Feel insecure about lack of general knowledge

[Icantgiveupcarbs]

I was at a pub quiz yesterday and didn't know the answer to the majority of the questions.
To be fair some were fairly tricky, like who won the Challenge Cup against Wigan in 1997, something you wouldn't really know unless you were an avid fan.
However I just didn't know many at all, and we only got a good score because of our team.
I like to read articles and non fiction but not a lot of novels to be honest, I find it hard to stick to a book, but I think this is something else that makes me feel insecure as it's seen as attractive to be well-read.
I like to read more about the world and how different cultures are, and I can speak other languages, have a Degree and a Masters, but feel I'm lacking something.
I just find it hard to stick with lengthy books.
I remember at school I had a crush on someone considered very smart and who ended up going to Harvard, but I once asked him out and he rejected me saying, "What ever would we talk about? The weather?"
I know he was just a prick but I've always felt a bit inferior.
Should I try to start reading more novels/literature? Try to gain more general knowledge or just accept who I am?

Just accept who you are, most of those quizzes are trivia really, who cares? Read what your interested in but it won’t increase your knowledge at a pub quiz, I don’t know what would. My memory is awful but I couldn’t give a damn about trivia anyway.

I bet there are some areas you are knowledgeable about! I know nothing about pop music or football but I know all the countries in the world thanks to someone here posting about the Sporcle world quiz - it's addictive! I couldn't tell you much about British films from the 70s onwards but I know loads about 1940s films because as a teenager I watched so many. Follow your interests rather than trying to learn random facts.

Have you got Audible? I have learned so much over the years, there are hundreds of courses from literature to opera music and science. You can absolutely skill up. Look up Great Courses on audible.

Thanks for these replies. I read the news daily and wiki etc, but I will try to take this advice on board

agree that the guy you asked out was an absolute Dick

just follow your interests op

Oh please. Pub quizzes are awful. Who cares you don’t know who won what sports competition? It’s not worth getting het up about. Just let that go!!

I am the same OP. I have a degree in literature and it hasn't made a difference. I started cheating in lockdown quizzes because it got so embarrassing!

Try doing some jetpunk quizzes. That has improved my general knowledge a lot - I like the geography ones!
www.jetpunk.com

The best way to improve your general knowledge is to do more quizzes! If you go to the pub quiz regularly you will get better at them, do crosswords, play trivial pursuit type games at the weekend with family, watch quiz shows on TV at home, play quiz games on your phone. You will slowly pick up all these facts. The people who are good at pub quizzes usually are the type of people that play games, do crosswords, quizzes regularly - not necessarily book readers.

I have a lot of general knowledge and know a lot of really random things - but still don't always do well in pub quizzes. I do tend to pick up a lot from reading novels which then lead me on to find out more about the issues being discussed. But that is because I enjoy reading novels and I get bored stuff reading other stuff. I expect I would pick up just as much reading more serious books and articles. If you don't have the sort of brain that retains unimportant facts it will probably never work for you! Try watching television and finding out more facts about what interests you. I find it practically impossible to remember anything that doesnt.

I have 3 degrees including a PhD and I'm shit at quizzes. I keep up with current affairs and am interested in world politics. My dh on the other hand is amazing! But he's a movie buff who loves sport, science and music and has a great memory.

Watch quiz shows or do crosswords xx

I'd say I have quite decent general knowledge but I do badly in pub quizzes because I am fairly rubbish at the sports and popular culture questions. I don't follow enough (mens) sport and I am not interested in Love Island or influencers.

If they have history and geography questions and more popular science, I can do them.

We're all interested in, and good at, different things. It's no reflection on someone's intelligence. Ok there are general things everyone should probably know like who the current Prime Minister is (how could we forget) but otherwise I suspect there is a lot of doing in one ear and out the other if you are not interested.

If you know several languages and like different cultures, you probably have a lots of quality general knowledge. Probably more quality one than random trivia from sport , pop culture and who wrote which book.

Actually, the trick for good conversation with knowledge liking people is to know something they (or rather we) don't know, not to try to duplicate their knowledge.

Going in one ear and out the other. Sigh.

@RewildingAmbridge Brilliant. I did something similar but with all the people Madonna raps about in Vogue 😂

You can improve the kind of general knowledge needed for quizzes by watching a lot of quiz shows like The Chase and Eggheads. As pp said you see patterns in the kinds of questions that come up. Another site a bit similar to JetPunk is Sporcle if you like that type of thing.

Agree with Greyinganddecaying, listening to R4 definitely improved my general knowledge - there's such a mix of topics although some of the recent programming leaves a lot to be desired, sadly.

TV documentaries, including science, history, natural world, programmes about specific countries. I love these - I want to go to Japan and am an avid consumer of programmes about Japanese culture, art, food, nature etc.

Listen to (or watch) some good in depth news services, also BBC'S World Service programming.

Sorry, posted too soon, DH and I used to make our weekly beer money from pub quizzes but are totally useless now because we don't know a thing about celebrity stuff and so many of the questions seem to be about soaps and reality TV.

I've just been reading about the mortgage backed securities at the moment

It helps with wiki as it's all linked

Honestly I get a lot of info from online - if I hear of something (in an article or on here, say) that I've never heard of, I just google it, then tend to fall down a bit of a rabbit hole.

It is a bit of a time thief, but I think it's better than scrolling on endless shite on FB!

Some people are more inclined to pick up general knowledge than others. DH is pretty lacking in it, no interest in sport/ media, some of his cultural references are out of synch with UK based general knowledge because he was born and educated in another country, music is a pleasant/ unpleasant noise. He's an intelligent person, very technically minded, just doesn't have a mind for random facts and only absorbs what is useful to him.

I love general knowledge and have some cultural advantages over him. I hate it when he latches on to me on a quiz/ game team because he doesn't fill my weaker spots and just lets me get on with it.

Novels won't particularly help (although general knowledge can help with understanding context in literature.) Documentaries be it on TV, radio or youtube are great. I think it was easier to aquire in the 70s-90s when there was a narrower range of TV programming so you found yourself watching Open University because there was little else on the other channels. The world changes quicker and knowledge dates faster too.

Agree with PP who recommended Radio 4. I have it on in the background for most of the day and learn so much about a huge variety of topics, not just current affairs. The programmes are so well made and entertaining.

I think it’s more effective and enjoyable to learn about things in a natural way like this, rather than trying to cram facts into your brain.