People make lots of assumptions about smart people. But a lot of those assumptions aren’t true—and we need to be careful about putting people into boxes or placing them on too high or low a pedestal. On that note, here are some common myths about intelligence that are worth rethinking or leaving behind.
1. Smart people are humble.
Humility is not a correlate of intelligence. Sure, some smart people have a good sense of their limitations and know that knowledge comes in various forms, but others can be pompous with an over-inflated ego. It just depends on who they are and how they were raised.
2. Smart people are condescending and arrogant.
Yes, I’ve met brilliant people who looked down on anyone they believed was not on their intellectual or social level, but I’ve also known smart folks who treat everyone with kindness and respect. The truth is that being smart isn’t a license to be a jerk. Those who act that way do so because people around them enable their bad behavior or because they just don’t care about offending others.
3. Smart people can only be found in top-level or white-collar professions.
There are just as many average Joes in the corporate world as smart people working blue-collar jobs, living on the streets, and struggling to make ends meet. Don’t get me wrong; being smart can increase one’s chances of having a better life and ending up in a revered, well-paying profession, but that isn’t every smart person’s story.
4. Intelligent people are always correct.
When we know or perceive someone to be intelligent, it’s easy to assume that everything that comes out of their mouth is accurate. But brilliant people are human, too. They have their blindspots and limitations that may prevent them from clearly seeing an issue. There are lots of things they can be wrong about. It’s always a good rule to interrogate ideas and opinions, rather than blindly accept them regardless of who they’re coming from.
5. Smart people have a nerdy look and are socially awkward.
Decades of media portraying smart people as awkward nerds with glasses and little fashion sense have allowed this myth to flourish. Lots of brilliant people have a good sense of how to navigate social interactions with ease and have style and personality. So, there’s no one look or defining characteristic that all brilliant people can be categorized under.
6. Smart people like showing off their mental capabilities.
Sure, some smart people are show-offs who seize every opportunity to demonstrate their brilliance and get an ego boost. However, some smart people shy away from any displays of mental superiority and will even go as far as playing dumb to avoid drawing any attention to themselves.
7. Smart people are high achievers or academically successful.
The truth is that it takes more than just intelligence to be successful academically or professionally. You also need hard work, determination, interest, ambition, the ability to focus, and a host of other factors that some smart people may not possess. It’s not uncommon to find smart people who don’t get stellar grades or who are content to lead a simple life.
8. People with high IQs can execute showy feats of brilliance.
Not every smart person can solve complex math equations on the spot. Or play chess and multiple instruments. Or become good at a new hobby or task after watching someone do it once. Intelligence manifests in different ways and it’s not always easily demonstrable.
9. Smart people don’t like small talk.
It’s often said that intelligent people can’t stand small talk. They always want to have deep, meaningful conversations about politics, literature, music, philosophy, and all kinds of concepts, but that’s just a myth. Some people would rather not talk about the weather or how your kid’s soccer game went. It’s just a personal quirk; it has little to do with intelligence.
10. Smart people know everything.
Yes, some intelligent people are well-read with a working knowledge of diverse subjects. But there are plenty of others whose knowledge is only limited to their field or specific areas, so assuming that someone is qualified to speak on or give advice on all kinds of issues because they’re smart is wrong.
11. Smart people are highly self-aware.
Self-awareness doesn’t automatically accompany intelligence. Some smart people have no sense of what their flaws, challenges, or key personality traits are and can’t correctly identify their feelings or understand the reasoning behind them most of the time. In contrast, there are lots of people of average intelligence who are hyperaware of how they come off.
12. Intelligent people are also open-minded.
You’ll find plenty of smart people who are racist, homophobic, misogynistic, or bigoted in some way. Just last week, I was unfortunate enough to witness a conversation with a seemingly brilliant man—he had a doctorate and multiple degrees in finance and law from Ivy League schools—who claimed that a female’s private area has bacteria living there that causes a high libido. In light of this, he argued that FGM was an essential solution to this imaginary problem.
13. Smart people are not concerned about what people think.
A lot of myths about intelligence are a result of people ascribing certain behaviors that are based on one individual’s personality to a large group of people. This is no different. There will always be people who like to march to the beat of their own drum and do whatever feels true to them regardless of what others have to say about their choices. Some of these people are super smart and some are not.
14. Smart people prefer doing highbrow activities.
I know just as many brilliant folks who are the life of the party as I do those who are introverted and would rather keep to themselves. For some, a fun day out involves catching a play, going to art exhibitions, and reading for hours in a park or café. For others, it’s barhopping, playing video games in their sweatpants, or binge-watching true crime shows. There’s no one way to be a smart person.
15. Highly-intelligent people are neurodivergent.
I blame movie and television tropes for this assumption about smart people. The world is full of highly- intelligent individuals who aren’t on the spectrum, and who don’t have ADHD or mental health conditions like bipolar disorder. There are also regular folks who are neurodivergent, it doesn’t have anything to do with smarts.
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