How to Identify a Pseudo-Smart Person

 

I've interviewed dozens of outstanding performers during my copywriting career. I've had the honor of having genuine, in-depth one-on-one conversations with CEOs of multibillion-dollar companies. These are aggressively intelligent folks that humble me just by being in their company.

It's amusing how dissimilar these people are to my peers. Many of my acquaintances consider themselves to be incredibly intelligent. They have no accomplishments to back up their arrogance. Even when every piece of evidence points to their lack of intelligence, they come up with a clever rationale why the world is wrong and they are correct.

1. They do not overthink things.

Instead, they put things to the test in a brutally quick manner.

Ironically, humility is a defining characteristic of highly bright people. Smart people are painfully aware of the things they don't know or can't do. Intelligence is a by-product of experience and knowledge, and smart people are painfully aware of the things they don't know or can't do.

When you think about it, overthinking is simply an egotistical state. You believe you can ‘imagine' a solution to your dilemma. You believe you are intelligent enough to fix a problem only in your thoughts.

That's not how smart people operate. The anti-library, as described by the author of The Black Swan, is a collection of all the things we don't know. Smart people understand that they cannot solve their problems by thinking about them.

Instead, they take action right away. They'll sign contracts on the spur of the moment and then rip them up just as quickly. If they find anything intriguing, they will devote 140 percent of their attention to it and then abandon it as soon as they realize it isn't working.

Here's how to spot a fake-smart person: Inquire about what they've done to reach their objectives. You're dealing with a pseudo-intellectual if they start defending their inaction.

2. They don't engage in small talk.

Instead, they take the lead with a level of candor and directness that borders on candor.

Another characteristic of aggressively clever people is their forthrightness and honesty.

True thinkers appreciate their time, and they cherish yours as well. That's why you'll rarely hear a clever person talk for 30 minutes about their vacation. Simply put, they don't see the point.

I believe it is a filter of some sort. It's not that intelligent people don't like to be pleasant — or that they don't know how to be pleasant.

I believe they do that to see how you react. They realize they're dealing with another knowledgeable person if you appreciate their candor. If their directness confuses and offends you, they'll realize you're probably simply trying to appear intelligent.

3. They don't require a complex rationale to behave.

Instead, people frequently act on a whim.

Intelligent people will occasionally act childishly, but their free-willed behavior is not the same as aimlessness.

Many of the folks I've interviewed give seemingly arbitrary reasons for their conduct. They'll say things like "because I like it" or "it just feels nice," leading you to believe they have no idea what they're doing.

To begin with, truly clever people are always aware of their surroundings. If they don't give you a 30-minute lecture about why they did this or that, it's generally because they don't see the point — or don't have the time.

Intelligence, on the other hand, is more than just a matter of intellect. It's also about trusting your feelings when it comes to intelligence. Smart people learn to trust their own signals in conjunction with outside data.

Pseudo-smart people, on the other hand, will almost always have a super-smart justification for whatever they're doing. They'll discuss markets, industries, news, and the most recent research. They'll try to persuade you that their decision is supported by the entire world. They'll then sit on their bums for two months.