Would you rather befriend people who are smarter, not as smart or

[NJmaverick]

intellectually equal to you? Why?

[Bucky]

1. Interesting question. Apparently "none of the above" since I don't have any friends

But in the past, back when I did have friends, I don't think I really assessed how smart they were, and certainly not by how they compared to me. In practical terms, friends are based on how accepting they are, how much they share your sense of fun or sense of humor... or sense of social decorum. That might have some correlation to overall smartness, but it was never a deciding factor.

Mostly I'm looking for someone with the right balance of giving a damn vs not giving a damn.

[Schema Thing]

2. If their character is acceptable, then all things being equal...

... I'd always like friends who are intellectually my equal or my better.


I'm in Texas, and I'm having trouble finding friends whose character isn't marred by republicanism or conservatism. I'd like to find a way for that not to matter, but it just DOES for me.

[Tobin S.]

3. I'm friendly to everyone unless they give me a reason not to be.

That's just the way mom and dad made me.

[JonLP24]

4. Well since you said people rather then person

I go with a variety of all types. Rather then someone who really knows his/her shit in physics but rather someone knowledgeable on life I rather have that person in my group. Because so I know what to expect, learn from his/her mistakes that person encourages me to avoid, and to set me straight when I need it.

Intellectually me level from how I envision is probably someone I have a lot in common with so that seems like a best friend type.

Less then smart so that person can learn some things from me as well as learn things I didn't know from her/her. However, I have a different system in choosing friends the evaluating how smart they are compared to me.

[Pharlo]

5. Some of each.

Because, the fact is, depending on what the given subject may be at any point in time, someone is going to be 'smarter than me, not as smart, or equal'.

Nor, do I make friends based upon their educational level. The fact is, when you are in college, you tend to associate with people in college. When you work in a professional setting and network professionally, you tend to associate with your peers, etc. And, because you find yourself spending so much time with this group, many people tend to view them as their 'friends'.

Personally, I find my actual friends, not colleagues, tend to span the educational spectrum from high school drop out to Phd. And, I've found every one of them to be 'smarter, not as smart, or equal to' me intellectually depending upon the topic of conversation.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

6. It doesn't matter much to me.

I don't care if they're not as smart, as long as they're not hateful or purposefully ignorant and I don't care if they're smarter, as long as they're not snobby, arrogant, assholes.

[cwydro]

7. Doesn't matter, though I do enjoy intelligent friends.

Over the years I've learned, some of those who might not be as "smart" as others - are way ahead of me in common sense often as not.

Looking back at that sentence...:rofl:

[elocs]

8. I would rather not befriend anyone so it matters not to me. n/t

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. all of the above

[frogmarch]

10. Smarter or equal.

I already know too many republicanz.

[MrScorpio]

11. All the above, as long as they aren't fools...

For I don't suffer fools (of any intellectual capacity) gladly.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

12. I tend to lean toward befriending people who have just received pre-frontal lobotomies...

...because then I can try to get them to say "I'd rather have a free bottle in front of me than a pre-frontal lobotomy."

:eyes:

Since 99.9% of the people I know (and ever WILL know) are "not as smart" as me, I have to accept that if I want any friends at all. It's tough, listening to their incessant prattle, but they seem to enjoy it...so who am I to judge?

:rofl:

:sarcasm:

[applegrove]

13. I am smarter than some of my friends in some ways, dumber in others. The way it is for everyone.

I firmly believe there are over 1 hundred different kinds of smarts. We are all made up of all kinds of smarts and all kinds of foibles.