I am dumbing myself down even as I write this post. Right now. It's not easy, and my brain probably hates me for it but in the past few years of my life, dumbing myself down consciously has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I used to be more genuine in school. I would speak impeccable English, vocalise my ideas and thoughts using what lay people would call 'technical jargon' (even though it was just a higher form of English. That's it) and I would basically be a typical little smart kid who Obviously had a 150+ IQ.
It didn't make me a hit. Sure, I was popular. People would come to me for help all the time. I was great and yes, a couple of people even loved me. But I was putting off a whole load of other people.
Enter: Dumbing Down to get to their level.
I (think I) lost a lot of brain power by doing this. Earlier I could (because I was habituated to it) whip up statistics and quotes and even stock market prices straight off memory. I knew every flag and every country and every capital, along with the country's stock exchanges and their best tennis players. I knew way more than the average person and my brain was much faster too. But compared to the amount of peers and even unknown people I was alienating, the brain power was not that useful after all.
If your 'showing off' is causing others to distance themselves from you, what is the point of showing off? Showing off only makes sense when there is someone to show off to. Notice I put 'Showing off' in quotes? It's because more often than not, the ones who are 'showing off' don't even want to, or realise they are doing it. It's a term that the average other people think when they encounter someone like that. They're not necessarily trying to be better or dramatic, they just might be that way to begin with.
By curbing your innate desire to be yourself and throw your intelligence in people's faces (believe it or not but that is how they look at you.) everyone automatically becomes more receptive towards you.
