It takes a special kind of skill to know when something isn’t worth the trouble, and it’s also good to know when you should stop trying to fix it.
The argument that goes nowhere
There are some people who are so irrational that it’s a challenge to make them see reason. Yes, they’ll keep changing their argument whenever you make a good point. But people with a high IQ don’t bother with it at all.
They have such good reasoning skills that they recognize, actually, it’s better to leave the conversation. There’s no point in wasting another hour going around in circles over the same issues. It’s better to cut your losses and quit trying.
The impossible popularity contest
It’s a harsh truth, but it’s true. Not everyone is going to like the same person, even when they’re incredibly friendly, so you might as well give up trying to make everyone like you. Only really smart people understand that, however.
Other people spend years trying to win over people who clearly aren’t interested in being friends, and they’ll do whatever they can to be liked. High-IQ people do still want approval. The difference is, they’re not going to put in a ton of effort to make people like them for who they are.
The project that has run its course
Some people will spend six months on a business idea and throw thousands of dollars at it. They’ll spend countless late nights trying to improve their plan, only to discover that nobody wants what they’re selling. But they refuse to give up. It’d feel awful admitting defeat.
That is, unless you’re a very smart person, as they’re never going to try rescuing a project that has already failed. They look at what happens next instead of obsessing over what they’ve already spent. For them, abandoning a project is sometimes the most reasonable option left.
The belief that facts can’t easily change
Anyone who’s spent twenty years believing something probably isn’t going to abandon that belief. At least, not without a lot of work. It doesn’t matter that you might have some excellent evidence or reliable studies to show them because they’re not going to change their opinions.
Very intelligent people understand that. They won’t bother trying to change someone’s deeply held beliefs with facts alone, and that’s because they know it’s kind of pointless. The person is committed to their beliefs. It’s better to leave it that way.
The reputation that isn’t theirs to rescue
Some people have a bad reputation and, well, it’s sort of deserved. Take, for example, a friend who’s known as a flake because they constantly cancel plans at the last minute or just don’t show up. There are those who try to convince others that this person is actually reliable.
But they’re not. People with a high IQ aren’t going to bother fixing someone else’s reputation, and that’s because they fully recognize the limits of their influence. They know there’s no point in defending someone who’s making no effort to change. So, they give up.
The endless battle against false information
You’d think that smart people love facts. Yes, they do. What you might not know, however, is that they’re not going to waste time trying to correct every piece of misinformation that they come across. They won’t spend minutes arguing on Facebook about something easily Googleable.
They recognize that this kind of behavior would just be a hopeless way to spend an afternoon. It’s not going to have much of an effect on someone’s attitude or behavior, after all. Smart people would rather spend their energy on something worthwhile.
The rules that won’t budge
We all come across rules that we have no power to change, and it’s these same rules that might cause problems. You might have a rule at work that just seems pointless. You might feel like complaining about it, but it’s highly unlikely that management is going to change the policy.
Smart people know that. Instead of complaining, they’ll apply themselves by finding the quickest approved way to get the job done. They don’t see any point in trying to create change in areas where they have no power. They’ll suggest improvements, sure. But they won’t spend all their time sharing them.
The problem that keeps coming back
There’s really no use in fixing the same problem every week if it’s just going to happen again. Smart people know that. That’s why they give up repeatedly patching up the same problems. No, they get to the heart of the problem and find out what’s causing the issue.
They give up sticking a band-aid on issues. Other people might not be willing to replace or repair the system properly, but high-IQ people recognize that continually cleaning up the mess gets rather tiresome.
The search for a risk-free decision
It’s true that research is useful, and people with a high IQ certainly love doing it. But what sets them apart is that they know when it stops being useful. They’re not going to eliminate every risk before making a decision because they know it’s not possible.
Sure, they could spend another three weeks comparing mortgage deals. But what’s the use? They recognize that life is full of uncertainty, and no matter how much they try, they might make a decision that they regret. No amount of extra research is going to change that.
The message that needs another explanation
Nobody wants to be misunderstood, whether they’re smart or not smart. It’s even worse when you’re misunderstood by someone that you care about, and that’s probably why some people spend a lot of time trying to make sure they’re not misunderstood.
Smart people don’t do that, though. They understand that they can’t predict every possible interpretation that someone might have of their words, so they’ll stick to sending straightforward messages. No overexplanation, no paragraphs of reasoning. There’s none of that.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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