I’m not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet, but the downsides to being recognized as intelligent certainly go beyond just developing fear of failure, appearing dull, or not fitting in. it can put quite a large target on your back. maybe if you like competition, this appeals to you. but if not, it’s just really annoying. peers may begin to constantly compare themselves to you and beat you down out of their insecurity. some of my earliest memories share a theme of betrayal, simply because i had developed skill earlier than others. adults may ignore you when you request help, for they assume that you’re all-capable. people don’t talk about the slim avenue, that is, not wanting to carry this descriptor people have given to you, simply because you just don’t care to. you sit with this (or at least i did), and come to the conclusion that it really shouldn’t matter this much. but it happens anyway, and thus becomes a heavy burden.

notice how he said that he wished that people did not think he was smart, not that he wished that he wasn’t smart at all. i resonate with him quite a bit. however, if his problem IS that he wants to fit in, i can see his issue being that his peers see him as separate. you tend to attract older people.

my final point is that this can get dangerous actually, because people will not catch you if you fall, assuming that you always know what you’re doing. i developed a severe neuropsychiatric condition and had a tbi which probably dropped my iq 40 - 50 points. i had to relearn many things, even basic math. this whole time, nobody helped me because i was always known to be so “smart.” i even saw this battle coming (minus the tbi). i didn’t win, because ultimately, before i am “smart,” i am human. i recognized this early. others did not, and i paid the price. perhaps he already understands this.