We all want to be smart, but for the most part we are average. If you're worried that people don't consider you a genius, there are ways you can show your intelligence. No one will be wiser than you: soon you will be able to deceive even yourself!
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Mastering Conversation Skills
Step 1. Listen more and talk less
Take a cue from Abraham Lincoln (who was a smart guy), who said, "Better shut up and look stupid than talk and remove all doubts." If you want to look reasonably smart, keep your mouth shut. If you speak little, your words will have more weight when you do.
The fact that "smart" people are often considered introverted can help. It is nonsense, but it is still believed so. "Bookworm" and "shy" are synonymous in Western culture. This way you will not only have the benefit of the doubt, but you will have the stereotype on your side
Step 2. Use the correct grammar
"Mami used to tell me that I don't need to learn from books. Now get out of here!" If you put it this way, you probably look like a country lout with an ear of corn in his mouth and a pitchfork in his hand. It is not exactly the image of intelligence, is it? How about: "My mom used to tell me I didn't need to learn from books. Now off my property." It is a somewhat strange concept (why was mom so opposed to traditional education?), But definitely better expressed.
"Corretta" in this context means according to the standards of Italian grammar. Although saying "la Giovanna" may be acceptable in some regions, even if it is not technically correct, in other areas it may be completely unacceptable. In order not to be mistaken, speak the Italian that they taught you at school
Step 3. Say the words well
It is natural to eat vowels and doubles and say things like "cafe" or "airport", but if you really want to sound intelligent, you have to get into the habit of pronouncing the words well. Slow down the pace a little, say the words well and speak a little more formally. People will wonder why you talk like that, and what will the answer be? Because you are smart!
"’ Nso. I think I will ed with their show in about an hour ", it doesn't sound very intelligent, maybe it's better:" I don't know. I think I'll go to the show with them in about an hour ". And it requires no mental effort! Only work your mouth
Step 4. Don't speak as you text in text messages
Type TVB, LOL, etc. In your new intelligent language, there is no room for acronyms, the "that is", the "mmm", the "beautiful there" and the "you're shawl". If you think you "don't do it", spend some time listening to yourself. If you are under 30 you probably do.
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Seriously. Avoid abbreviations and acronyms. It is the language of text messages and should not even be used with a mobile phone (especially if you want to maintain the appearance). The interlayers such as "that is", "umm", "you see", with which you fill in the spaces between one word and another, have an interrogative intonation even when you do not want to ask a question.
In short, don't talk like a tamarro. It does not represent the very best of intelligence
Step 5. Stick to what you know
Even Margherita Hack would have looked stupid if she had tried to expose sport climbing techniques. No matter how smart you are, if you don't know the subject you won't make a good impression. So stick to what you know! Don't pressure yourself to join in a quantum physics conversation if that's not your thing. Nobody can bring arguments of value into every conversation.
Try to manage the conversation if you really want to show your knowledge. You may not know everything about quantum physics but you know an interesting anecdote about Einstein. Bring the conversation to him and that's it! Find the right idea. This is how conversations develop
Step 6. Mention someone
There is an episode of the show Friends in which Monica and Chandler meet her ex, Richard. While Chandler makes bad jokes, Richard recites: "And in the sweetness of friendship there is laughter and the sharing of pleasures. In the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and refreshes itself." Who is the smartest? The quote doesn't make Richard any smarter but it sure makes him sound!
In case you were curious, he mentioned Khalil Gibran. If you are choosing who to quote, stay with the poets, classical writers and important figures of the past and not Francesco Totti, Aldo, Giovanni and Giacomo and Fantozzi
Step 7. Use "smart" words
Inserting a handful of "smart" terms works wonders on the impression you give to people. Words like "therefore", "dissected", "pigmented", "stornare", and "elucidazione" are excellent alternatives to the more common words.
In general, use less common words to express concepts. Instead of "talk" use "converse", try "interact" instead of "deal", or you can use "understand" instead of "understand"
Step 8. Express yourself with non-verbal language as well
Not sure what to say? Don't say anything at all! Let your face do the talking. Someone starts a topic you don't understand? Roll your eyes, run your hand through your hair, and get busy in some other way. Someone will ask the reason for your behavior and, if they do, start another conversation.
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You can always make a "concentrated" expression. The forehead a little frowned, the look up and maybe even a hand close to the face. Ask people to explain themselves better. You want to understand before answering.
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Step 9. Don't be a know-it-all
If you intervene in each sentence to show how smart you are… you are not smart. This is why Hermione Granger didn't have many friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Most people know little about many topics while no one knows everything about everything.
Be comfortable with your shortcomings! Just because you are unable to talk about the structure of the atom does not mean that you are not intelligent, but only that you do not have that specific knowledge. This is something you can learn later
Part 2 of 3: Think Smart
Step 1. Believe in yourself
Do you know what politicians are not? Genes. They are well educated, intelligent, confident and charismatic individuals. They have faith in themselves. They say the words with conviction and passion and people don't ask questions. Do you mean things that people believe in? It's just a matter of self-confidence.
- Try to think about it. Two people have the same topic, one speaks slowly and hesitantly, stumbling over words and not looking you in the face. The other underlines the words with gestures, speaks fast but clearly and shows her unwavering faith in what she is saying. Who would you believe?
- Be aware of the bad voice in your head: there is one that tries to make you sad and that wants to distract you from your goal of being intelligent. We all have that little voice that tells us we're wrong, that destroys our self-esteem, it's normal. It is enough to know that it exists and that we do not have to pay attention to it. It is only there to annoy you.
Step 2. Know that there are different types of intelligence
Just because you haven't read "War and Peace" doesn't mean you're stupid. You can have spatial and geometric intelligence, know how to orient yourself or communicate with people. Most people have at least one type of intelligence with a fairly high level. What's your?
You can be smart about nature, music or you can understand how things move (not everyone is capable of that). Maybe you are a master with numbers or even with the body. If you've never thought about it before, maybe you're really smart
Step 3. Know that most people fake it
Recent studies have shown that most people pretend to be smart when they are around others. You know what that means? That people are just as concerned as you are about their own image of being intelligent and are trying to make a good impression on you. Funny, isn't it?
Can you understand the meaning? You can find a lot of gaps in their arguments if you know where to look. Trust yourself and your words will be just as good as theirs. Others are just trying to convince you
Step 4. Question the order of things
Smart people are great at questioning them. Do it too! When someone says something, ask questions. Why is this right? Is it rational? Why do people believe it if it isn't true? Is it good or bad? Is it right or wrong? Not only will you be intelligent, but you will also have your own opinion.
We all come into contact with our culture from birth. We are given a political, religious affiliation, an education, we believe in the system, they gave us a name, adults shape our life from day one … but all of this could be wrong
Step 5. Open your mind
Ignorance is a bad, bad thing. If you are narrow-minded, you will not see both sides of the coin in every discussion, and you will be unable to put yourself in the other's shoes. What's clever about this? Nothing!
It is the open-minded people who question the things that advance any culture. If there were no such people, we would still be at the stone age, happy with how we are. Of course, nothing good would come of such a thing. And it wouldn't require much intelligence either
Step 6. Be curious
You don't need to know anything about a topic to keep a conversation smart and interesting. The only thing you need to do is ask the right questions. Similarly, you can ask a person questions until you find some topic they really want you to know, and when you ask for clarification you seem even smarter. Did anyone mention his trip to Antarctica to test anthropogenic climate change theories? Great! It is time to stop with the Spanish Inquisition.
Even if there is no person to ask questions, you can be curious on your own! Are you reading something online and you come across a word you don't know? Check it out. A totally unknown political concept? Get informed. If you don't know something, make sure you learn
Step 7. Keep the spirit of observation alive
You may not ask someone about their propensity for fatalism, but you may notice little things that give you a different impression. Include comments in the conversation about what he mentioned earlier, or about things you noticed in his home. The things we say and do are indicators of our opinions, and so you can put two and two together without the person noticing.
Step 8. Get an opinion on the controversial topics
When an animated debate about the current economic crisis is triggered, the only thing you need to do is have an opinion. There is no right or wrong in these burning topics (religion, politics, current events, etc.). The only things you need to do are some research and analysis. With what or with whom do you feel in agreement?
"Controversial" topics such as Maria Grazia Cucinotta's latest hairstyle are not the best for having an opinion and appearing intelligent. Things like this aren't important enough to interest you (or at least not admit it). Does the topic of the day concern the latest episode of "I Cesaroni"? No, yesterday you were watching a documentary on epidemic obesity in the United States. The Cesacosa?
Part 3 of 3: Getting to work
Step 1. It looks smart. While this has nothing to do with being or acting like an intelligent person, luckily for us people are easy to fool. Put on a pair of glasses, minimize your make-up, put on a cardigan, avoid elaborate hairstyles and go out (of course, wear pants too).
It's just a stereotype, sure, but it makes a scene! When you feel nice, you have more confidence in yourself, in the same way when you feel smart, you act like a smart person. If nothing else, it's worth it
Step 2. Keep yourself informed about current events
This is easy. Stand in front of the TV, grab some popcorn and tune in to the news. Will there be an awkward silence at work tomorrow? What does everyone think about the elections in Chile? You'll look even better if no one answers your question!
Tune in to channels recognized for their authority or read your city newspaper. Look at the home page of an online newspaper. Too demanding? Follow the status updates of a particularly well-informed Facebook friend of yours. News is everywhere, read, get informed, form your opinion and speak! It has nothing to do with being intelligent, but with being informed
Step 3. Expand your vocabulary
Take some time to learn new words. The more words you have at your disposal, the better you will be able to express yourself. And the more words you know, the more chances there will be that others don't know them! So learn one word a day, you will know thousands in no time.
The Italian language has many terms. A quick online search of the type "forbidden words in Italian" will give you pages and pages of results. Make sure you use them or it will be difficult to remember them all
Step 4. Learn a few phrases in Latin or French
Inserting some idiom in these languages gives you a more sophisticated tone (actually any foreign language would do, but these sound particularly good). There will definitely be a certain je ne sais quoi about everything, right? You could repeat them ad nauseum but what would they mean? It doesn't matter, however. Carpe Diem. Here's what you can start with:
- Je ne sais quoi - literally "I don't know what"; it indicates something that cannot be defined.
- Ad nauseum - ad nauseam.
- Carpe Diem - catch the moment.
- In vino veritas - in wine there is truth.
- Ad hoc - something specific to a particular problem.
- Au contraire - in reverse.
Step 5. Learn something unknown
While it may not come out in everyday conversations, you may be learning something that has its value. When it comes to talking about it, everyone will remember later that you gave a precise disquisition on the war in Korea. So, find something interesting and go for it! Nobody can call you stupid if you know your topic well.
Choose something you already know a little. It could be something you learned in your history or Italian lesson: short stories, a historical period or a type of plant. It could be anything
Step 6. Use the internet
Seriously. You are using it right now, so why not make the most of it? Spend an hour on wikiHow looking for topics you know absolutely nothing about. Browse to learn new things!
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Many online dictionaries offer you the "word of the day" service which you can subscribe to. Wikipedia is an inexhaustible source of information. Connect to an online journal and subscribe to get the latest updates. Choose the sites that tickle your curiosity.
There are completely free online courses for learning a new language. Maybe some sites are unfamiliar to you or they don't seem very intuitive to you, but you will learn over time
Step 7. Find your favorite writer / artist / book
If you know little about culture and art, you will need to find your favorite. Browse famous paintings on the internet and find the one that conveys a message to you (did you know that many museum sites offer a virtual tour?) Read a classic novel. Find your favorite and learn all there is to know.
Not sure where to start? See paintings by Monet, Gauguin, Dali, Pollock, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Renoir or Michelangelo. Read Calvino, Pirandello, Silone, Moravia, Verga, Pasolini
Step 8. Remember
Knowledge is just a high definition regurgitation. People who are telling you notions are just repeating things they have read or have been said to them. IT IS SO. Therefore train your memory. Value the things people teach you. When you value things, they stick to your mind.
