It's a few things in my view. First one is the need (or lack of) to advertise how smart they are. All the genuinely smart people I know don't try to inject how smart they are into conversations by jumping off topic onto some personal story or new subject they know a lot about. They're comfortable in their intelligence and how it comes across that they don't feel the need to wear it like a neon sign. Their intelligence isn't there to impress other people, it's there for them and their use. If other people notice it and admire it, great. But they don't need it.
The second thing is the genuinely smart person is teachable. They know that no matter how smart they are, there is someone who knows more than they do and rather than feel threatened by that, they take full advantage of it. They listen when the expert talks, they ask questions, they take criticism and they are always willing and eager to learn more.
Third and final thing that I've noticed is that the things a genuinely smart person is that they lack snobbery in regards to their area of expertise. I know that sounds weird, so let me explain. One of my closet friends (who doubles as my first cousin) is super passionate about classic literature. She read books like Othello, My Antonia, and Jane Eyre in middle school, for fun rather than by force. Since then, she'd obtained a BA in Philosophy (another favorite reading material) and is working on her Master's in English Literature. Ans guess what? As much as she loves her classic works, she also loves more modern work, like Harry Potter or The Fault in Our Stars. In other words, my friend doesn't put on airs, looking down at other aspects of her subject as “lesser” because they're not as serious or impacting as “classic work”. She appreciates all of it for what it is, either deeply philosophical or just a nice afternoon of fun. She knows liking more “easy” subject matter doesn't mean she's not intelligent-it just means she likes to read a lot and has varied tastes.
These are key traits that someone who is merely trying to be smart will lack. They will have to remind you, constantly, how smart they are. It'll be subtle and overt and guess what, it'll be all talk and little, if any walk to match it. And the moment you call into question their expertise? They're not going to realize they have more to learn, they're gonna have their hackles up and bite you for daring to suggest they're not a genius. You suggest that it might be fun to make a baking soda volcano? The response probably is: “that's so childish, I only like serious experiments”.
If you see any of those popping up, you're probably in the presence of someone who's trying very hard to be seen as smart, versus actually being smart.
Answered by Isabelle-Grey
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People who try to appear to act smart generally do some of the things listed below while people who are smart generally don't:
- Use big words when unnecessary- Point out the lack of knowledge in a person in the attempt to make themselves look more knowledgeable
- Talk about abstract ideas for no real reason
- Talk really fast to demonstrate that they can think faster than you
- Assume they know what you are talking about rather than actually listening
- Explain things in excess when not needed
Those points above are some things to watch out for to help you determine if a person is actually smart or is just trying to act the part.
Below I touch on some things that smart people do that people who are acting the part don't do
If someone really is smart they usually have more self doubt.
The people that have the least amount of self doubt are the ones who probably aren't actually a smart person.
Of course if someone knows something then they will stand firm by their knowledge, generally speaking though, smart people are more aware of the fact that they don't really know all that much in the grand scheme of things.
So pay attention to the people who show self doubt. They are most likely the real deal.
If you know you know something, you don't have to prove it to others that you know it.
We humans all like social approval and our knowledge and worth to be recognized by others.
That being said though, if you notice that someone is seeking after the recognition of others rather than focusing more on making sure they are doing everything properly, then this indicates that they are trying to act smart rather than being the part.
This is because they are more concerned about looking right than being right.
Smart people focus on honestly being right rather than looking the part.
Even if others think a smart person is wrong that won't stop the smart person since they know they aren't.
A smart person knows when they know something and are not as concerned with looking right because they'd rather be right.
Another way to determine if a person is smart or not is to listen to them.
“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
At first just assume that every thing a person says is true...
Then when you talk to them about what they've said, asking genuine questions about the things they've indicated to you that they have knowledge on, they will demonstrate if they actually know what they are talking about or not.
If they start saying contradictory things or things that don't make a lot of sense ask them for clarification about it.
If their clarification leads to more confusion this is a sign that they really are just spouting nonsense about something they really don't know about.
The best way to catch a liar is to just ask him questions about what happened.
With time it will become apparent what the truth really is.
Main Thing to Look out for:
The main thing to look out for is if the person is trying to convince you to think of them as a smart person. When you meet people just ask yourself if what they're doing seems to be with the intent of persuading you to think they are smart. Doing this should give you a better idea of what the person is all about.
Answered by David-Brown
Source: quora.com
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