It's not so much that they're shy... it's more that other people bore them
Remember the quiet kid in class? You probably thought he didn't speak much because he was painfully shy. But what if it was because he was so intelligent that everything his classmates said seemed tediously obvious to him?
One Quora user asked the question: 'Why are some very smart people so quiet?' and a number of people gave their opinions on the subject. We've used these to draw a series of conclusions to help us understand why clever people like to keep shtum. Just like that eerily quiet boy in your class.
1. The less you speak, the more you learn.
By speaking you turn your thoughts into words with the aim of making your interlocutors understand you, and through this interaction you can learn. However, you learn far more by listening, watching and analysing what's going on around you – in both the short and long term.
2. Debates and discussions are not usually that productive.
Depending on who is participating, and the subject under debate, a discussion can be tremendously confusing experience. Often, when a person doesn't take part it's because he or she knows they won't accomplish anything positive by doing so.
3. Most people are boring.
Trivial and tedious conversations might not be of much interest to very smart people, giving them little incentive to participate.
When people make no effort to take part in a debate it's because they know they'll accomplish little by doing so
4. Serenity as a sign of self-assurance.
Mildness and calmness are universally associated with self-assurance. If we could see the electrical activity in the brains of very intelligent people, we would rarely encounter great peaks and valleys. Such erratic ups and downs are too inefficient.
5. The more time you spend thinking, the better.
When faced with a problem, a calm and quiet mind usually generates better ideas to solve it. We all need time to make the right decisions, but smarter people usually make more efficient use of that time.
6. Talking can be a waste of time.
Some people would prefer not to waste their time explaining something that others won't understand: they'd rather keep it to themselves.
7. Silence can be a pleasure.
Some people can't stand silence: they might even find it extremely uncomfortable. Smart people often enjoy it however, as they don't need others to help them understand things.
8. Staying quiet helps you analyse.
To better understand our environment and the people around us it's often necessary to stay silent. This enables us to follow people's line of thought and digest the information carefully.
[Via Quora]
