Do you find intelligence intimidating?

[GoodNewsJim]

I've heard people say this in the past, but I find intelligence attractive.

 

[Andrew12]

nope. same here.

 

[Inkachu]

Heck no, I'm constantly irked and discouraged at the lack of basic brains in the general population. A guy with smarts (who is also humble and approachable) is the most attractive thing in the world. I can't be with someone who bores me.

 

[crishmael]

Nope. It's nice to occasionally stumble upon a worthy opponent.

All kidding aside, intelligence is a wonderful quality and often unappreciated.

 

[Fremdin]

Well, it depends on how they treat their intelligence.

 

[Obzocky]

It depends on the individual application of said intelligence. Sometimes an individuals belief in their own intelligence can be forced upon you to the extent it can be quite intimidating, even smothering.


If they were leaps and bounds ahead of me in the intelligence stakes it wouldn't be intimidating so much as a constant feeling of not being intelligent enough to have stimulating conversations with them.

 

[EyesOfKohl]

I find intelligence attractive as well.

Well, it depends on how they treat their intelligence.

True, as they say, 'It's one thing to learn wisdom, but another thing how to use it.'

 

[Blank123]

heck no. I actually dunno why it would be. Everybody is intelligent in some way. My aptitudes may not be what Bob Bobbinson's are, but we're both intelligent people. Its the different ways that people's intelligence comes out I find so very interesting.

People who are smug about their intelligence or who refuse to use their God-given intelligence though... not intimidating, just annoying.

 

[leothelioness]

No. I'm intelligent myself, so it's less of an intimidation and more of a "oh, great. We can talk about the same things!" feeling. lol

Now, if somebody is like Albert Einstein intelligent and is constantly talking about the Theory of Relativity or something, yeah, that would be intimidating. lol

 

[Amber.ly]

Nope. When you grow up with brilliant siblings, you grow immune to awe of intelligence.

But I admit, unless you are passionate about your conversation choice, I will probably grow bored talking to you if the topic is over my head. Intelligence in a book smart way can be great but it also can be a negative if all you have is the head knowledge and no actual interest in what you are conversing about. So intelligence in and of itself is boring unless there is a drive behind it.

 

[Brad2009]

Nope. When you grow up with brilliant siblings, you grow immune to awe of intelligence.

But I admit, unless you are passionate about your conversation choice, I will probably grow bored talking to you if the topic is over my head. Intelligence in a book smart way can be great but it also can be a negative if all you have is the head knowledge and no actual interest in what you are conversing about. So intelligence in and of itself is boring unless there is a drive behind it.

+1

 

[Oddish]

No. I like to learn from others.

 

[Tink]

Well, it depends on how they treat their intelligence.

This.

 

[MehGuy]

Intelligence in an innovative sense yeah... Able to apply knowledge in diverse and new ways...

Someone who will "go there" thought wise is attractive as well.

It also depends where they stand, I'd rather has someone be more naturalistic than spiritual.

I want to be able to develop theories with my significant other and whatnot. Even use each other for little experiments.

 

[SpiritualAntiseptic]

There is no such thing as general intelligence as far as I am concerned. People have different forms of intelligence in certain areas. Some people are more well balanced, while others are extremely talented in some things, such as math, while completely unintelligent in other areas (like social skills).

 

[Boomquishi]

The only time intelligence becomes a negative thing in my opinion would be when the person who is really intelligent is also really arrogant or when the person who is not as intelligent has very low self esteem.

 

[Fremdin]

There is no such thing as general intelligence as far as I am concerned. People have different forms of intelligence in certain areas. Some people are more well balanced, while others are extremely talented in some things, such as math, while completely unintelligent in other areas (like social skills).

All right Gardner

 

[Themistocles]

Depends. I find it intimidating when one person is intelligent in wildly disparate ways. For instance, I know a girl who's an engineer....and just happens to be a brilliant writer besides (brilliant enough that she could likely have been a great novelist...and might yet be....she's young yet). I knew a girl in college who was a Math and English double major...and she was great- not good, but great- at both. I don't necessarily find well-roundedness intimidating because lots of people are well rounded. But I'm taken aback by well-roundedness on a seriously high level (someone who could be a Picasso or a Pascal). I was reading about Wallace Stevens recently, a poet from the first half of the 20th century. He started off as a successful lawyer, then became a serious force in the business world. And all the while he was quietly composing some of the most remarkable poetry of his era. The two worlds didn't touch. Some of his closest business friends scarcely realized he was a major poet and vice versa. I sort of think that when someone has that wide of an array of skills they're probably better off separating things like that. We're only human. We can process and tolerate and appreciate a special prodigy because, as others have pointed out, prodigy often comes with drawbacks. It's much harder to accept that someone is not only better than us at the things we're not good at but also better at the things we are.

 

[Rory]

Yes and no.

No, because I also find it attractive. I love smart women.

Yes, because even if I don't mind if they might be more intelligent at some things, not sure if they will feel ok with that. I consider myself intelligent but as has been said, it may be in different areas as someone I like. So it can be a little intimidating depending on the situation.

 

[Apollo Celestio]

Typically not the first thing I think of when encountering intelligence. Admittedly I'm drawn to intelligent people..but not sexually.