Does is bother you that other people are much smarter than yourself?

hustler4life · #1 10-08-2007, 01:03 AM

In ternms of intelligence I am way above average. I do not think I am a genius or anything even remotley special, but just your average (if this even makes sense) guy who is alot smarter than most people. I am not saying this to brag as I am sure that many many posters on this forum are much more intelligent than I am, but its just the way I am. The problem I have is that I while I'm certaintly intelligent in my own right I just pale in comparison to some of the peopel around. This bothers me alot.

I realize that I should be thankful to be born with above average intelligence, but its just so frustating to see people automatically understand concept I struggle immensely with and can only understand after a great deal of effort is devoted to the subject. Sometimes I wonder if it would almost be better just an average person who wouldn't be bothered by this kind of stuff at all. Mainly this is just a rant, but I would be curious to see if any one else gets irrated by this.

chezlaw · #2 10-08-2007, 01:09 AM

Yes and people with better memories and those better than me at tennis and especially those so much younger.

but at least I'm not australian this week

edit: or Welsh

chez

Bork · #3 10-08-2007, 01:12 AM

Not really, mostly I get bothered when the dumber people have better results/ are more succesful than I.

pokervintage · #4 10-08-2007, 01:15 AM

[ QUOTE ]
In ternms of intelligence I am way above average. I do not think I am a genius or anything even remotley special, but just your average (if this even makes sense) guy who is alot smarter than most people.

[/ QUOTE ]

This sounds a lot like something Sklansky would say except for the part about not being a genius and the other self deprecating stuff.

pokervintage

Phil153 · #5 10-08-2007, 01:24 AM

I fit into the same category, and no it doesn't bother me at all.

bunny · #6 10-08-2007, 01:34 AM

[ QUOTE ]
but at least I'm not australian this week

[/ QUOTE ]
If I had a DS-type list you'd have dropped a whole bunch of places just then... [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

Senor Cardgage · #7 10-08-2007, 01:48 AM

Yeah, this bothers me. I'm probably the smartest of all my friends and usually the most intelligent in my college math classes. But, yeah... there are many groups in which I'd be the idiot in the room. It shouldn't be a big deal, but it still inspires some level of annoyance/jealousy in me.

Same thing goes for creative talent- I write songs on occasion, but the vast majority of them are terrible. Listening to my favorite bands leaves me dumbfounded at how they manage to create what they do. Oh, well. It's really no big deal, but it's still a bit of a bother.

Nielsio · #8 10-08-2007, 02:01 AM

[ QUOTE ]
In ternms of intelligence I am way above average. I do not think I am a genius or anything even remotley special, but just your average (if this even makes sense) guy who is alot smarter than most people. I am not saying this to brag as I am sure that many many posters on this forum are much more intelligent than I am, but its just the way I am. The problem I have is that I while I'm certaintly intelligent in my own right I just pale in comparison to some of the peopel around. This bothers me alot.

I realize that I should be thankful to be born with above average intelligence, but its just so frustating to see people automatically understand concept I struggle immensely with and can only understand after a great deal of effort is devoted to the subject. Sometimes I wonder if it would almost be better just an average person who wouldn't be bothered by this kind of stuff at all. Mainly this is just a rant, but I would be curious to see if any one else gets irrated by this.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think people with less mental capacities are also less capable of enjoying the aesthetics; seeing beauty, colors and patterns in works of art and structures around us.

So they may be less 'bothered' by it all, but it works two ways.

i.e. I'm not jealous of a worker ant who is clueless of what his life is, and rushes to his death.

LuckOfTheDraw · #9 10-08-2007, 02:09 AM

I am very thankful to be as smart as I am. However, that's smart enough to realize my own limitations. I know my intelligence is several levels below anything profound, yet, occasionally, I catch a glimpse of what it must be like. It's a tease, and it definitely piques my intellectual ego. But, as I said, I'm just happy I'm not any more stupid.

David Sklansky · #10 10-08-2007, 02:15 AM

You can turn your distress into a positive. Most of the supersmart are specialists. Many highly successful people are generalists who, while reasonably intelligent, fully realize that they can't compete with the geniuses. But they can utilize them to further their overall goals. Either through studying their work or perhaps employing them. Eg Jeff Yass or Mason Malmuth.

Ironically though the people who are a notch above these pragmatic types often waste a lot of time arguing with, or getting irritated with those few whose brains are yet one notch above them. I say waste time because if they let that stuff go and instead just used the genuises in the same way that those not as gifted as them did they would obviously succeed to an even greater degree. Eg Bill Gates.