by Marcus Bentley Wise

Created on: January 22, 2010   Last Updated: January 23, 2010

This is all about judging a book by its cover or at least a person by how they appear. To make someone thing that you are smart is not a thing that I would recommend as it will not take to long before you are found out but I am always amazed at the assumption that people make just on the first few meting with me.

I am English and I do not have what I would consider a regional accent. You could say that it is a southern themes estuary accent. Not upper class but not easy to pin down. The second as I work in an office I tend to wear a shirt and tie, woollen jumper and trousers. I look like a teacher, or like teachers used to look like when I was at school. And from this people always assume that I must be a clever person, but they would be wrong. In fact apart from the odd work biased qualification I have non formal education to speak of. I never sat my exams at school and never went to collage or university. But people always think that I am upper class and well educated.

Why would any one assume that based on just the way we look that I would be clever or have country estate. It is madness, or is it.

As we grow and develop in the world from the age of children we start to meet people all the time in our daily lives. We all as people have to deal with all the varying information and groups of people in a way that we can cope with. So we learn to stereo type people. Now I know that we are always told that to stereo type people is a bad thing but we have to do it. With out carrying that mental picture of a person in your mind you would not be able to image what people are like. It is a form of generalising that helps us cope with the world around us. Also it is not a bad thing unless you do not change the stereo type that you have when you meat an acceptation to the rule. A sort of mental upgrade every time your stereo type you have set in your mind as been proven wrong and you have to up date it.

Another reason why a stereo type is an image that we all can deal with is that in certain social grouping you will find the people we all start to act the same. Stick two people in a room and you will find that you will start to mirror the body language of the other. If a group of people work in the same place then they will start to copy each other and act the same when in the company of that group. It’s a basic human condition that is well document.    

So if you want people to think you are smarter than you are thing to your self how would a smart person look talk and be. Then try and emulate that behaviour. You will be surprised at how simple it is to get people to think differently of you by just acting and dressing differently. You could consider it like putting on a uniform and being respect for that.

Of course it is never a good thing trying to be some thing you are not as you will be found out eventually and that is embarrassing. So maybe if you want people to think you are smart then read some books go to some museums and even take up a night class.

Being smart will always be better than making people think you , no matter how you might look or sound like . 

Learn more about this author, Marcus Bentley Wise.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.