People Share Why They've Had To Pretend To Be Dumber Than They Are

It’s pretty common for people to pretend to be smarter than they are, like when they’re trying to get a job or a date. And most of us have done the old “fake it until you make it” when we needed to, but a new Reddit thread has people sharing when they thought it was smarter to play dumb instead.

It asks, “Have you ever pretended to be stupid or not as smart as you are? Why?” The responses reveal vastly different situations people played down their intelligence and these are some of the best.

  • “Yes. When I was in jail. Guys in jail REALLY don't like when you use words they don't understand in conversation.”
  • “I’m a female living in Japan now for a few years. I have to act mildly dumb in front of men despite being more capable with my computer science degree from one of the best colleges in America. They will always be right. It’s kind of degrading.”
  • “Yes every time I play someone new in a board game that I'm good at”
  • “I do this with my children constantly. I ask them what they learned about in school and act like they are teaching me about the water cycle (or whatever) for the first time and they are so smart and it's the most fascinating thing I have ever learned and aren't they lucky they get to go to school to learn about stuff like that”
  • “I occasionally do this when entering a new job role, or as part of an existing job role so that I don't get given additional work. You won't get asked to help code a website if you seemingly don't know how a keyboard works.”
  • “I grew up in my dad's garage and helped him work on cars - everything from oil changes to collision work. There isn't much about auto mechanics I don't have at least a proficiency in. When I was a cute blonde college co-ed (a thousand miles away from my dad's garage and no way to do it myself) one of my favorite things to do was play dumb whenever my car needed work. Just to see who would try to scam me, and how badly.”
  • “Very often. It's always useful (and funny) to have people underestimate you. Most people tend to show their true colors way faster when they think you're not as bright as they are or can easily be manipulated.”
  • “I avoid telling anyone that I have a PhD because a lot of people seem to be intimidated by that or think I’m some crazy smart genius when I'm really not - I just spent five years being very poor to study something that interested me.”
  • “If someone has a racist or f-ed up world view I act dumb to make them explain it out loud so they can hear how bigoted they are 9/10 they get frustrated and leave”

Source: Reddit

Photo: Getty Images


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