Discussion»Questions»Human Behavior» Do you prefer hanging out with folks who are less intelligent than you, more intelligent, equally intelligent? Why?
In my experience, I've "soared with eagles" and I've "perched on limbs with sparrows". I've had satisfying friendships with people across the broad range of ability, skill, education and life experiences. I learned at an early age that to have a friend, you must first be a friend. It's worked pretty well. On a few occasions, I've had a few people who thought that they were more intelligent than me, tell me that they found to their surprise that I was equally intelligent to them, whatever that may mean. I'm usually attracted to folks by common interests, but I'm not trying to gauge some level of intelligence in my approach to anyone.
I've always been a student driftwood. I love to learn. I have found that surrounding myself with smart people is a great way to do that. Now I can learn many things from many people. We are all very smart in some areas, mediocre in some and ignorant in some. It's just that we differ in what they are. If you can learn from everyone (and you certainly can) then you are always surrounding yourself with folks who are smarter than you are. That's just how I look at it. Smart isn't necessarily reflected on an IQ test. Thank you for your thoughtful reply! I've been very lucky. I tend to attract people who are knowledgeable, thoughtful and willing to share what they know. I think it's because they understand my thirst for knowledge and desire for cordial interaction and that's what they respond to..for which I am ever grateful!
This post was edited by RosieG at April 24, 2017 7:54 AM MDT