20 18:29:20 · answer #9 · answered by Manatee 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only intelligent people who don't fit in because of inferior feelings need do this.
2006-10-20 18:36:11 · answer #10 · answered by oldman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋