2011-04-03, 04:09 PM
Here's the thing with overachieving. It's definitely socially acceptable so long as you're aware of its social implications. I'm friends with more brilliant overachievers than I care to count at the moment, but a lot of them are totally "fine" and "normal" in real life social settings because they know how and what to say in public. The problem with overachieving that makes it socially unacceptable is when it's all the overachiever knows how to do. For example, if the kid this thread is all about flaunts his vast intellect everywhere he goes, he would be seen as unbelievably annoying and would probably not make as many friends or be invited to as many social events as he would if he acted below his intelligence level to match that of his average peer.
Now that's not saying that's what he, or anyone with such intellectual capacity, wants in life; if such people could care less about the social settings they find themselves, and put their studies above everything else because, hey, that's what they want and that's who they are, then kudos, A+, go for it. But social gatherings always require a degree of awareness with regards to the people attending them, so as to know what's right to say and what's not. Don't like the social groups available? Find ones more fitting to you, ex. a group of nerdy braniacs if that's what you're looking for.
I feel I'm not saying this well at all, so I'll try and tl;dr it: if you want to live a stereotypically "popular, social" life, it's important to be aware of one's intellect when compared to the average at social gatherings, and absolutely imperative to be able to regulate such intellect when in such situations. You shouldn't always have to do this, because if you do you're probably not hanging out with people whom you'd consider very good friends. But there will always be times when one's thrust into situations, per se, "intellectually beneath them," and it's at times like that where it's of the utmost importance to not "look down" on others intellectually, because it's annoying and rude.
.....does that help at all Harrison? There are so many things to be said in a situation like this that it's hard to find the right phrasing, plus I have an ungodly amount of work to do, so I'm not exactly spending oodles of time perfecting my post - my apologies.
Now that's not saying that's what he, or anyone with such intellectual capacity, wants in life; if such people could care less about the social settings they find themselves, and put their studies above everything else because, hey, that's what they want and that's who they are, then kudos, A+, go for it. But social gatherings always require a degree of awareness with regards to the people attending them, so as to know what's right to say and what's not. Don't like the social groups available? Find ones more fitting to you, ex. a group of nerdy braniacs if that's what you're looking for.
I feel I'm not saying this well at all, so I'll try and tl;dr it: if you want to live a stereotypically "popular, social" life, it's important to be aware of one's intellect when compared to the average at social gatherings, and absolutely imperative to be able to regulate such intellect when in such situations. You shouldn't always have to do this, because if you do you're probably not hanging out with people whom you'd consider very good friends. But there will always be times when one's thrust into situations, per se, "intellectually beneath them," and it's at times like that where it's of the utmost importance to not "look down" on others intellectually, because it's annoying and rude.
.....does that help at all Harrison? There are so many things to be said in a situation like this that it's hard to find the right phrasing, plus I have an ungodly amount of work to do, so I'm not exactly spending oodles of time perfecting my post - my apologies.