Think of the most intelligent person you know. Why are they intelligent?

[sevencontinents]

I have been thinking about this tonight and thought I would ask the intelligent community of mumsnet.

Personally, I do not think having a lot of knowledge makes one intelligent. I also think that a certain group of people who undervalue themselves in the intelligence stakes are far more intelligent than they realise: there is something inherently smart about knowing that you have cognitive deficiencies and where these deficiencies lie.

The most intelligent person I know did get perfect academic results but that is not why I think they are intelligent: they understand that their perfect exams results were helped by a photographic memory and a private education, yet this person is also a very quick thinker and links concepts easily. Mathematically, they are gifted, yet they are also articulate, emotionally stable and socially capable (not especially skilled in this area, but perfectly capable with a fairly wide circle of friends). This diversity of skills, some of which they are better at than others, makes this person
very intelligent in my opinion.

What do others think makes a person they know intelligent?

The person I'm thinking of does have a serious ability to recall facts and seems to know a lot about a mass of subjects.

But, they're also a well rounded individual who seems to be able to read people/situations very well. This person is very loyal too so I think good natured along with their intelligence makes a lot of difference.

I’d be interested in seeing how many people think they are the most intelligent person they know...

Haha @Wendingmyway, I definitely didn't inherit the same genes as my person 😂😂😂

My boss is really intelligent
He seems to retain information. He also seems to know a bit about everything.
I retain information very well if I’m interested in the subject - to the point of obsessiveness. But I can read a boring instruction at work 20x and think “eh?”

The cleverest people I know are all very funny as well. It takes an ability to make quick connections like that.

Unfortunately the very cleverest people I’ve known have been pretty unstable as well, almost like they understand too much.

I honestly think there are different types of intelligence. One guy I worked for was incredibly strategic in the way he thought but he had a gift for communicating so he brought people with him. Another I know is classically clever in that she can recall facts at the drop of a hat and make sense of complex problems. Another I know is gifted with people in that she gets the absolute best out of people. I think one thing they all have in common is that they are fantastic communicators.

A quick and curious mind. Making connections, linking cause and effect (seeing the consequences of actions), creative thinking, original ideas, being able to see the bigger picture while also seeing in detail whatever is required to create or achieve the bigger picture.

Questioning everything and drawing one's own conclusions unless presented with hard scientific fact. Then having the intelligence to recognise your own ideas were pie in the sky, and having no shame in admitting that.

Recognising intelligence in others. Having the intelligence to respect others' opinions when they differ from your own. Knowing when to say or do nothing but smile politely. Knowing you don't know everything, but neither does anyone else.

The poem IF says a lot about character, and intelligence often, though not always, accompanies good character.

I know someone with four degrees and not an ounce of common sense...
He has no people skills,. And is an idiot.

There are many ways of measuring intelligence. Some people know lots a facts, there are people who have high IQs, some who are emotionally intelligent. Then there are others who are just very good at one thing in particular or you could even have someone who may not be great at one thing but has a great ability to know where to find the answers needed. All are valuable in there own way but difficult to measure one against the other. Personally I have a very high IQ but it on its own doesnt mean a lot, I've never found the right application for it. I have friends who I consider more intelligent because they have achieved highly and been successful at what they do.

Well, there are different types of intelligence.

Gosh, that's a really hard question!

I'd say the cleverest people I know read very widely. I'd also say they are quiet about their personal views a lot of the time, because they are aware they might be wrong.

Cleverness for me is not about memory, it's about putting ideas together at a very high level - seeing disconnected things and slotting them together or taking them apart without needing instructions. One person I know who is amazing at that had to repeat sixth form because they cocked it up the first time around.

I don't consider memory for famous dates or names or spellings to be signs of intelligence, so I find the child genius set-up pretty baffling.

Singletomingle
From your reply, you sound very intelligent indeed

The most intelligent person I know (PHd) is incredibly quick to get to the nub of whatever it is I'm warbling on about. He just gets what I'm saying even before I've finished explaining. Its refreshing.

With others I find myself rabbiting on because they've said nothing to suggest they've got what I'm saying. So I carry on saying it in different ways till their eyes glaze over and my words fade away to 'ah well, listen to me going on' (tinkly laugh / change tack) ' Seen anything good on telly recently?

Apart from my PHd friend, yes, I am the most intelligent person I know. Probably.

It's a very hard thing to define. My family are all good at languages but DH's family are all good at sciences.
Both sides do keep up with current affairs and culture.
I think I'd define it as being a person who has clear opinions but yet has the curiosity to want to discover more combined with the ability to recognise that what you thought was right might not be.

I have to say from what I've observed, the most intelligent people I've come across (differing types of intelligence) have tended to be the ones who don't see it in themselves. Maybe it's a self deprecating thing, but maybe being very intelligent also comes with a pressure to always be better/smarter/more?

I know a lot of useless facts and a little bit about a lot of subjects, which make people say I am clever, but I’m not. I am ok at maths, did alright at school but would have done better with some pushing. I just have a good memory really. Spacial awareness and map reading is my special ability though.

Pre-kids in my work I meet a lot of very intelligent people, Professors etc, and they are awe inspiring in their knowledge. Like a PP said, they knew exactly what the crux of a problem was.

My DD is quite intelligent and also has a fantastic sense of humour. My late father too. Unfortunately it seemed to have bypassed me 🤦‍♀️

I believe that nobody on the planet can do everything. We all have slightly different skills.

I know some people who are technically intelligent, but poor communicators

I know some people who are a intelligent but have no self confidence

I know some people who would be extremely interested in subject x, but totally disinterested in subject y

Let's look at an astronaut, they have to be top in a wide range of subjects, including physically. But they also have a huge on the ground team that they need to communicate with & understand

Similarly, a prime minister or monarch may themselves not be really intelligent, but they have a team that they can utilise for their good or bad

Some children are intelligent, because they see things in simple terms. Like the climate change movement

Some people are great with people or animals

Some people like to learn new things, try new things

I guess some criminals have some sort of evil `intelligence'

Some people are really in tune with the environment that they live in, with nature, seasons

Some people live as isolated nuns, monks, religious people who could be intelligent

Artists, musicians, inventors

The most intelligent person I know has a genius IQ and has a mind like an encyclopaedia. Is Very knowledgable on a wide range of topics with a particularly good recall for historical facts and figures. He’s someone who can do complicated mathematical calculations in his head almost instantly and work out solutions to complex problems very quickly. He’s the best example I know of someone having a computer-like brain. Unfortunately, he has little or no interest in people and sees conversation and small talk as a bore.

Life experience and emotional intelligence

People who are very quick to grasp ideas really thoroughly.

I’m quick but kind of shallow: I sometimes struggle with really complex stuff. DP is not so quick but tends to be better at understanding the difficult stuff than me.

We have two kids like me and one like him, but our youngest is both a quick thinker and a deep one. He is super bright I think.

I actually think it’s no fun to be super clever. You would be constantly annoyed at people taking ages to reach the same understanding of a situation you have, annoyed at other people’s loor decisions because they couldn’t adequate assess (or couldn’t be bothered and went on gut instinct or emotion). Also greater change of h happiness as you can see all the problems and always striving for something better.

I don’t think I’d like to have genius IQ

Well, it's how you define it, isn't it?

There's nothing wrong with having the kind of intelligence that concentrates itself all in one area, and equally, there's nothing wrong with being good at lots of things. I do know that what I value most is intelligence coupled with the ability to help others.

In that context, I don't think I know one single 'most intelligent' person.

My best friend is incredibly intelligent. She's academically brilliant (she's an Oxbridge don who's being promoted incredibly fast for her age); she is a perceptive friend, and she's a really thoughtful mother, and she's a brilliant teacher. However, she struggles with romantic relationships and is always very ready to believe people who are lying to her or who will not care for her. She is not 'intelligent' in that area and she deserves so much more.

A bit similarly, my former teacher is technically brilliant - he made professor at Oxford at a ridiculously young age and is celebrated for what he's done since - but he is quite awkward with people and does not always see quite obvious things that lie outside his special area. He tries to be kind, and he is a really good teacher. But he does not quite have the skills to be great at that.

At the other end of the spectrum, my aunt is extremely perceptive about people, but very unintelligent about academic subjects. She would say she is stupid, but she isn't. She is very, very sharp about emotions.

My mum is in the middle: she has the kind of intelligence that makes you an excellent teacher, because she anticipates the ways people think about academic subjects and also anticipates the emotional side too.

I would say a mixture is the ideal.

I can't articulate why but I automatically think that people who are arrogant about their intelligence aren't as bright as they think they are
I honestly think that arrogance in this context (which is different to self confidence) is a sign of a lack of intelligence.

I know someone who was described as having` the brain the size of a planet'
Some things they seemed to do effortlessly, compared to other people
However, they were not good at everything !
They were also unassuming

I have a good memory for useless facts, but I know that I lack in some subjects

I admire people that have different qualities & interests to myself

One of the things I've learnt, is that you can look at a person & perhaps assume. But if you spend time talking to them or watch them on social media, they may surprise you !