5 tricks to look smarter than others (even if you’re not)

Some people are simply more intelligent than others. For some reason, others just seem to be. And that may come down to the unconscious perception we have of them.

In a previous article we gave some tips for becoming a more intelligent person (for real). This time, we’re going to look at a few science-backed tricks that can make people see us as more intelligent even if we aren’t. Or maybe we are, who knows.

1. Drinking

People tend to do pretty stupid things after drinking. But even before they start doing stupid things, according to a study by the universities of Michigan and Pennsylvania, simply holding an alcoholic drink in your hand makes you look less intelligent than someone who isn’t holding one.

In one experiment, managers rejected candidates who ordered alcoholic drinks with their meal and favoured those who ordered soft drinks. Likewise, one way to ruin your chances of being hired by an HR recruiter who checks candidates’ social media is to appear in lots of photos with beers and glasses in your hands.

It isn’t true that, in an interviewer’s eyes, what you do in your free time has nothing to do with your professionalism, because your professionalism depends on your personality, and what you do in your free time says a lot about your personality.

2. Glasses

Research suggests that people who wear glasses may look less attractive, but also more intelligent.

So if at some point you want to add a few points of perceived intellect, a pair of glasses will help you look the part, even if you don’t need them.

3. Speech

People who speak in a monotone soon lose the listener’s full attention and interest in what they’re saying, and can even become boring. That doesn’t necessarily mean the person isn’t intelligent; they simply lack a gift for public speaking.

If, on the other hand, someone varies their delivery, speaking quickly, changing the tone of their words and varying the volume, they will come across as more energetic, efficient and intelligent, according to Leonard Mlodinow, author of Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior.

4. Clothes

The clothes we wear shape the perceptions other people have of us. According to the Northwestern study, the clothes we wear have power not only over others but over ourselves, to the point that when people were dressed as certain professionals, they tended to perform better on some mental tests.

As for the power clothes have over us, a con artist usually dresses well. And if he wears a white coat or a police uniform, he’ll have earned an extra vote of confidence in the mind of the person he’s trying to swindle.

5. Knowledge

We might think that someone who shows more knowledge on different subjects would come across as more competent than others, but the truth is that the person who shows off the most knowledge is very often seen as arrogant.

That’s why several psychologists studied the “Dunning-Kruger effect” in 1999, which held that the least competent people overestimate their ability, while the most competent underestimate theirs.

In other words, if you’re trying to impress someone, it may be a better idea to come across as humble than to seem to know too much.

See also: What books to read to become smarter and make better decisions

Featured image: William T. Howell Allchin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.