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16 'smart' people who showed off their IQ and made fools of themselves

Bored Panda · Apr 17, 2026 16:10 · 4 min read

16 ‘Smart’ People Who Showed Off Their IQ And Made Fools Of Themselves

Don’t you just hate it when people start bragging about what geniuses they are when they're actually the complete opposite? There are those who think it’s OK to be an arrogant equus africanus asinus just because they know a bit of obscure trivia or have a niche hobby.

I'm, like, totally smarter than you are. [Adjusts glasses; laughs in geek]. My genius IQ is over 9,000, and I play 5D chess in my spare time. Mozart? Bach? Those are for amateurs. Me? I only listen to the music that planets make in our neighboring Andromeda Galaxy (it's 2.537 light-years away from Earth - bet you didn't know that). My favorite book is the Necronomicon. By the time I have breakfast every day, I've already come up with a hundred new fantastic ideas about how to improve the world, and my brain works at a 69.999% (recurring, of course) higher capacity than yours. I would've totally made a better protagonist than Yagami Light in Death Note. You wouldn't ever be able to comprehend my complex thoughts because, like, you're so beneath me, and I'm, like, super awesome. [Adjusts glasses again; uses inhaler]. Plebs.

Don't you just hate it when smart people start bragging about what high IQ they have when they're actually the complete opposite? There are those who think it's OK to be a show-off and an arrogant equus africanus asinus just because they know a bit of obscure trivia or have a niche hobby.

Bored Panda brings you this amazing compilation of the best memes about people with undeserved bragging rights and their sky-high IQ while coming off in the worst way possible. So put your smartass caps on, start scrolling and let us know which of these funny memes you loved best, and why. Upvote and share the smartest (pun not intended) ones!

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#1 You Tried, Breana....

#2 I Am More Faster Than Your Calculator

As a general rule of thumb, people tend to vastly overestimate their abilities and believe themselves to be exceptions to rules and tendencies. Right now you’re probably thinking how you’re way smarter than I am, and I’m thinking the exact same thing. We believe we’re special and have far more intricate inner-lives than others. That’s quite normal because we experience life only from our own perspectives, and we’re privy only to our own thoughts. Nonetheless, a shocking 65% of all Americans believe themselves to be of higher-than-average intelligence, according to this study. Wow! That’s a big number!

#3 How Was I Even Supposed To Respond To This?

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#4 I Guess He Just Doesn’t Like The Word

It’s easy to make fun of wannabe geniuses who shoot themselves in the foot with their comments, but real intelligence shouldn’t be made fun of. According to various studies, having a high IQ makes it more likely that you will be successful and rich and will live longer. Now, this doesn’t mean intelligence is the only factor that matters (and far from every scientist agrees with the conclusion about future success), but the importance of IQ shouldn’t be waved away, as though it means nothing.

#5 This Guy Plays Chess

#6 Wise Man

Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon developed the first IQ (intelligence quotient) test in 1904, after the French government demanded they find a way to differentiate between lazy children and those with mental handicaps. The so-called Simon-Binet test, which was a combination of logical reasoning, finding rhyming words and naming objects, quickly became popular in the West.

The test was then modified in 1916, and called the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. This became the standard IQ test used in the United States. Naturally, the test was revised and tweaked countless times, but it still remains popular to this day.

The IQ test didn’t make everyone happy, though. Psychologist David Wechsler thought the Stanford-Binet test was too limited, so in 1955 he created his own intelligence test: the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale or WAIS. In modern times we currently have the fourth incarnation of the test, known as WAIS-IV. Wechsler also made tests specifically for children and preschoolers.

#7 Forgot This Goldmine Courtesy Of My Best Friend

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#8 Looks Like He Can't Self-Diagnose Narcissism

Who’s the smartest person you know? Are you one of the rare people who don’t necessarily think they’re smarter than average? What do you think about IQ being an important predictor of success? Let us know in the comments!