# 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:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/41 "2008-05-13T07:47:04Z")
In the UK they have _Test The Nation_, a televised live interactive IQ test. I beat the missus when we do it, but not by much (I have two degrees, she has not quite one double major). I generally do better with abstract concept and vocab stuff. Si ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/42 "2008-05-13T08:06:35Z")
I have more street smarts than the wife, although after all these years with me, she’s pretty street smart herself. But I have only a master’s degree, so she’s got me beat educationwise. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/43 "2008-05-13T09:02:40Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **Caricci** : 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. /snip/ > > He’s a social worker and asked me what compos menti meant the other night. Dopers, you disappoint me. Nearly 30 posts later no one has taken up the challenge? Well, I will. “Compos” clearly has “ompo” as its root, related to “oompah,” the sound made by tubas. The root of “menti” must be “men,” what else? Therefore, if someone is “compos menti” it means “this person resembles men making sounds like tubas.” There, that wasn’t so hard now, was it? ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/44 "2008-05-13T10:01:41Z")
He thinks he knows more than me, I let him believe it. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/45 "2008-05-13T12:59:10Z")
One of the problems I had with my previous marriage was that I felt too much of a difference between us. While I always felt shallow, it was so nice meeting someone who on a similar level. Unless, of course, she’s so much smarter than I am that I can’t realize it. In that case, she’ll likely get bored at some point. ---
**Author:** ![beanpod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9adbd/32.png) [@beanpod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beanpod)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/46 "2008-05-13T14:17:22Z")
Ha! We both argue that the other is smarter. He says I pick up new information quicker than him, which is true. I say he retains information and explains things better than I do, which is true. I got good advice from my dad about this: “Find someone you like to talk to. If you can’t have an interesting conversation with him, it’ll never last.” ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/47 "2008-05-13T14:24:45Z")
My husband has a higher IQ, is better educated, and he’s better at retaining and retrieving details; **however** , I’m more clever and adaptable. And…I can find the mayonnaise. The hammer. His keys. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/48 "2008-05-13T17:34:39Z")
Although I have a higher IQ may posseses more book knowledge than I. I have far more street and general knowledge. The general knowledge is mostly guy stuff, some science and geometry in realtion to carpentry and metal working. I do all the housekeeping and repairs around the house except electrician and HVAC stuff. I am somewhat proud of my street smarts as it took a long time to get them and as I’m sure you all know there’s only one way to learn them. The hard way. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/49 "2008-05-13T17:51:20Z")
My wife and I are both pretty smart, so we wisely decided to diversify our innate talent. She earned a PhD in Biochemistry, I double majored in Journalism and Comm. Studies, so she’s got a very deep, very thorough grounding in science, while I handle the rest of the crap on a shallower basis. It all works 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/50 "2008-05-13T22:55:54Z")
I’m smarter, in terms of stuff like IQ, problem solving, and picking up general knowledge about everything (and then doing things with that knowledge - show me something once and I’ll figure out how it works and then reproduce it). She’s got almost as much pure intellectual power, and is much better at focused learning - knows several languages, better grades in undergrad at the same institution, in medical school and doing great. We compliment each other pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/51 "2008-05-14T00:14:28Z")
I think DH is; I have my niches where I excel, but he’s more well-rounded in his knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/52 "2008-05-14T15:18:36Z")
When it comes to raw brainpower, I am smarter. He is by far more motivated though and makes more effective use of what he has. ---
**Author:** ![lunar\_elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lunar\_elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lunar_elf)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/53 "2008-05-14T17:17:15Z")
I’d have to say my husband. He’s very well educated and would make my mind spin with his mathematical ways. Of course, I’m so full of useless knowledge it’s not even funny. He’s been a dope lurker since forever, and thought since I like to learn the ‘quirkier’ stuff about life he gifted me an acct here for Christmas. I like to think I get along better with practical things, like remember where all the important papers are, account numbers, spelling, memorization, who that person was we ate dinner with last week, important dates etc. I can still beat him hands down at many a video/computer game and run circles around his head with that! Jump Mario jump! ---
**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 14, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046/54 "2008-05-14T17:33:38Z")
( **lunar elf** , your Location made me chuckle) 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-poll-whos-smarter-you-or-your-so/449046.md?page=2)