10 Things That Frustrate Smart People The Most When They Talk To Less Intelligent People
Kues | ShutterstockMore than anything, highly intelligent people value being able to have productive conversations with like-minded individuals.
They enjoy being able to interact with someone that will expand their worldview and make them more curious about a topic because of how much they like learning from others. But it can get rather irritating when speaking with people who don't seem to have those same values. The things that frustrate smart people the most when they talk to those who are less intelligent is less about the topic of conversation and more about the habits and behaviors that make conversing with them difficult
Here are 10 things that frustrate smart people the most when they talk to less intelligent people
1. Having to repeat the same point over and over again
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Smart people tend to get frustrated by constantly having to explain something, only to realize that the other person wasn't listening or didn't understand their point at all. Nothing makes them feel more exhausted than having to go over the same idea again and again because now the conversation has to exist at a standstill so the other person can catch on.
The habit of refusing to actually listen only ends up harming relationships and leads to people not wanting to engage with them at all. Highly intelligent people will simply move on and find someone else that is actually interested in hearing what they have to say.
2. Accountability being avoided
Rather than actually admitting they made a mistake, some people choose to put the blame on everyone else. Intelligent people respect honesty and others who have the ability to be self-aware, so it's off-putting when they're conversing with someone that refuses to own up to the things they've done. They would much rather create excuses.
Smart people are never expecting perfection from anyone because they know that doesn't exist. Instead, they are looking for people who aren't afraid of failing and acknowledging that they failed in the first place. For them, you can only grow and learn how to do something better when you're able to hold your hands up and admit fault.
3. Constant interruptions before they can fully explain an idea
Thinking deeply and carefully before making their point is how smart people avoid spreading misinformation. They're incredibly thoughtful and will take their time, which sometimes means a bit of a pause before each word or sentence. So, it's extremely frustrating when they're talking with someone and they respond too quickly or jump to what they actually mean before they get there.
It ends up putting a wrench in their momentum, and when they're able to start again, it's hard for them to pick up right where they've left off. Rather than just listening in full and asking questions after, less intelligent people completely derail the conversation.
4. People bragging about never reading
For smart people, reading is the number one way to stay informed and become educated about topics they may never have known about before. They take great pleasure in reading, which is why it can be frustrating when they come across someone of less intelligence who brags about never reading at all.
It's as if they're announcing that they aren't interested in expanding their own knowledge, and that's something smart people just can't wrap their heads around. It feels extremely strange that someone would willingly refuse to learn new things on purpose.
5. People who only care about being right
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A conversation isn't about winning or losing to smart people, it's about being able to understand and exchange ideas while keeping it amicable. But being in a conversation with less intelligent people, who care more about protecting their own ego than actually having a productive conversation without turning it into a competition, is extremely frustrating.
Rather than trying to understand the point that is being made, they immediately start trying to think of a comeback or even hitting below the belt. It defeats the purpose of having a discussion at all. Intelligent people will simply walk away instead of subjecting themselves to being part of something like that.
6. People who ask for advice and then ignore every word of it
When someone is venting about the same exact problem more than once, smart people can only deal with so much before they eventually tune them out. They don't mind providing someone with help or advice if they come to them, but after telling them what they should do, they aren't expecting a repeat of the same problem to come up again.
It starts feeling as if the other person just wants to do their own thing, which is fine for them. But highly intelligent people aren't fine with wasting their breath and letting someone know what the right thing to do is, only to watch them turn around and do the opposite.
7. Watching people reject facts because it feels wrong
There's nothing that annoys smart people more than having a conversation with someone who is determined to ignore all evidence and logic. Instead, they stick to their own personal beliefs or emotions as the guiding factor over whether or not something not only makes sense but is wholeheartedly true.
Highly intelligent people are critical thinkers above all else, and they look at the facts of things rather than letting their feelings get involved. For them, feelings are not facts. They shouldn't dictate the conclusions people come to about real world problems.
8. Oversimplifying complicated issues
Life is rarely ever just black and white, and it's a fact that smart people know wholeheartedly. So, they find it hard to talk to less intelligent people that act like every problem has only one cause and one easy solution. They rarely look at how nuanced things are and instead boil everything down to being a rather simple fix.
But smart people are able to understand how much gets ignored in the process when less intelligent people oversimplify real world issues. Pretending complex problems are simple usually leads to things not getting fixed, which is why highly intelligent people value thoughtful conversations.
9. Arguing emotionally instead of logically
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Highly intelligent people can become quite frustrated when arguments end up being more of an emotional experience rather than something based on facts and logic. To them, emotions tend to get in the way of what is actually right, especially during disagreements.
They affect the way people think, decide, and even solve problems. Calm discussions where both sides have a time to actually think clearly and effectively, even if they disagree, is something intelligent people choose to prioritize.
10. Nonstop gossip
Smart people despise being trapped conversing with less intelligent people where drama seems to be the only topic of conversation. It's not productive to them to hear about a random person's latest dating escapades or who unfollowed who on social media.
While gossip has a way of bridging relationships between people and creating a sense of connectedness, smart people are way more interested in having conversations that aren't rooted in topics they deem shallow. To them, there's no real purpose behind gossip, especially when it's done behind someone's back.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
