Psychologists from Germany decided to understand how exactly we form an opinion about strangers. Their work, published in the journal Intelligence, indicates that a high IQ does help us more accurately assess the mental abilities of others, but social-emotional skills also play a key role.
How the experiment was conducted
Nearly 200 people, mostly students around the age of 29, participated in the study. They were shown short videos of strangers performing simple tasks: reading texts, explaining basic concepts or sharing personal stories.
After watching the videos, the participants had to rate the intelligence of the people in the videos on a five-point scale. At the same time, the level of intelligence of the “heroes” of the videos was determined in advance using standardized tests. The same tests, as well as questionnaires on empathy and emotional perception, were taken by the observers themselves.
Who is better at “reading” people
The results were not uniform: some participants almost accurately guessed the level of intelligence of others, while others were regularly wrong.
It turned out that a higher IQ was indeed associated with greater accuracy. But equally important was the ability to recognize emotions. People who were better at recognizing the facial expressions, intonation, and general mood of their interlocutor were more likely to give more accurate characterizations.
Interestingly, participants who were satisfied with their lives also showed higher levels of accuracy. This may suggest a link between psychological well-being and the ability to adequately perceive others.
What our impressions are based on
The researchers found that accurate evaluations are rarely based on abstract feelings. In contrast, people who do well rely on concrete cues: clarity of speech, richness of vocabulary, and logicality of statements.
In other words, the brain quickly analyzes behavior and speech, collecting cues that form the basis for the overall impression.
Interestingly, qualities such as empathy, openness to new experiences or social curiosity did not show a significant impact on the accuracy of evaluations – although they are often considered important for understanding other people.
What it means
The authors emphasize: high intelligence alone does not make a person an expert at understanding others. It just increases the chances of making more accurate judgments – especially when combined with strong emotional perception.
Simply put, in order to better understand people, it is important not only to be a good thinker, but also to notice details – in speech, behavior and mood of the interlocutor.
