[one2know]

In my experience people don't have the ability to determine if someone is smarter than themselves. They can detect that someone is a different intelligence level. Most people will react the same to someone with much greater intelligence as someone with much less intelligence.

Secondly, intelligent people modulate their communication to be what the people they are talking to expect. They won't use big words at the bar, but will totally change in an academic or professional setting.

One way that "smarter" than oneself is revealed is when a person predicts or anticipates something. That could be experience, or just indicates that they had already processed the situation to the same level.

[logicslave]

Not even close to being true. Its glaringly obvious when someone has true intelligence

[one2know]

If I see fanboyism I immediately lose respect for someone's intelligence. A truly intelligent person is going to have a hard time finding anyone with relative glaringly obvious intelligence. Some people buy into popular intelligence and are amazed by ted talks, lectures, that sort of thing that really isn't an indicator of intelligence. Anyone can play Mozart if they practice the same sheets of music over and over.

[muzani]

"...people don't have the ability to determine if someone is smarter than themselves."

I'd disagree. You can look at HN, for example. When we upvote something, it usually means that we've learned something from the conversation and left a little smarter.

Few people are generally smarter about everything, unless you're talking to say, Bill Gates. Most people are smarter in certain topics.

[one2know]

You are talking about knowledge and trivia recall. I am talking about critical thinking, deductive thinking which does not depend on how much information a person has seen.

[meiraleal]

And someone smart with different values and views might not think Bill Gates is that smart.