It is said that one should never argue with an idiot because they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience. And often, it’s the ones with the lowest intelligence that will argue the hardest and loudest.
We aren’t talking intelligence in terms of exam marks, IQ tests, or acing pub quiz nights. What we are referring to is the kind of blunt brainpower that shows up in everyday behavior: rigid thinking, zero curiosity, immunity to evidence and the uncanny ability to be so completely and confidently wrong while flat-out refusing to reflect on it for even one second.
Someone recently asked, “What is a sign of very low intelligence?” and more than 12,000 frustrating replies came flooding in. From not listening, to being loud, and ironically, always having an answer, it was like a massive spotlight went on to reveal the least sharpest tools in the shed.
Bored Panda has put together the best responses, as well as some psychology-backed signs that scream someone was last in line when intelligence was served.
It’s funny how often, the ones with the lowest intelligence are actually the ones who think they know the most. That’s because a glaring sign of sub-par brightness is a lack of curiosity or willingness to learn.
Intelligence isn’t about high IQs, acing tests, or flying through trivia. It’s the ability to derive information, learn from experience, adapt to the environment, understand, and correctly utilize thought and reason. That’s the definition, according to the American Psychological Association.
Many of those lacking in intelligence will, quite ironically, see learning as a waste of time and it’s unlikely they’ll get this far down this article.
“They don’t have the intelligence to see how learning can benefit them. They stop learning when they graduate,” explains the PsychMechanics site. “On the other hand, high-intelligence people accept that learning is a lifelong thing.”
Curiosity makes the world go ’round, and a lack thereof keeps people with low intelligence stuck exactly where they are… with just enough knowledge to barely get by in an ever-changing world. And that’s why these folk struggle to adapt if or when things suddenly shift, which they ultimately do.
“Adaptability is critical to problem-solving and survival,” notes the site. “When their problem-solving methods no longer work because things have changed, people with low intelligence struggle with adapting to new circumstances. They get too comfortable with their old ways of thinking and doing things.”
Making fun of other cultures or disrespecting and discriminating against people because of their ethnicity.
Start shouting you down when they can’t win the debate with reason and facts. Turn to vicious insults instead. This happens pretty quickly too, which also shows me that such people have low distress tolerance.
Lack of curiosity. No sense of humor. Can’t understand sarcasm. Unwavering insistence that complex problems will have oversimplified solutions while conversely attaching complicated, conspiratorial explanations to rather straightforward events. .
This has been clinically proven. If you are a MAGA supporter you are likely of low intelligence.
When presented with an statement that generalizes something, they will use an anecdote as a counterexample and think that it completely refutes the statement.
Example: travelling in an airplane is generally safer than in a car
“Actually that’s not true, I know someone who perished in an airplane crash”.
One move chess player.
This is like an analogy to how some people think and act and vote. A good chess player is thinking 3 or more moves ahead. a bad one is playing one move ahead only.
When people say things like “Why should I pay school taxes if I don’t have any kids!?” they are playing one move without thinking ahead. Better schools means a more educated populace means less crimes and more economic opportunity for your area, thus it benefits everyone whether they have kids or not.
Bigotry. i’ve never in my life met a bigot who was actually genuinely intelligent. intelligence tends to come with a curiosity for the world and a more open mind as a result.
Not being able to understand or engage with hypotheticals. It is a meme online but that is actually a sign of low intelligence. “Individuals with IQs under 90 often struggle with conditional hypotheticals—such as “How would you feel if you hadn’t eaten dinner?”—responding with factual rebuttals like “But I did eat dinner.”.
Not having self awareness of how you come across to others even after years and years.
People getting angry when you treat them the same way they treat you.
Not questioning anything. Like when they see something on a social media platform, not questioning its authenticity or validity. The same when watching the news or listening to a podcast. They take what is said without actually researching it. Without questioning the person or what was presented.
Also, a lack of empathy. This shows they’re not able to think of others. They’re incapable of putting themselves in others shoes. They see everything as black and white. They can’t understand the reasoning behind something or do even try to.
Texting and driving. scrolling and driving. Doing anything on with their phone in their hand while driving.
Can’t think for themselves. Always repeats whatever their peers tell them without questioning.
Saying things like “It’s not that deep.” It means “I’m not capable of thinking about this with any complexity or nuance”.
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