Have you ever dated someone smarter than you? What is it like?

It was weird. She was a college professor. She was humble about it. Had dated lots of other girls that probably thought they were smarter than me, but weren't.

Can't say I've met many people smarter than me let alone dated one.

Yes, I dated a straight A student, and also had very gaudy test scores (ACT, etc). She was also very well read. She didn't really act any different than anybody else, but you could tell that she saw things a little different than most. Her vocabulary was really high, and she would unknowingly use words that I didn't know what they meant. I broke up with her because we were different types of people, neither was better or worse, just different. Also, she couldn't throw, like you couldn't go play catch, play frisbee, shoot baskets or anything athletic.

If you have a chance to date a genius or anything close, do it. Just make sure you're the same type of people.

No notable difference emotionally or socially from any other dating experience.

The one thing I did notice was the freedom of not editing remarks or limiting choice of discussion topics because your partner might not "get it".

Roughly 90% the women I've been emotionally involved with were as smart or smarter.

I also tend to date women who are taller than average and more attractive than average. I've never found being involved with a beautiful, smart or tall women to be intimidating. Or even one who is all three of those attributes and makes more money than I do.

comicbookguytherealone wrote:

It was weird. She was a college professor. She was humble about it. Had dated lots of other girls that probably thought they were smarter than me, but weren't.

Humble about being a college professor? That's actually a good reason to be humble.

I am way smarter than my wife.

I mean, look at who each of us married. It is pretty obvious.

My wife has a PhD in electrical engineering from MIT. We met through running and I remember our first run together thinking "This might be the smartest person I've ever met." So naturally, I married her.

John utah wrote:

comicbookguytherealone wrote:

It was weird. She was a college professor. She was humble about it. Had dated lots of other girls that probably thought they were smarter than me, but weren't.

Humble about being a college professor? That's actually a good reason to be humble.

Why? Almost all the professors I know are extraordinarily smart, hard working, accomplished, true experts in their fields, and genuinely love their jobs. Seems to me they have a lot to brag about.

John Utah just posts straight garbage all day is all.

I like smart people wrote:

John utah wrote:

Humble about being a college professor? That's actually a good reason to be humble.

Why? Almost all the professors I know are extraordinarily smart, hard working, accomplished, true experts in their fields, and genuinely love their jobs. Seems to me they have a lot to brag about.

No I haven't.

I have a borderline genius and have a near photographic memory. I also spent most of my early and mid 20s reading large heady books for fun. I have dated many girls who viewed themselves as intelligent but were never really on the same tier as me, let alone equal or smarter. It always strained the relationship and contributed to its demise. The problem is that many of these girls had always been the teacher's pet, "the smart one," and their identify was wrapped up in their intelligence and their scholastic achievement. Then they met me and realized that I was so far beyond them they could never understand what it's like to be me or think like me or how I'm able to do what I can do. It makes them feel dumb and challenges their entire world view and their identity, and this causes them to hate me. I try to hide my intelligence and my interests, but it always seeps out over time, and the relationship fails.

I did, however, once date a girl who was significantly smarter than me in some areas, and it was a very strange experience for me. For the first time in my life I got to feel the same feeling that all of my exes had felt. It didn't make me hate her at all though, at least partially because I was still smarter than her in some areas, but mostly simply because I was just genuinely impressed by her. The relationship still failed though for other reasons...

With perspective, I'm not sure what level of intelligence I'd really prefer. I dated a girl for a short period about a year ago who wasn't an idiot but who hadn't even made it through college either who I felt extremely happy with. That ended for various reasons that were kind of out of our control.

C'mon dude, your first sentence made no sense. So much for being so freaking smart.

Seriously mate? wrote:

Can't say I've met many people smarter than me let alone dated one.

Have you dated people less intelligent than you?

Have you dated anyone?

(questions respectfully submitted of course)

no. because im not gay

anonymous guy wrote:

With perspective, I'm not sure what level of intelligence I'd really prefer. I dated a girl for a short period about a year ago who wasn't an idiot but who hadn't even made it through college either who I felt extremely happy with.

Going to college, not going to college, or not yet making it through college has nothing to do with someone's level of intelligence or smarts. Going to college is a goal, a means to a goal, or the result of peer pressure from friends and family.

One. I'm not counting my wife, who certainly is on my level. She's smarter in some things; I'm smarter in others. I'm probably the first guy she met who had a (marginally) higher SAT than she did--and we both come from a time when that was seen as a proxy for "smarts."

No, the woman I'm thinking of was both brilliant--eventually the first female tenured physics prof at her Ivy--and completely down to earth. It was a tremendously attractive combination and I loved her dearly.

We met when she was a 22-year-old senior. I was 23 and had DNFed my first grad program after a couple of years. After graduation, she had to leave to go to grad school; I had commitments and had to stay. We got in touch once or twice thereafter, but strictly to say hi.

She was the first woman with whom I could simply be myself. I still cherish her memory. Sad to say, she died young.

My strengths are skills more typically associated with being smart like math and sciences so women often feel like i am way smarter than them but i have some very weak areas as well its just easier to hide those i guess. Ive never felt like any of the girls i dated were smarter than me though.

Elitist much?

[quote]LATABOM wrote:

very gaudy test scores (ACT, etc). /quote]

See here's why I love the internet. I have no idea if you actually misused 'gaudy' because you're dumb, or if you intentionally misused 'gaudy' to pretend to be dumb for ironic humor.

Delightful.