Travis Bradberry* says there are a few well-tested tricks you can use to make people think you are smarter than you actually are.
It’s great to be smart, but intelligence is a hard thing to pin down.
In many cases, how smart people think you are is just as important as how smart you actually are.
As it turns out, intelligence only explains about 20 per cent of how you do in life; much of the other 80 per cent comes down to emotional intelligence (EQ).
The hallmark of EQ is self-awareness, which involves not just knowing how you are but also how other people perceive you.
People with high EQ are masters of influence — they’re skilled at altering their behaviour to make the most of a given situation.
You might not be able to alter your genetics, but there are some proven strategies that can help you appear to be smarter.
Some of these strategies seem arbitrary, but research shows they make a massive difference.
That makes this good information to have, especially when you need to sway someone to your way of thinking.
Make graphs
Research suggests that people are more likely to trust a source if it contains graphs.
In a Cornell University study participants read a document on the effectiveness of a new cold medication. One report contained a graph; the other didn’t.
Other than that, they were exactly the same.
Still, 96 per cent of participants who read the report with a graph believed the claims, while only 67 per cent of those who read the document without a graph thought the same.
So, next time you create a document, stick in a graph. It doesn’t have to be complex; it just has to be accurate.
Skip that drink
That’s not just because people tend to do stupid things when they’ve been drinking.
A joint study conducted by the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania revealed that merely seeing someone hold a drink is enough to make them seem less intelligent.
It’s not that we assume less intelligent people are more likely to drink.
It’s that the perceived correlation between drinking and cognitive impairment is so strong that we assume impairment even if there isn’t any.
There’s even a name for it: The ‘imbibing idiot bias’.
Believe in yourself
Nothing projects intelligence quite like confidence.
When you believe in yourself, it shows, and research shows that believing in yourself improves your performance on cognitive tasks.
Self-doubt, on the other hand, impairs your performance.
What’s worse is that other people pick up on this doubt, which makes you appear less intelligent to them.
Write simply
If you’re really smart, you shouldn’t have to use big words to broadcast it.
True intelligence speaks for itself, so you don’t have to show off your impressive vocabulary.
In addition, you always run the chance of being wrong. Using a big word incorrectly makes you look, well, not so smart.
Speak expressively
Communication expert, Leonard Mlodinow makes the case that even if two people say exactly the same thing, the one who says it most expressively will be perceived as being smarter.
“If two speakers utter exactly the same words, but one speaks a little faster and louder and with fewer pauses and greater variation in volume, that speaker will be judged to be more energetic, knowledgeable, and intelligent,” Dr Mlodinow says.
If you want to come across as more intelligent, modulate your speech by varying your pitch, volume, speed, and energy level.
Look ’em in the eye
We know we’re supposed to do this anyway, but it also makes you look smarter.
In a study conducted at Loyola University, participants who intentionally managed their eye contact scored significantly higher on perceived intelligence.
Wear nerd glasses
Did your mother ever tell you to be nice to the nerds, because you’ll probably be working for them someday?
As usual, mum was onto something. Research shows that people wearing glasses —especially thick, full-framed ones — are perceived as being more intelligent.
Keep pace with the crowd
This is called the ‘timescale bias’.
It refers to our tendency to attribute greater intelligence to people who do things at about the same speed as everyone else.
If you want to look smarter, you need to stop dawdling, but you also need to stop scurrying around like some crazed robot.
Dress for success
Extensive research shows that how you dress affects how people see you.
How you dress also affects your performance.
A recent study by Northwestern University found that making people wear lab coats improved their performance in tasks that required intelligence and concentration.
Intelligence (IQ) is fixed at an early age. You might not be able to change your IQ, but you can definitely alter the way people perceive you.
When it comes to succeeding in the real world, perception is half the battle.
*Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and the co-founder of TalentSmart. He can be contacted at talentsmart.com.
This article first appeared at talentsmart.com.
