Sometimes the most intelligent people lack the most common sense. You might know a lot about the history of the Cold War, or the life of Emily Dickinson, quantum mechanics or the biology behind the central nervous system. But book smarts won't help you that much in the real world. If you’re the kind of person who is brilliant on paper but clueless in real life, you can relate:
1. You're not a great speaker.
Forming eloquent and coherent sentences for a ten-page paper is a breeze but when it comes to ordering a Subway sandwich, you stutter, mumble and you can barely formulate your words. You sound smart online but in real life, maybe not so much.
2. You find adulting difficult
All the knowledge you may have absorbed from reading books don’t come in so handy in doing basic practical things you should learn as adults like laundry, cooking or paying bills.
3. You have all the merit but no charm
Book smarts can most certainly help you attain success in life but you can only go so far without having some sense of charisma or sociability. Your resume may be top-notch with years of experience, outstanding grades and awards but the interview aspect is a nightmare.
4. What are social skills?
Interviews are hard but socializing in general too can be hard for a “street-dumb” person. You can have a ton of background knowledge on psychology but reading social cues, understanding different types of people and interacting with others in an effective and beneficial way is a whole ordeal.
5. You have no power of persuasion
Adding on to this lack of smart social skills, being “street stupid” also means it’s difficult to convince and persuade others to achieve what you want. All the literature trivia in the world you may know won’t help you get out of a parking ticket.
6. Quick-thinking isn’t your forte
Being pragmatic means that you know how to handle any problem quickly and creatively. Book smarts aren’t so applicable when you have to think on your feet.
7. You take your intelligence for granted
Being smart doesn’t always necessarily mean you do well in school. You can be brilliant but still get poor grades because you're lazy, you procrastinate and you don't manage your time.
8. You sometimes overthink and under-do things
You love to think - thinking comes naturally to you. But actually doing is much harder.
9. You wish real life were more like books
As an avid book-worm, you know a lot about the fascinating lives, loves and obstacles of your favorite characters. Sure, by reading a thousand books, you lead a thousand lives but real life is nothing like the books.
10. You can’t trust your gut instincts
In fact, you rarely have a gut instinct when you have to make a judgement or a decision - you can only rely on hard facts and information. So, you aren’t a big risk-taker which can make life quite bland.
11. You tend to be a follower
You are typically a stickler for the rules and you respect the authorities so you don’t usually take initiative or do your own thing.
12. You question your intelligence
It’s hard to believe that you are an actual smart person after you do a very stupid thing like walk into a pole, accidentally lock yourself out or burn your food.
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