“Crankiness” May Be A Sign Of Intelligence | LifeTwo — Oh brother. Even I have trouble with this one. That said, I do know older people who are genuinely too nice. And indeed, most of them are out-and-out idiots.

New research has come out correlating a “disagreeable attitude” with “increased intelligence.” More specifically, older people with above-average intelligence tend to be more disagreeable than those of lesser intelligence. Interestingly, when above-average intelligent people are younger, they tend to be more likely to be open to new situations, rather than being disagreeable. Something happens in the middle where these young open minds become far less agreeable.

According to co-author Jacqueline Bichsel, an associate professor of psychology at Morgan State University, in Baltimore, “…when we get older — and this hasn’t been found before — it appears that openness to experience is no longer as important, and what is important is a disagreeable nature.”

found by Barton McKinley



  1. Gasbag says:

    God they find out the truth that lifesux I should know i am one of they

  2. Miguel says:

    Disagreeable attitude = Asperger’s? That would explain the apparent above average intelligence, which basically is assholeness…

  3. Miguel says:

    Not talking about you, John 😀

  4. Peter Rodwell says:

    Bah, humbug!

  5. Max Bell says:

    “… people who are genuinely too nice. And indeed, most of them are out-and-out idiots.”

    According to Webster’s.com —
    Nice
    Etymology: Middle English, foolish, wanton, from Anglo-French, silly, simple, from Latin nescius ignorant, from nescire not to know.

  6. Cursor_ says:

    This is a bunch of hooey!

    At age 3 I was reading the newspaper, at age 4 figured out what the stick exchange page was talking about with all their fractions and percentages, and by age 6 was so curmudgeonly that teachers often referred to me by Mr. and surname. I was born old.

    So by this study it means when I hit 65 I will be an idiot solely based that as a young boy I was cranky???

    Please! I know a lot of seniors that are nice as anything but really smart, many are ex-teachers and clergy and so that MAY have some bearing on it.

    What it really gets down to is that if you are cranky, it means you are not satisfied with the soup du jour, you desire the best of anything and everyone. You have the attitude that they could do it better. Businesses call that ‘Striving for Excellence”, cranks call it NO DUH!

    Look if you are not trying to better yourself, then please exit the gene pool and don’t breed. We need no more fools, dolts and morons!

    That’s a stance I’ve had since 9 years old. And its still my stance over 30 years later!

    Cursor_

  7. rctaylor says:

    You just get weary of swimming against the current of mediocrity.

  8. Juan Cardona says:

    If I could choose between been cranky and intelligent in my old age, and being wise (presuming it’s not being cranky), I’d always choose being wise.

  9. The Muppet says:

    This was in an old TWiT

  10. moss says:

    Probably where everyone originally found this:

    http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=6565

  11. Lauren the Ghoti says:

    You have brains, you get older, you hone your sense of discrimination, you grow weary of the endless stream of mediocrity, stupidity and conformity that you’re subjected to.

    But if you’ll truly intelligent, you also accept it as an inescapable part of the greater sceme of things. After all, most of humanity is always going to be – well, duh! – mediocre. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to join them.

  12. Improbus says:

    Being intelligent you grow up thinking you can change the world. Then you find out that the world is run by idiots for idiots. It is no wonder that an intelligent person is cranky. We cranks need to find way off this rock and leave the morons to it.

  13. Damp says:

    GET OFF MY LAWN!! Damned kids…

  14. TJGeezer says:

    SHUT UP

    I’m trying to take a nap.

  15. Lauren the Ghoti says:

    CORRECTION:

    In my last
    “That doesn’t mean you don’t have to join them.”

    should read
    “That doesn’t mean you have to join them.”

    Oops. Too late. Looks like I already did.
    Now I suppose I hafta go buy a PC… 🙂

  16. osmodious says:

    By this reasoning, I am the smartest man on the planet.

  17. Roc Rizzo says:

    Feh!
    Gee, no wonder I am so cranky!
    And I thought it was just because I read, and can comprehend what I read!

  18. The topic needed a revisit apparently since I forgot about Ed’s post. So what!?

  19. James Hill says:

    My Nana crocheted me a Mr. Cranky when I was little.

    (For those of you not in the know, Mr. Cranky is who is pictured in the post…)

  20. tallwookie says:

    This story is a complete aberration – look at the most popular news stories today section – lol, every signel one is also “mid life crisis” (ala: http://pages.citebite.com/y1f2f5y4u2mkl ).

    Perhaps those pissed off enstein’s are also having mid-life crisis’s – what does that say about their intelligence?

  21. Earp says:

    There are millions of reasons I don’t carry a gun. The readers and posters of this forum, even though I don’t agree with all of them, are NOT part of those reasons.

    Some CEOs and politicians might be…

  22. Mr. Fusion says:

    #24, I can relate. The coroner is probably happy that I don’t carry a gun.


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