How do you assess the intelligence of another person?

I have trouble getting a true read on intelligence until someone is talking about something they care about or are passionate about. It doesn’t matter what the subject is, just that they’re into it.

Even if it’s not their expertise, you can get a really good feel for how their mind works in just a few minutes of listening when they’re fully engaged.

I have shifted from judging people as if they had one level of intelligence, to observing how they seem to think and/or behave in various ways in various situations and contexts. I also think that practically everyone has some genius in them, even if they haven’t found or developed it yet.

However, I still have several prejudices that can have me shortcut to judgements of “low intelligence” even though I know that’s more an expression of my disappointment than an accurate way to think about people.

I do notice the way people speak. If I know their credentials or work, I consider that. I also consider their politics and/or beliefs, though I’m aware that’s one of my triggers that can lead to thinking people must be fools or cretins even though I know that’s not entirely accurate.

Mainly though I use empathy and communication skills/techniques to relate to the person and try to connect with them so I can get a feel for how they are thinking and being. And I try not to pigeonhole them or rate them as if they had one intelligence level.

GQ

At the first introduction to a person, I assess something you mentioned in the OP, vocabulary and general speaking ability. As is common in the US, I will ask about their profession, which reveals a great deal, but it can be deceiving. I once knew a gardener who had a superb classical education and was one of the best Greek scholars I’ve ever met. When his hands weren’t in the dirt, he was reading Plato in the original.

There are many difficulties with my approach, but I use it with the knowledge that I may be wrong about another.

I have to admit to a serious flaw in my own standards. I have a prejudice against some accents from some areas of the US. It’s completely illogical, but I have it nonetheless, and I work to overlook it.

Generally it would be their vocabulary and grammar at first but also the depth at which they seem to perceive the world and the nuances they observe in situations. Their interest and knowledge of various subjects is also a factor. And then, of course, if they realize how intelligent I am, they’re super-smart! :-P

I try not to judge people.
even the ones who voted for Trump

@filmfann This may be a side question but isn’t there a difference between assessing a person and judging them? I try not to judge either but I do think about the qualities a person presents.

@filmfann, Yeah, unless that was tongue-in-cheek (can’t tell without nuance) do you not have a different type of interaction with this person who may have very different (lesser or greater) cognitive skills than that person?

And what @janbb says about the difference between “assessing” and “judging”.

There is no real formula but there are sure fire indicators. First are hard indicators such as education level. For certain things there is a base level intelligence that is required simply to complete the course of study. What is their profession, hobbies and what is on the bookshelf or in the ipod? Then there are superficial things like how animated they seem, how they dress and carry themselves etc. Finally, how deep are their conversations when moving past simple chit chat. Do they recite uncommon facts gained through experience and deduction or do they regurgitate bullshit from TV or the internet? Are they humble or not? How do they solve problems? What do they do with free time? All that taken in a ballpark guess is all you’ll have until you spend years with that person. Humans are a poor judge of IQ on the surface.

By whether you’re reliable or not.

If you’re in trouble, who will you call? Someone you think is capable of helping you, or a dumbass that will not help at all, and may only make matters worse?

See, simply being unreliable is enough to be called an idiot. A smart person is the one capable getting out of a difficult situation and dealing with problems properly.
If I think I can rely on you, I consider you smart, in one way ir another.
Bonus point if you can find solution on your own, without being taught and trained to do it. Creativity is another mark of intelligence.
It’s very close to ability to question and criticise. Never noticing oddities and never questioning anything is, if you ask me, a sign of a dumbass.

The biggest geniuses were the most curious and reliable ones.
Profession, accent, philosophical and political beliefs are the result of education and upbringing. It has nothing to do with intelligence.

Keep in mind there are different types of intelligence. One can be very smart in one area, and very stupid in another.

Of course, I’m also “scanning” the man I’m meeting for the first time to assess whether or not he sets off my gaydar. I’m also interested in the rest of the LGBT spectrum, but to a lesser degree.

I’d say an initial sizing up would be language based, how someone speaks, presents themselves verbally, followed by a good, often offbeat, sense of humor ( another sign of intelligence ) interests/curiosity and interests outside their own little slice of life and family. I also really enjoy artistic intelligence and an artsy, bright person always gets my attention. I also look for emotional intelligence and regardless of intellect, if someone shows themselves to be emotionally over reactive, hyper-sensitive and prone to being constantly offended I run for the hills.

There is no level of intelligence that can compensate for batshit crazy.

@Coloma, John Forbes Nash might disagree.

Articulateness and education are not the same as intelligence.
Intelligence is not the same as character.

Be careful.

@Zissou: Please reread the question. I am not asking for what is not intelligence, I am asking for each person’s method of determining intelligence, an entirely subjective process.

@canidmajor Schizophrenic paranoia and delusions are not the same as an emotionally unstable type. One can have mental health issues but not present in a volatile manner, infact, I’ll take a stable form of mental illness over emotionally disturbed any day of the week

@Coloma, and all this is off topic anyway. The Q is about intelligence, not mental illness, or emotional instability. my response to your post was meant to be an amusing little quip. Sorry you didn’t get that.

@canidmajor Well one never knows with you, I simply responded to your little quip.

My quickest rule of thumb is whether they have a sense of humor or not. Bonus points if they speak English as a second language and still get the joke, (because I make jokes all the time). Beyond that, if they’re patient enough to listen to someone else’s speech (whatever it is) to the end before they start with a response, a rejoinder or a “Oh, that’s nothing, you should hear my story…” speech of their own, then that indicates a high level of “emotional intelligence”; I think that “there’s a person who knows how to have a conversation, at least.” (Sadly, I often find myself lacking in this regard; I’m working on it. I don’t suffer fools and blowhards gladly. Even worse, I can be a blowhard, too.)

Beyond that, though, a demonstrated and articulated ability to use logical reasoning and analysis – especially on the spur of the moment – is a sure tell of an active and facile brain at work. (But even someone who can do and demonstrate the reasoning, even if he or she can’t articulate well, still shows “intelligence”, even if the oral / verbal handicap is present.)

Then there’s always the ability to synthesize, to mix metaphors deliberately (or numbers and colors or other not-necessarily-related things) to add descriptive or analytical awareness, and the ability to analogize. Good analogies are really helpful to demonstrate a person’s capability to understand and break down a complex process – and to relate on a simpler plane to others who do not yet have that level of understanding – to instruct and illustrate.

Quick facility with numbers; figuring out a tip on a bill, for example, without having to break out a calculator, is another indication.

But not all forms of intelligence are equal, either, and they don’t always relate.

When I meet someone who can do all of the above, then I know that I’m in the presence of an intelligent person.

This is relevant to what many of us have said. Very interesting.

That study may be true, to an extent, but it is also well known the early verbal ability is a sign of higher intelligence so it would seem to me that even in the lower income homes a bright baby/toddler would still show precocious development even if they were not as verbally engaged as their higher earning peers. The very nature of their intelligence would prevail.

@Coloma Sorry, you need to back that up with evidence. This scientific study directly refutes what you just asserted.

I chit chat with them.

@Hawaii_Jake, wonderful article! Thanks for linking!

@Hawaii_Jake Just saying that it is widely known that gifted/above average children show precocious language development and while that study may hold true for average or below average children the very bright ones will compensate , easily, on their own. Too many highly gifted people in history that grew up poor and rose to high levels of esteem and accomplishment in their occupations from residents to scientists.

I look them straight in the eye and ask, “Quick…. What is the capital of South Dakota ?”

If they proudly respond ‘Bismarck’, I know they are just an average, everyday schmo….

Well, I can’t help but asses someone on how they’re dressed, right off the bat. Doesn’t have to be formal wear, but clean, at least.
On the opposite side, someone who seems to dress with overkill, perfect hair and lots of make up makes me assume they may be shallow and uninteresting.

Also, by how decisively they move and make decisons. And whether they make eye contact without flinching.

Their logic, manners and use of the language.

If you have a conversation then I notice how emotionally they react to small things.

What about big things?

@Dutchess_III The dress thing though, that can be deceiving. I was in a store the other day when a, I’m pretty sure, homeless guy came in. I was joking with the clerk when she told me my amount due, it was $18.37 and I quipped ” so what was going on in history in the year 1837” and the homeless fellow behind me just started rattling off all sorts of history trivia.
Pipes up with “Michigan was admitted as the 26th U.S. state and the republic of Texas was recognized” and he just launched into all sorts of history trivia. I was blown away!
I too don’t always look super spiffy, lately I have been going out with no makeup because of the heat wave and I am dressed super casually but you can tell I am bright when I open my mouth even if I don’t look like I just walked out of the pages of a summer fashion mag.LOL

Interesting responses, thank you.
And I find myself assessing intelligence by how others assess intelligence! ;-)

I don’t assess “intelligence” the way most folks do. I can have as interesting a conversation with someone who is mentally slow as with someone who is a member of Mensa. In short, it makes no difference. Of course it will look different with each person.

I like to assume that everyone I meet is quite intelligent, quick witted, and has a sense of humor. This way, as I get to know them over time, I can be thoroughly disappointed.

@cookieman LOL

I know the dress can be misleading. But it’s all I have to go on when I am seeing someone for the first time.

I like my second answer better, about how decisively and quickly they react and respond to things.

I see if they can understand things quickly, have good reactions, have the ability to see deeper meaning of things…

But even then I never categorize people as simply being “intelligent” or “supid”. I use more specific description instead. Someone who is slow to get things is “slow-witted”, someone who can only see the surface of things is “simple minded”, ect…

Intelligence takes so many forms. This is very hard to answer. In some ways, it’s easier to say what I don’t consider reliable indicators of intelligence. A degree does indicate some level of intelligence, but it might not mean the person has any common sense. They might be intellectual and academic, but not in a way that allows them to demonstrate a broader level of intelligence. And I certainly don’t think you can judge a person’s intelligence based on their dialect or how they dress. I’ve known plenty of people who speak with broad regional dialects and yet are superbly intelligent and articulate. Similarly, the scruffiest person might be hiding an incredibly bright and insightful mind.

I assess people based on conversations I have with them. I think you can quite quickly get the mark of a person from an engaged discussion. For me, indicators of intelligence are that they demonstrate a critical and analytical mind. That they are inquisitive and interested in the world around them, in other people and want to unpack ideas and try to understand why and how things happen. So if I’m talking to someone and they are quizzing me for more information, that suggests to me they are probably intelligent.

In my work, I’d also judge people by their research and writing, but also by their ability to communicate their findings and why their work matters. Some people are quite brilliant, but they can’t share their work in an accessible way. And this idea can be applied to so many fields. Being creative and able to share your vision with other people through art, words, music. So I come back full circle, intelligence takes on many forms and so it can be displayed in many ways.

I wouldn’t base a judgment of intelligence on whether they have a certain degree or not. There are plenty of degreed idiots out there. Ditto that for political or philosophical outlooks. While these might make for appeal in a relationship, they aren’t necessarily a sign of intelligence. If you are looking for intelligence, look at things like how quickly he learns and how he uses things he learns. But I think the bigger question I would have is that if you are getting to know someone and are looking for an interpersonal relationship, intelligence might be just one of several things you should be looking at. Is the person kind…have a good heart? Do they have a good sense of humor? Are they attentive? Are they giving or selfish? There are a lot of traits that people have that can attract or repel us and intelligence might be just one. And if some of the others that attract you are very strong but the person isn’t necessarily the smartest person in the room, is that a deal breaker?

I don’t assess anyone’s intelligence deliberately but subconsciously I go by how they express themselves, their range of interests and depth of knowledge. My assessment is not fine-tuned and has just three levels dim, bright and very bright.

Last week I went out with a cycling group and thought this new guy very pleasant but definitely on the dim side until he began talking about music. His enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject was immediately apparent and I completely reversed my opinion of him.

As (I think) Will Rogers once said…..

“We’re all ignorant…..just about different things…..”

I know a woman who is, intellectually stump stupid. But she has an amazing talent for art. That’s all she wants to talk about. I enjoy art, her work (she paints wood furniture) is amazing, but that’s all she can talk about. She’s a Catholic so any scientific discussions are out the window. She can’t believe a nigger was our president for 8 years. I was once stuck watching a fictional movie with her about some microscopic thing destroying California. It was dumb, however it was shot in documentary form. She swallowed the story hook, line and sinker. Thought it was real. It was annoying to have her reacting with such disbelief and horror at what she was watching.

Andy Warhol was said to have an IQ in the 80’s yet nobody would be able to deny his artistic genius. Intelligence has many facets and until you see all a person has it’s really hard to know. That’s why I say it takes years to know someones intelligence.

:)