Is it normal that no one believes me when i tell them i'm smart?

So basically, whenever I tell people that I'm smart, they always doubt me. I don't know why. Even if we're strangers who have nothing to go off of, they still doubt me.

I'm pretty smart. I scored almost straight B's in an advanced Primary school, only getting C's on stuff like PE.
(At that school, C is average)

I was smarter than practically everyone in my class in high school. And when I moved schools, I was placed in the top of the top class in maths and English. The only reason I'm not in the top of the top in other subjects is because only maths and English are sorted by intelligence level, every other subject is sorted by age.

I've taken intelligence tests multiple times. Every time, I got above 125 IQ. Personally, I don't believe in IQ, but I thought I should mention it anyways.

The only reason I can think of that people would assume I'm dumb is because they assume I'm on the dumb end of the Dunning–Kruger effect. That, or they're dumb.

Voting Results
77% Normal
Based on 30 votes (23 yes)
Help us keep this site organized and clean. Thanks!
[ Report Post ]
Comments ( 57 )
  • CountessDouche

    I am really, really struggling here to think of a single situation where diectly telling people that you are smart isn't socially...frowned upon.

    If you're smart, you're smart. Learn some social skills & just humbly show people instead of announcing it.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • Bazinga

      Hi Countess. I thumbed your comment back up.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Cliche1234

    You aren't smart in term of socializing, that is for sure.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • LloydAsher

    You are average. We are all average it's best to prove that you are intelligent by your actions rather than to tell people you are. If they want to presume that you are dumb it's their ultimate loss.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • McBean

    Dude, don't be dumb. Intelligence is most highly valued by people who are the most intelligent. These people look for subtle ways in which others demonstrate their intelligence in realtime.

    I belong to the Mensa society, and squeaked by the admission requirements by scoring 98th percentile with a standardized score of 132. You should practice doing puzzles to raise your score. After you join Mensa, you will meet people swimming in the self perceived grandeur of their own well argued perceptions of the world. Since you will now be on the bottom of the heap (like I am), you can work on quick witted diplomacy, clever validation, and insightful awareness of issues at hand. These same skills cause the best non-Mensa people to be socially successful with their peers. Indeed, an interesting world lays in the hands of those people most interested in the world.

    Dude, take the admission test. We would like to have you on-board.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • Wellyoudliketoknoweh

      I don’t know what to think about Mensa
      Like an IQ test is not everything....
      And they cost a lot haha
      Anyways, like I said, there are very smart people out there, who’ve been tested, but fail to be wise with it. They kinda grow up in a society that shapes arrogance and exclusion, rather than help and interaction. As with every group, people cut themselves from other groups and stay with one. To develop what you have, you have to explore and know that the opinions you have are not forever, they’re not certain and can and will be challenged. But I guess in some way you already pointed that out. It’s nice to talk with other smart people, I understand the struggle of not being understood, though you can’t get far with only a number and fail to open up your horizons. Of course they’re not all like that, I’m just saying it’s a bit weird to set a bar like this
      And dude haha there are those that give a f on the world and can still shape it in a lot of ways

      Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Boojum

    IQ scores and grades signify nothing more than how well you do when taking IQ tests and when dealing with specific topics at a certain academic level. (And do you seriously believe your primary school grades are indicative of anything? 🙄)

    Truly intelligent people have a good grasp of how much they don't know, can recognise when they're wrong, and change their opinions. If you're actually bright, you'll accept that proclaiming your intelligence never results in people accepting and admiring your intellectual acuity, not even if you're the President of the USA and you announce that you're a stable genius and like, really smart.

    If you're that fricking smart, you'll stop telling people (including complete strangers) that you are, stop worrying about how other people see you and go achieve something truly astonishing.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • palehorse

      "not even if you're the President of the USA"

      To be fair, that's not a high bar.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
    • LloydAsher

      IQ test are good at memory and pattern recognition but beyond that it doesnt beat a good education. To know something is better then knowing nothing but theres always something you do not know and it's really inefficient to know everything in detail. Rather it's better to specialize in one field and have a jack of all trades mindset in everything else. Being solely specialized is for insects but we are more advanced than that.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • McBean

        I agree. Knowledge is more powerful than reasoning ability. Reasoning ability with a touch of creativity is far more powerful than mediocrity.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
          -
        • Wellyoudliketoknoweh

          I like knowledge, but I have to say, as our term of knowing refers to what’s true, in some way, it’s nothing because we can say it is. Healthy reasoning can beat what shit some people wrote hundreds of years ago and referred to that as knowing. Nowadays we say we know stuff, even though it may not really seem logical
          Knowing things builds more paths, yes, though it’s value is set way too high. I’ve met people and systems that claim to know. But do they really

          Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Lestat565

    Smart people don’t have to say they are smart. People don’t care how smart you think you are. They only care what you can do for them and how you treat them. All your showing them is that your a narcissist asshole and probably stupid.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • Hey, I might be a narcissist, but I still got near-straight B's.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • Lestat565

        And a big who the fuck cares. No one does. That’s kind of my point. So much for you being smart.

        Also it’s kind of like saying your the smartest turd in the toilet. Not really impressive when your going to end up in the same place as the rest of us.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
      • palehorse

        Straight B's?

        Comment Hidden ( show )
      • Randomly-Strawberry

        Looks like that you're proud with straight B's... ummm...

        To be honest having straight B's isn't actually as good as you think it is, and it really is a dumb thing to brag about. It tells people that you find "straight B's" an excellent grade, while it really isn't. And this shows your academic incapability.

        If I got a straight B I would cry and suicide...well, just kidding, maybe not suicide, but I'll certainly be really, really upset, because I've never gotten something so bad before.

        And, are you serious about thinking that your primary school grades being indicative of anything? Hmm...

        Comment Hidden ( show )
  • RoseIsabella

    Maybe people don't care to listen to you brag? I don't really care for people who are constantly bragging about themselves, it's just annoying.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • I say it when it comes naturally. Usually it goes something like this:

      Person: Oh shoot, my laptop broke. Can anyone fix it?

      Me: Let me try, I'm pretty smart.

      Person: Right... anyone else?

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • charli.m

        In that situation, perhaps they're looking for someone qualified, not smart.

        Smart people generally do not need to advertise.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
  • The_Judge

    There is no need to tell people that you are smart. Regardless if you are or not

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • acosta

    Don't tell people you're smart.

    Let them figure it out for themselves, that's the only time they will believe it.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Skarmatic

    You must give off the impression that you're not the typical smart person. I mess around with my friends and do dumb shit all the time but I still graduated with a 4.0 in high school and am in the highest level english and math class I can take, but I don't look or portray myself as someone who is necessarily smart. It doesn't really bother me though because then people don't ask to copy off my homework haha.

    Also, I don't really think intelligence is based off of grades even though I put it in. Most of the stuff you learn in school is useless, so it's okay not to excel in them. One of the only things school before college/entering the workforce is good for is learning how to learn: memorization, presentations, group collaborations, etc. I will never measure someone's intelligence off of their grades.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Croissant

    People who feel the need to tell everyone how smart they are rarely are, so people probably assume you are one of those people. Also, bragging about your IQ shows a lack in social intelligence. Why do you think it’s so important to you that people know you are clever?
    Edit : also, to me straight Bs isn’t very impressive, it’s pretty average

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • chuy

    Do I smell troll or what?🤣

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • No.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • chuy

        It reaks of troll

        Comment Hidden ( show )
          -
        • I'm not a troll

          Comment Hidden ( show )
            -
          • chuy

            🤣

            Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Randomly-Strawberry

    1. According to your description, you aren't smart. You are average.

    Is getting straight B in primary school really something to be proud of? I mean, do you actually find straight B's impressive? It's actually pretty average...

    I got almost straight-full-marks back in primary school, and I was in one of the best primary schools in my country. And I don't actually brag about this, because primary school grades barely mean anything at all...

    2. You aren't smart socially. That's 100% sure.

    Umm...do you just randomly encounter people and say "Hello I'm smart"?? Why in the world are you telling STRANGERS that you are smart anyways???

    It's not that people assume you're dumb. THEY AREN'T. It's just that your lack of social skills had shocked them.

    ---

    AND -- why do you need to prove that you're smart anyways?

    I'm only going to say this on internet, because I'm pretty much anonymous here -- I also think that I'm smart. I guess it's because people had told me that I am since a young age.

    But in real life I never say that. Even when people tell me "you're so smart", I usually say something along the lines of "Well I just worked hard" or "You're also bright"...

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Garthh

    If you are an asshole then I would believe it. People don't think assholes are smart

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • leggs91200

    Braggng seldom goes over well.

    If you want people to believe you are smart, the way is to teach them things they want to learn. When you do (and this is the important part) explain it in such a way that they can easily understand. Not big words or over-complicated details.

    People will then feel smart themselves because they have learned something new. Plus they will think of you as smart. Everyone wins.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • LloydAsher

      (I'm not the OP) I dont tell people I'm smart. If they assume I'm an idiot it's their loss. All I need is my employer to value my inteligence and little else. How I get my employer to see I'm intelligent is get my work done in a time efficent manner and constantly network to see a greener pasture. Then use that as leverage to gain what I need.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • leggs91200

        As I have learned, yes we should shine when necessary (like if one wants to advance in the work place) but it is actually better to not let everyone else see our full potential because then they just expect more.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
          -
        • LloydAsher

          If they expect more pay me more. If not company X just got slightly more agreeable with its terms.

          Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Wellyoudliketoknoweh

    Whenever u say that about urself they think ur full of urself and tend to think negatively
    Well dumb people do that or small minded people
    Also scores say nothing bout ur intelligence, they’re stupid

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Nikkiice1

    People are always going to judge you. If you know you're smart, don't seek the approval of others. Keep developing your intelligence, let them have their cheap thrill. You'll be the one who's laughing later.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Like I said, I don't believe in IQ.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • Doesnormalmatter

    Show don't tell. I don't walk up to people like "Hi! I can deadlift 655 and bench 385!" Nobody care and it comes off as awkward and needy which is a negative thing.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • CountessDouche

      Hahahaha then quit doing that on here lol

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • Doesnormalmatter

        Did you hear about my 590 pound squat and 255 pound strict overhead press? What about my 225 strict press for a set of 3 reps WITH NO BELT!!! I'm telling you CountlessDouche, I'm strong!

        Comment Hidden ( show )
          -
        • CountessDouche

          Hahahaha! Yesterday I RIPPED A PHONE BOOK IN HALF & BEAT ME WIFE!!!

          I'm slamming a protein shake right meow! I'm gonna RIP a manhole cover into 5 peices!!! Brahhhhhhhh

          Comment Hidden ( show )
            -
          • megadriver

            Pff... amateurs. I'm so strong and tough that whenever I get stuck in winter in my Mercedes, I just pick up the stupid thing and carry it on my back.

            I eat steroids and drink protein shakes all day and wear nothing except a wife beater. XD

            Comment Hidden ( show )
              -
            • CountessDouche

              Hahahaha! Whatever, you European! I'm so strong that I renamed my Mercedes Merecedude & then punched it square in the windshield, hung some truck nutz on it & then poured a protein shake all over the intake manifold so my car could suck in some of that delicious aerosolized man juice!

              Comment Hidden ( show )
            • leggs91200

              In the USA, it is illegal for someone to own a mercedes if they wear a wife beater.

              Comment Hidden ( show )
          • leggs91200

            That is so...
            That is so...
            BRAH-like!

            Comment Hidden ( show )
              -
            • CountessDouche

              What would you know about BRO-ING, lady!?

              *crushes empty beer can on a random baby*

              Comment Hidden ( show )
          • Doesnormalmatter

            Phone book is easy manhole cover is close but not quite. I only got it into 4 pieces last time I tried. I fucked my wife so hard she bled!

            Comment Hidden ( show )
        • GaelicPotato

          Nothing is impressive.

          Comment Hidden ( show )
            -
          • Doesnormalmatter

            What about getting girls?

            Comment Hidden ( show )
    • GaelicPotato

      But you do steroids, so...

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • Doesnormalmatter

        Yes I know that makes it less impressive. Compare me to other juicers and compare naturals to other naturals. Although to be fair, I barely do steroids. Last year I did two 12 week cycles of ONE substance. And it wasn't test, dbol or one of the big boys, it was a SARM.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
          -
        • leggs91200

          Alright, time for some old person advice -

          I cannot tell other adults how to live but please keep in mind if you get hooked on any substance, addiction does not completely vanish.
          I do not know if 'roids are addictive, I have never touched them. However, I am very familiar with addiction. Nicotine. I quit smoking for 1.5 years but eventually gave in to the cravings, which had mostly subsided but started hitting hard back in June.

          So anyways,
          Even though the results are not as "good", but please try to stay a clean bodybuilder. Fucking with steroids or any drug is just not worth it.
          Remember, there is no such thing as a "little bit of" cheating.

          I just briefly skimmed what SARM is - they claim it is a safe alternative to steroids. Yep, always a "Safe" alternative to things out there.
          At one time, something called "spice" was suppose to be a safe and legal alternative to marijuana. I have tried both marijuana and spice, not as a regular user though. Spice was BAD news. Kind of how vaping companies are claiming it is a safer alternative to smoking.

          So I hear you asking me, "WTF does nicotine, weed, and spice have to do with SARM?"
          What it has to do is - addiction doesn't completely vanish AND there is no "Safe" alternative to drugs, especially when the alternative has the same or similar effects.

          You can tell me to fuck off or that I don't know what I am talking about if you like. I hope though I got you thinking. Today one experiments with chemicals, but tomorrow the problems start.

          One last thing - it is true that later in life, we pay for the mistakes of our youth years. And in light of weight training, the heaviest thing we carry later is regret.

          Comment Hidden ( show )
            -
          • Doesnormalmatter

            Yeah even though the actual feeling isn't addicting, the way it improves how you look is. So steroids can be addictive no doubt. But I don't think their as dangerous as you think or even as much as once thought. The biggest side effects of well planned cycles are impotence and dependence on exogenous hormones. Some people fare a lot worse than other. Dorian Yates took absurd amounts of drugs as a pro bodybuilder and he just lower his dose of test when he quit competing and is now doing fine in his 50's. Ronnie Coleman on the other hand wasn't nearly so fortunate. SARMS aren't totally safe and I never said they were. There's a risk and there's a reward, and the reward might be worth it to me. Its important that you understand that to me, progress in the gym makes life worth living as weird as that sounds. Anyways, concern is appreciated.

            Comment Hidden ( show )