[dasil003]

Once when I was young I mentioned something about being smart. My dad asked, "what makes you think you are smart?" In my youthful arrogance I didn't have an answer, but the question stuck with me, especially in light of all the studies showing that praising kids for hard work increases performance, and praising them for intelligence suppresses it.

The fact is: one should avoid even having an opinion on ones own intelligence. It's a form of ego-driven navel-gazing, and can only hurt you. On the other hand, if you dedicate yourself to deep understanding, attentive listening, clear communication, and thinking things through in your work, you will develop a reputation that goes far beyond "smart".

[satisfice]

If you are right, then wow, I must be even smarter than I think I am— considering all the suppression that must have happened from being told I am smart.

But I think it’s more likely that considering myself capable of solving problems is a good thing. It’s a trait called self-efficacy. Thank you, Mom, for getting me that subscription to Scientific American when I was nine.

Here’s where I might agree with you. In my youth I joined Mensa and Intertel, to try to hang out with the smartest people I could find. I can report that it is a poor heuristic for socializing. I came to the conclusion that a gathering of people filtered specifically for performance on intelligence tests results in conflict, not harmony.

As I aged and became a teacher, I found it is better to treat everyone as potentially brilliant, in some possibly undiscovered way; or at least as possessing qualities that may unlock the brilliance of others. We’re all valuable if we seek to be, and intelligence tests are beside the point of living.