A study published in the journal *Intelligence* reveals that the ability to accurately assess someone else's intelligence is not random: it depends, in large part, on how intelligent the evaluator is. --- > *"Our findings underscore the importance of perceivers' cognitive and socio-emotional abilities in social evaluation, and support the idea that being a good judge of intelligence is linked to psychological adjustment."* > > — Christoph Heine and colleagues, study authors --- ## What the study found German researchers led by Christoph Heine investigated why some people can accurately identify a stranger's level of intelligence within minutes — while others get it systematically wrong. The answer they found is intuitive, but now solidly backed by data: **the best judges of intelligence tend to be, themselves, more intelligent.** The study involved **198 participants** (72% university students, average age 29), who watched **50 one-minute videos** showing people with different, previously verified levels of intelligence. The filmed tasks included reading a weather report aloud, describing a recent enjoyable experience, explaining the meaning of the word "symmetry," or taking part in a short roleplay. After each video, participants rated the person's intelligence on a five-point scale. The participants' own intelligence was measured using three cognitive tests — the same ones used to verify the intelligence of the people in the videos. --- ## Who gets it right — and why The study identified three profiles of "good judge": **1. The more intelligent** Participants who scored higher on cognitive tests were significantly more accurate in their assessments. They recognize intelligence because they understand it from the inside. **2. The better readers of emotion** Those who demonstrated a stronger ability to perceive emotions in others also judged intelligence more accurately — suggesting that sharp social reading is part of the process. **3. The more satisfied with life** Participants with higher subjective well-being tended to be more accurate evaluators. The researchers associate this with a general "psychological adjustment" — a kind of mental health that better calibrates how we see others. **The cues the best evaluators rely on:** clarity of articulation, and the actual content and vocabulary of speech — not appearance, physical confidence, or posture. --- ## What surprised the researchers Several popular hypotheses simply didn't hold up. **Gender made no difference**: contrary to expectations, women were not more accurate than men. **Empathy, openness to new experiences, and social curiosity** also failed to predict greater accuracy. This points to something significant: judging intelligence is not an emotional or empathic skill — it is, fundamentally, **a cognitive one**. --- > *Intelligence recognizes intelligence. But there's an uncomfortable implication: if you systematically underestimate the people around you, it may be worth asking what that says about your own frame of reference.* --- ## Limitations of the study The study itself urges caution in generalizing the findings. Most participants were university students — many of them psychology majors — which may have inflated accuracy, given their familiarity with relevant concepts. Additionally, watching short video clips may not reflect how we judge intelligence in real, dynamic social interactions. Results for the general population may differ. https://www.psypost.org/intelligent-people-are-better-judges-of-the-intelligence-of-others/

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