Most people want to look smart in front of others. Science reveals some weird things that can actually make you appear more intelligent.

Everybody tries to look smart and seem like the perfect conversationalist who can discuss anything under the sun.

No one knows everything. But what if someone told you that a few simple hacks could help you disguise this reality? According to various scientific studies, the below things can make you seem more intelligent, no matter how weird they sound.

10 Weird Things That Make You Look Smart, According to Science

1. Wearing Glasses

First of all, wearing glasses makes you seem more intelligent. That’s because people who wear them usually are, according to the Gutenberg Health Study. Researchers tested people of different levels of education. They found that myopia increased with a person’s education.

One theory is that those who wear glasses turn to their books because they can’t take part in too many outdoor activities. Of course, that’s not true of all spectacle-wearers. It’s more likely that people who wear them spend time reading and increase their intelligence, which, therefore, makes them look smart.

2. Use Your Initials

Most people have middle names with a nice ring to them. Use yours to its fullest potential if you want to look smart.

A study found that middle initials led to high evaluations of a writer’si performance. It could explain the love of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter.

3. Don’t have alcoholic drinks around.

Another way to look smart is to avoid having the beer or other spirits around you. Everyone knows that too much of them will bring out irrational behavior. It might explain why some people associate them with a lack of intelligence.

Researchers who conducted a 2013 study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology called it the ‘imbibing idiot bias.’

4. Don’t use big words

Also, don’t use big words with too many syllables. You may think that saying ‘idiosyncratic’ sounds better than ‘odd,’ but too many polysyllabic words may make you seem silly, not smart.

A 2005 study published in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology showed that essays which used big words seemed less intelligent than those that used simpler yet eloquent ones.

5. Ask smart questions

Telling everyone what you know isn’t smart. Rather, it makes you sound like a show-off.

If you ask intelligent questions, you’ll appear smart. The Harvard Business School found that people saw those who sought advice as more capable that those who didn’t.

6. Look People In The Eye

Also, showing people that you’re interested in what you’re saying is a way to seem smart. This study shows that looking at a person while he or she speaks makes an impression of intelligence.

7. Dress Well

There’s a good reason for power dressing. Putting on something more fashionable makes you look smart. Make sure that you look chic, and cover your assets.

A set of experiments conducted by the Maryland and Yale Universities showed that people seemed less smart when they flaunted their sexuality. Ladies should rein in their cleavage at work, while men shouldn’t put on pants that are too tight.

8. Watch your posture

Also, the way you stand and sit is important when communicating intelligence. It doesn’t matter if you’re small sized. Stand straight, tall and look the person you’re speaking to in the eye. According to the Ohio State University, posture has an impact on how powerful people think you are.

9. Practice Good Dental Hygiene

One more way to look smart is to have good dental hygiene. A bright smile and straight teeth make you seem smart, according to this survey. 38% of its respondents viewed people with straight teeth as smarter than those with crooked ones.

10. Don’t use vulgar language

Finally, stay clear of profanity. A Career Builder survey shows that 54% of employers thought that employees who used swear words appeared less intelligent than their colleagues.

Swear words give the impression that you find it difficult to express yourself. Paradoxically, another study found that people who use swear words actually have stronger verbal skills.

As you see from the above, it doesn’t take much effort to look smart. However, being genuinely smart is a completely different story.


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This Post Has One Comment

  1. emma perry

    also don’t use the social linguistic street talk term “you guys”. if anything will make you look like an air head is using “you guys” when you don’t need to gender qualify. remember socuial linguistics are never positive toward women! and do we really want to relate to people at an eight year old level? speak to a person’s intelligence without the term “guys”….peace

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