# Dangerous poll: who's smarter, you or your SO? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 12, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046 "2008-05-12T16:38:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/1 "2008-05-12T16:38:36Z")
In my case, I’d say it’s a wash. I know more things due to having a 17-year head start; she has more raw brainpower. Anybody else? ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/2 "2008-05-12T16:43:01Z")
I’d say we’re on a mostly equal playing field. But if I were to be pressed, I’d have to say that as far as sheer logic goes and the ability to apply said logic to other areas of his life, my husband would be the smarter one. I’m more intuitive and pick up things like languages and odd facts and memorize more quickly whereas he tends to be a better mathematical and informational processor than I am. Meaning he gets something in his brain and automatically figures out what it impacts and applies to and how, whereas that’s something I have to sit down and think about. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/3 "2008-05-12T16:46:12Z")
Oh God, my wife, by a long shot. I mean, I know more useless trivia than she does, but in terms of sheer intellect, she’s a clear winner. Then again, she married _me_, so one does have to question her ability to apply common sense. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/4 "2008-05-12T16:46:17Z")
I’m much smarter than my wife, and she will admit that. She however, is much more focused than I am. I tend to be a bit ADHD and… Ooooo! Shiny! (I’m kidding, but only a bit.) ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/5 "2008-05-12T16:48:12Z")
She’s smarter (much!), I’m wiser(not so much). ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/6 "2008-05-12T16:50:26Z")
He denies it (partly because I read faster than he does), but I’m sure Mr. Neville is smarter than me. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/7 "2008-05-12T16:55:05Z")
Pepper tells MilliCal that I’m smarter, but you have to consider the areas of expertise. Pepper Mill’s the one with medical training and herbal knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/8 "2008-05-12T17:00:11Z")
My SO is much, much smarter than I am. Since she’s been hiding from me for years and years, now. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/9 "2008-05-12T17:03:56Z")
[QUOTE=Asimovian] Oh God, my wife, by a long shot. I mean, I know more useless trivia than she does, but in terms of sheer intellect, she’s a clear winner. Then again, she married _me_, so one does have to question her ability to apply common sense. 😉 [/QUOTE] That is exactly what I was going to say. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/10 "2008-05-12T17:07:08Z")
I’d say that in terms of raw brainpower, he’s cleverer than I am. But we’re pretty evenly matched really, and our talents are so different that it hardly matters–we’re each good at our own areas and semi-hopeless in each other’s. I’m never going to do physics problems for fun, and he’s never going to be interested in the details of Greek history. ---
**Author:** ![Figaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Figaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Figaro)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/11 "2008-05-12T17:22:25Z")
I am the more intellectual one, and the wiser. She has muuuuuuuuuuch more common sense, has more useful talents, and is more perceptive about things in general. ---
**Author:** ![Pixilated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aeb1de/32.png) [@Pixilated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixilated)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/12 "2008-05-12T17:25:46Z")
SO, hands down. However, I have much more wisdom. We make a pretty good team. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/13 "2008-05-12T17:28:30Z")
My husband has more school learnin’, but I’m much smarter. Lazier, but much smarter. What really blows his mind is my knowledge of the English language. For example, I feel it’s not necessary to have seen a word before to know it’s meaning as long you have a feel for the root word. You don’t even have to know the root word, just a feel for it. So, he’s always saying to me, “Honey! Root word!” He also never retained the concept of a long vowel sound vs. a short vowel sound and, in particular, the effects double consonants have on those sounds and can never remember if he’s spelling the evening meal or that oblong restaurant with the good pie. He’s a social worker and asked me what compos menti meant the other night. On the other hand, he’s good with the check book, but I’m sure I could kick his ass with that too. ---
**Author:** ![Parthol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dec6dc/32.png) [@Parthol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parthol)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/14 "2008-05-12T17:40:51Z")
My wife is clearly the smarter of the two of us. She’s a mathematician and computer scientist by trade and education, and one of the smartest people I know _period_. Growing up she was “the smart kid” in her large high school (where she took college-level classes throughout), then went to Stanford for undergrad and Cornell for her Masters. I think I have a slightly superior vocabulary, but that’s about the only area in which I get the check-mark. Of course, I’m smart enough to have convinced her to marry me, which is all that counts! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/15 "2008-05-12T17:44:17Z")
We’re smart in different ways. I’m more mathematical and logical. I have a better memory. She’s much more artistic, and is also much more organized. She’s less absent-minded. Her initial impressions about people are better than mine. On an IQ test, I’d win, but that’s a very limited measure of intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/16 "2008-05-12T17:53:36Z")
He definitely has a greater emotional intelligence, more of a social intelligence too. He’s more clued into that stuff than I will ever be and the kids go for that. I tend to be more concrete sequential. I’ll fix the computer, help with homework, and tend to be more fixed with the rules and finding the logic within them. There’s overlap but it’s pretty complimentary. ---
**Author:** ![Ceejaytee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ceejaytee/32/2956_2.png) [@Ceejaytee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ceejaytee)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/17 "2008-05-12T17:56:16Z")
[QUOTE=Asimovian] Oh God, my wife, by a long shot. I mean, I know more useless trivia than she does, but in terms of sheer intellect, she’s a clear winner. Then again, she married _me_, so one does have to question her ability to apply common sense. 😉 [/QUOTE] This is my answer, except replace “wife” with “husband.” ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/18 "2008-05-12T18:00:08Z")
I’m smarter. One of the things that my wife finds attractive about me is that she can rely on my “smarts.” However, I must give credit where credit is due. She has come to the U.S. and learned English to the point of being 90% conversationally fluent. I could never go to another country and learn another language no matter how much I tried. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/19 "2008-05-12T18:03:03Z")
I’d win an IQ test I suppose, and have more working knowledge of things. I’ve been a backyard mechanic and builder all my life. I love to study objects and figure them out. My Wife is the planner and organizer though. She’s our travel agent. I just need to know when and where. My Wife also has a much, much better memory than I do. Or so I’m told… 😃 We make a hell of a team. And that’s all that really matters. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/20 "2008-05-12T18:07:47Z")
This is a good question. The bf is smarter in math-related areas, games with multiple steps and requires thinking ahead such as D&D and chess, and has an amazing long-term memory. He’s much more sociable. I’m less focused but cover a wider variety of topics (mostly cultural/political/linguistic as opposed to his math) and I know so much random trivia it’s not even funny. I can pick up on others’ intentions and feelings easier but I don’t have as strong of people know-how as he does. I thrive in the academic environment while he seems to tolerate it. If we were to take an IQ test, I know that I would outscore him. That doesn’t mean that he’s dumber, though. I’m probably more book smart, but he’s probably more people/street smart. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046.md?page=2)