I’m always amazed by how quickly after meeting someone one can pick up on their general level of intelligence with relatively little interaction. Likewise I’ve gotten comments about my intelligence shortly after meeting a person and always feel a little baffled as to what “tipped them off”. Of course, I don’t want to come across as arrogant by inquiring further. But it’s not like I’m busting out notebooks and solving complex mathematical theorems in front of people (or not in front of people, for that matter :D). We may not even have discussed anything remotely intellectual. I could have a conversation with someone I’ve never met before about the weather and come away with a ballpark estimate of how smart the person is, but I’m not entirely sure why.
I have some ideas as to potential cues - like for example I associate overall inquisitiveness with intelligence. It’s not an end-all be-all, of course, because there are many reasons a smart person may not be interested in a particular topic and therefore not ask many questions (or they might not be socially comfortable in a situation, or they are asking themselves questions and not vocalizing them, etc.), and likewise there are some very inquisitive people who are also very dumb. But I think an overall positive correlation exists between inquisitiveness and intelligence, so that’s a factor. Are there other specific cues you’ve noticed you use for assessing a person’s intelligence? It may not often be a conscious thought so much as a feeling, but that feeling must be incited by observation.
“Dumb people talk about other people. Average people talk about events. Intelligent people talk about ideas.” It’s not 100% accurate, of course, but it’s not a terrible rule of thumb.
Depth of vocabulary is the first thing that comes to mind. I don’t mean using $5 words, necessarily. Just, having a wide and varied vocab and a good ability to describe things.
Me? What makes me think someone intelligent? Admitting not knowing something. Particularly how to pronounce a word more common in speech than print. It’s like a secret code with me.
Other people, in my experience, base it on a person’s syntax and elocution. Consistent grammar, atypically complex verbal sentence structure, and clear speech - no matter the grammar system or accent, impresses most people.
It’s in the eyes- smart people’s eyes flit about, and you can tell that they’re taking things in, processing thoughts, etc. Dumb people’s eyes just stare blankly at you or at shiny things.
Not quite related, but I was at a family gathering a while back puzzling over something, and a distant cousin (about 10 years old) whom I don’t really know asked me “Are you a scientist?”. “Why yes, I am, how could you tell?” “You said ‘Ah’”.
Of course, this bit of observativeness also impressed me about this cousin.
Someone who had met many, many public figures over the years (maybe Walter Cronkite or Johnny Carson?) was asked this question, and he said that he had never met someone who was truly, naturally, inherently funny that wasn’t also highly intelligent…
I have to say that has also been my experience over the years as well.
(Not exactly what the OP asked, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Obviously there are many brilliant people in the world who have no fucking sense of humor whatsoever…;))
You know what, this probably is my litmus test. Not to say I’m hilarious or anything, but when I tell a joke, I can gauge someone’s intelligence by how they react to it (did they find it funny, did they get it, did they even understand it was joke?)
My initial snap reaction was “Grammar!” but upon reflection it’s not just that.
I know and work with a lot of really smart people that speak a lot of different English dialects - and I would argue for them speaking dialects and not just having accents -
Black Deep South
Northern Wisconsin/Michigan “Youper”
Southern Indiana “Midlanders”
California “Dude”
Southern Texas
and of course my own Northern Mid-West
I think there are two important distinctions. First - are they precise and articulate within the standards of their dialect? Second - are they thoughtful in responses to questions and in formulating ideas?
This is the quickest determinant, for me. As I’ve learned to understand the above dialects, it gets really easy to hear and judge.
/of course, I am a language lover and nerd.
//Smiled ear-to-ear when NPR did a segment on the New Testament translated into Gullah. Lord, that sounded beautiful.
Now I’ll definitely agree that there’s something to the sense of humor theory, but sense of humor is a complex thing. I can get a joke quite well and still not find it at all funny - and even smart people don’t always share my sense of humor when I do find something funny (it’s always a bit disconcerting to be the only one in the room laughing at something, which seems to be me quite a bit. I tend to appreciate the absurd).
I recently became conscious of one, but it’s hard to describe. It would be something like “how comfortable they look in their clothes” and what I’ve realized is that I use it to guess how creative and how self-assured they are. Both of these are measures of intelligence - and of whether we’ll be a good mental fit.
If I get the impression that they tried to dress themselves by some set of not-quite-understood rules - not creative enough to make their own rules. If they seem uncomfortable, trying to hide it, not knowing how to ease the discomfort and unable to ask for help, I figure they’re insecure.
So I guess I finally figured out that “straighten those shoulders!” is about looking like you’re your own woman and don’t need a herder
This one is probably not true but I’ve noticed that the funnier someone finds bathroom humor to be, the dumber they are.
I have to agree with Alice, too. The eyes.
Also spelling/grammar. More grammar than spelling, really. For example I had this friend who considered herself an intellectual*, but would use the term “I seen” when describing something she saw. Like fingernails on a chalkboard.
*She certainly wasn’t stupid but she was no Einstein either
If someone has a book in his/her possession, and is actively reading it, my assessment goes up, unless it’s something like Twilight or Chariots of the Gods. If someone insists on telling me all about the latest sitcom, my assessment goes way, way down. If I wanted to know what was happening on that show, I’d watch the show myself, not get a retelling of it. For that matter, if his/her only interests are TV and celebrity gossip, again, my assessment goes way, way down.
And while I know that quite a few intelligent people enjoy sports, if sports is the ONLY topic that a person is interested in, again, I’m not likely to think that the person is very intelligent.
On the other hand, if someone is interested in certain kinds of games, my assessment goes up. Whether you love it or hate it, you have to admit that Dungeons and Dragons requires quite a bit of quick math manipulation, and generally a fairly good memory, for instance.
Actually I have most of the Velikovsky and von Daniken books, they are great for amusement factor. You would probably find me reading them and giggling a lot. [Although I seem to find a lot in Oedipus and Ankhenaten rather sensible for him.
Yes, certainly a sign of a reader.