+25 Being socially smart is better than being book smart. amirite?

by Anonymous 6 months ago

If you don't have a charismatic personality you're doomed in so many situations.

by Last_Ad_8366 6 months ago

You don't even have to be a charismatic stallion, just being pleasant and kind will do a ton for you. Also just want to say- a lot of internal promotion is very rightly based on soft skills and communication. Usually the further along you get, the more your role involves being able to communicate with people and be able to handle multiple moving parts. Or you go the strategic route and it involves being able to understand a high volume of things at a 10 foot level and how those things technically fit together, and being able to advocate for priority and sort correct project sequencing.

by pfeffersusie 6 months ago

Agree with OPs general point but Hearing someone describe themselves as "socially smart" is a red flag for just being dumb on all fronts

by Anonymous 6 months ago

After I read you confused diffuse with defuse I got an idea where is your point of view stemming from.

by Bergehosea 6 months ago

How do you explain the current class of tech billionaire? Look at Larry Page, Zuck, Elon, etc.

by Different_Gap_8684 6 months ago

Those are exceptions who are billionaires because they created insane products, this is about the average person.

by No-Thing 6 months ago

Except for Zuck, I don't think other people fit the bill.

by False_Painting_2946 6 months ago

Not being able to pick up on social cues, having weird ticks, saying weird things in public, etc are the opposite of being socially smart, right? I look at being socially awkward at the opposite end of the spectrum of having high social IQ.

by Different_Gap_8684 6 months ago

They are not mutually exclusive.

by CrazySufficient3568 6 months ago

people trying to justify why they were dumb af in school

by aniyah57 6 months ago

I'd rather be book smart. It's done pretty well for me so far.

by Anonymous 6 months ago

I mean, from work experience, I'll take the person who can source all the info they need from SMEs and communicate it over the terrible communicating, but technically skilled, single point of contact. Also the person who is pleasant to work with over the technical master who's impossible to chat with. And that's not just personal chat- it usually bleeds into relevant work conversation as well.

by pfeffersusie 6 months ago

True, but social skills and connections will get you further than knowledge and work skills.

by Over_Issue2432 6 months ago

I mean, OP presented it as extremes. Usually that "unqualified promotion" is technical enough but showed way more ability to be resourceful, take initiative, and form strong professional connections. And not all professional connection is brown nosing- plenty of times it's recognizing you won't know 100% of everything and figuring out SMEs that you can work well with and help close those gaps.

by pfeffersusie 6 months ago

Depends on the job and field obviously, this isn't universal 🙄

by Material-Team2249 6 months ago

I'd say being approachable and effective at communication is pretty universally beneficial. What missed is that these are skills that can and need to be learned. Some may be more predisposed to it, but it usually can be learned outside of pretty extreme edge cases. Even if you're the most technically skilled person on earth, if you can't explain what you're doing and have zero emotional regulation, that's going to hurt a ton.

by pfeffersusie 6 months ago

Some higher skilled jobs rely on indepent work so being socially reclusive and doing your own thing works out. Or I can't imagine a med student who's got a great bubbly talkative personality but is terrible at their clinical work surviving the field. "Street" smarts can only take you so far when you need skills and knowledge. Learning independently and on your own, knowing how to use resources will be more beneficial that not knowing anything and just bumbling around people

by Material-Team2249 6 months ago

Social intelligence is much more versatile that book intelligence, most of us are some mix of the two anyways.

by Away_Marionberry_844 6 months ago

Yeah, that's the hard truth: all those people you were jealous of in high school? They consistently do better in life.

by CardiologistDue6963 6 months ago

Completely depend on the context and on the job. Sure you'll get a manager position faster but you won't get a chemist job or another good paying job without being "book smart" in the first place. So yeah, if you work in a shoe selling place you'll have more leverage if you're socially good but in general, actually learning and having knowledge will prove more useful when there is real stakes.

by Anonymous 6 months ago

Grass is greener

by Reillyarianna 6 months ago

Not an unpopular opinion, but an unpopular fact

by Anonymous 6 months ago

There's a lot of smooth talkers at the soup kitchen every day…

by gretamann 6 months ago

Book smarts are necessary, not sufficient. As an example, you are not getting an interview for an elite clerkship or an elite law firm without an elite law degree. But once you are in that interview, it is all about social aptitude

by Anonymous 6 months ago

No, charismatic people just have an easier life. It's not "better" for anyone except that person. In fact, their ineptitude usually makes life more difficult for everyone else around them.

by Anonymous 6 months ago

Many professions require charisma to some degree. If you show up to a tutoring/teaching position and are super uncomfortable in the interview that's bad. You have to speak in a group of 16-50 students how do you think you'll survive? If you wanna be a journalist and can't walk up to people for an interview you're doing it wrong. Even desk jobs require working with people. I'd agree that something like being a secretary might place that on a lower emphasis but you're still interacting with customers every day and need to put a good impression on the company.

by Anonymous 6 months ago

Better for the individual, yes, better for society? I don't think so

by Anonymous 6 months ago

"Would you rather be right, or happy?" The meaty part of the bell curve would prefer to be "right".

by Anonymous 6 months ago

Personal hygiene and being able to communicate are the two most important skills.

by maiya13 6 months ago

This just confirms the devaluation of intellectualism. It's cool to be socially connected, but the truth is that smart people come up with the solutions that afford the cool people a lot of leverage to be cool. Everything in Western culture values this idea. It's why Ivy League education has become the equivalent of driving a BMW over a Ford. Meaning it's a badge of image versus harnessing the value of better education. It's somewhat scary if you think about it.

by Adamore 6 months ago

In some cases, I'd agree. But when it comes to STEM? No thanks. Do you really want a doctor who is just "socially smart" to tend to your well being, instead of someone who is "book smart" and knows the intricacies of the human body?

by Old_Adhesiveness5575 6 months ago