Is This True? Why or Why not?

[Splendour]

I just read an article. It said that smart people can have poorer social skills. This was news to me. Are there reasons besides the one documented in this article that such would be the case? What is Asperger's Syndrome?

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Smart-...&id=642758

[tame_deuces]

The article is very 'light' so I wouldn't take it too seriously.

Asperger's syndrome easily explained is best understood as a light version of autism.

Unlike many other autists they don't have verbal language problems and they don't have any impairments to the thinking process, but they often communicate worse when using other stuff than language and may have less motor control.

[kurto]

[ QUOTE ]
I just read an article. It said that smart people can have poorer social skills. This was news to me. Are there reasons besides the one documented in this article that such would be the case? What is Asperger's Syndrome?

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Smart-...&id=642758

[/ QUOTE ]

Though there are some good points, it is a very light article... it seems more like an advert.

[madnak]

I'm a pretty classic "smart person with poor social skills," so I think I'm qualified to answer. I don't think smart people actually tend to have poor social skills, but when a person's social development is slower than their mental development the gap can be noticeable. This problem is exacerbated because there is often a strong expectation of heightened maturity and social savvy in smart kids and because those kids may have different interests from their peers.

I think the problem is at its worst during adolescence. "Fitting in" is very important during the teenage years, and the effects of poor socialization in early childhood will often become most apparent at this time. Most of us do finally "figure it out" in our twenties - some people even develop exceptional social skills in adulthood despite a childhood of social ineptitude.

[CrayZee]

Part of being an intelligent person is adapting to your surrounding environment.."fitting in" to varying degrees is exactly that. I guess typically this is considered "street smarts" whereas the other type is "book smarts." (Everyone knows people that are really book smart but can't get a date if their life depended on it...and the social butterflies that think the Moon is made of cheese.)

I would expect many social customs and conventions considered as trivial or arbitrary to some book-smart types. Normal people might interpret this lack of regard as rude or weird.

[mickeyg13]

I think a lot of smart people (without Asperger's Syndrome) understand what it takes to fit in, but they just don't care. The issue of street smarts vs. book smarts is a completely different issue I feel. Personally I never much understood the need to fit in...why would one want to be just like everybody else?

[CrayZee]

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I think a lot of smart people (without Asperger's Syndrome) understand what it takes to fit in, but they just don't care. The issue of street smarts vs. book smarts is a completely different issue I feel. Personally I never much understood the need to fit in...why would one want to be just like everybody else?

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Ignoring individuals w/ empathy disabilities, some people seem to get much more stimulation out of social exchange. These types can even personally benefit from it...they tend to be great at sales, networking, etc.

Some people value intellectual ability more than an ability to handle people.

Most "normal people" have a good (enough) balance of the two abilities.

[David Sklansky]

Its true regarding the smartest one percent or so. With plenty of exceptions. One reason is that these people are often too immersed in thought to notice they are being anti social. Another reason is my theory that many social conventions which are unthinkingly adopted by most people seem ridiculous to smart people (eg saying "bless you" after someone sneezes) so they have to force themselves to do something that is mildly uncomfortable to them.

[LuckOfTheDraw]

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Another reason is my theory that many social conventions which are unthinkingly adopted by most people seem ridiculous to smart people (eg saying "bless you" after someone sneezes) so they have to force themselves to do something that is mildly uncomfortable to them.


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Clearly, super smart people will view many things differently and have a difficult time connecting with people of average intelligence, but I don't think that (saying "bless you") is a very good example.

[mbillie1]

People on this board who think they're smart but not smooth with the ladies != asperger's syndrome. Asperger's is the absence of the ability to recognize social cues, not just being the loser in high school etc. Instead of saying something awkward and being laughed at and feeling like an idiot, the asperger's kid says something awkward, gets laughed at and doesn't feel anything, he's just somewhat confused why everyone's laughing. He can't put it together. Some people with asperger's can be very intelligent, others not so much, others with hordes of other psychiatric problems, etc, like any other group really. It's a different sort of thing from the "uncool genius" high-school-personality-complex though.