People With Below Average Intelligence Usually Think These 9 Things Are Good Ideas
FabrikaSimf / Shutterstock Everyone occasionally believes something that turns out to be wrong or makes a choice they later regret. What separates stronger critical thinkers from weaker ones is the ability to question assumptions, weigh evidence, and remain open to changing their minds when new information comes along.
Certain thinking patterns can make people more vulnerable to poor decisions. Overconfidence and a reluctance to consider other perspectives can all lead someone to embrace ideas that seem sensible on the surface but don't hold up under closer scrutiny. While no single belief determines a person's intelligence, there are some recurring ideas that tend to appeal to people who rely more on impulse and assumption than careful reasoning.
If someone has below average intelligence, they usually think these things are good ideas
1. Overscheduling themselves
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Intelligent people appreciate and prefer their alone time, which is also why they tend to have smaller social circles of friends with whom they share deep connections. They are comfortable with slowing down and being in their own company, so they’re also intentional about saying no to social plans and carving out this space for solitude.
People with a low IQ need distractions to feel secure. They also often need the external validation and attention of others to feel secure. Being overscheduled and having a million superficial friendships are things they wear as a badge of honor. These distractions are something to brag about, even when they’re really taking away a sense of well-being.
2. Struggling instead of asking for help
The most overconfident people are also often the most unskilled. They overestimate their skills and abilities to cope with inner feelings of insecurity or an extremely fragile ego. They need everyone to think they’re smarter or more important than they really are.
Compared to the intellectual humility of truly smart people, these below-average individuals overpromise and underdeliver, usually because they refuse to ask for help. Yes, asking for help can be hard for anyone, but it’s the people who lean into their discomfort who get the most value.
3. Making assumptions
If you’ve met someone who is prone to making assumptions, you know what I’m talking about. They can’t think for themselves. They'll assume something they want to believe is right, because they don’t want to do any critical analysis themselves. Even in the workplace where they’re paid to be thoughtful and engaged, their own ease and convenience are of the utmost importance, all the time.
These people have little to no appreciation for critical thinking, and that’s what clearly sets them apart from their more reflective counterparts.
4. Talking more than they listen
Intelligent people make others feel seen and valued by listening to them intently and asking lots of thoughtful questions based on what they hear. That also means they usually listen more than they speak to ensure thoughtful interactions and build deep relationships through these conversations.
If someone is only worried about making their own voice the center of attention and talking about themselves constantly, as people of below-average intelligence need to do in order to feel important amid small talk, they don’t usually connect well.
5. Suppressing difficult emotions
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When complex emotions like shame, embarrassment, anger, sadness, and jealousy bubble up, they're not easy to manage. No matter how intelligent we are, we’ve all been in a situation where it’s been easier to suppress our emotions or distract ourselves from them. However, someone with below-average intelligence who can’t reflect on their feelings often finds it hard to do anything but suppress these feelings when they come up.
Intelligent people pause and ask themselves why they're feeling a certain way, while their below-average counterparts simply assume there's no other option. This is a sign that someone’s mind isn’t particularly capable of going deeper or of using critical thought objectively to acknowledge their feelings and address the root causes head-on.
6. Defending their opinions
People who struggle with critical thinking often see disagreement as a personal attack rather than an opportunity to learn something new. As a result, they may instinctively defend their opinions the moment they're challenged, even before taking the time to consider whether the other person has a valid point. The conversation quickly turns into a focus on protecting their ego rather than exploring the issue.
By contrast, intellectually curious people tend to be more comfortable saying, "I hadn't thought of it that way," or even, "I might be wrong." They understand that changing your mind in response to better information isn't a sign of weakness, but rather that it shows you are willing to keep learning.
Someone who feels compelled to defend every belief, no matter how small, may be revealing an attachment to being right that gets in the way of good judgment. The ability to separate your identity from your opinions makes it much easier to have thoughtful conversations and grow from new experiences.
7. Acting impulsively
Many people with lower IQs are happier because they’re not inherently pessimistic. They may be impulsive because they aren’t constantly thinking and worrying about what could possibly go wrong, but their intelligent counterparts can’t escape this mentality.
That’s part of the reason why smart people are at a higher risk of anxiety and other mental health conditions, as they tend to ruminate over the worst-case scenario, even for everyday situations and choices. For less smart people, their struggles stem from impulsive behaviors like overspending and procrastinating because their need for constant validation often backfires.
8. Finding quick fixes and hacks
The most intelligent people work smarter, not harder. However, just because they find ways to save time and work efficiently doesn’t mean they’re trying to cut corners to figure out a quick fix for something that requires critical thinking.
That’s another difference between someone with below-average intelligence and their high-IQ counterparts. Smart people manage mindless work efficiently, so they can dive deep and develop new ideas that really matter.
9. Pretending to be smarter than they are
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Confidence is often rewarded in our society, so it’s not uncommon for the least intelligent people to secure high-paying roles and leadership positions. They know how to be charismatic, and they know how to pretend they have more skills than they really do. However, overestimating their abilities also means they typically overpromise and underdeliver at some point.
Pretending to be smarter than they are feels better and more comfortable than asking for help or learning in the moment, but over time, it comes at their own reputation’s expense.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
