25 Brilliant People Caught Doing Incredibly Dumb Things

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5 days ago

Without sounding cocky, I'd like to classify myself as a "smart person." Wouldn't we all? But as any fellow Ravenclaw can attest, being book-smart often comes with lapses in logic when it comes to street-smarts. And today, people are vocalizing those lapses.
Recently on Reddit, user dexicoma asked: "What's the stupidest thing the most intelligent person in your life believes?" and people replied with some truly mind-blowing (and hilarious) responses. Here's what people said:
"Programmer up at work will argue to his death that dinosaurs don't and never did exist."
"That he can only have boys because only his left testicle functions properly. I suppose it could be the right; I can't remember which one — I just know he thinks it's because one testicle produces boys and the other girls."
"My brother of all people believes that people that have AB blood type have either alien blood or blood from the people of Atlantis mixed with their ancestors. And if you have a positive blood type, you're 'pure.'"
"My sister has two college degrees and believes in the Hollow Earth Theory."
"My dad, who has two master's degrees and could've become a professor, believes that cows have horns because they need them to communicate with the cosmos."
"The smartest person I know genuinely believes they can function on three hours of sleep and just coffee, like they're some kind of enlightened goblin."
"My wife speaks three languages and has two master's degrees, in finance and business administration. She believes basketball makes you taller and has no idea about survivor bias, even when it's explained to her."
"I had a professor in the hard sciences that I did research with for years. One day, we were talking about something being installed in the building for 5G infrastructure, and I think I asked her a question about conspiracy theorists who were afraid of 5G. To my surprise, she told me that they (her, her husband, and their two kids) didn't have Wi-Fi at their house because the jury was still out about the effect of Wi-Fi frequencies on people, and they didn't want to subject their kids to that."
"I haven't spoken to them in years, but I played Dungeons and Dragons with a guy who was pretty close to graduating as a neurosurgeon. Listening to him rant about how masculine men only pee while standing was interesting."
"My wife is the smartest person I know, but she is constantly worrying about what I call mom-case scenarios. For example, she told me not to let our child walk down a street that was bordered by a wrought iron fence. Why? Because he might get impaled on the spear like points on top of the fence."
"A wonderful, kind person I know majored in physics at a big university and firmly believes the earth is 4,000 years old. Says it's a matter of faith and belief. He's so nice, I've never bugged him about it."
And similarly: "I work with a PhD who believes the Earth is only 6,000 years old. Her PhD is in astrophysics."
"My aunt has a doctorate in psychology, studied biology, owns a psychological books publishing company, used to work as a psychologist. She tells me wind turbines are powered externally just to keep turning, because they don't generate any power themselves."
"My uncle is an IT technician and computer expert, but also thinks pineapples grow on palm trees."
"My dad has a background in economics and an advanced degree. He believes that Kamala Harris having a five-year economic plan was 'the definition of communism.' Not that her plan was communistic...no. The very act of having a plan that lasted longer than one term in presidential office was communism."
"I have an acquaintance that thinks Channing Tatum is her online boyfriend."
"I had a roommate in college who was a straight-A student and taking a master's in physics. He thought the moon landing was fake."
"Okay. So when I'm relaxing at home I'm usually wearing a hoodie and shorts. Comfortable. Normal. Right? Well, my extremely brilliant and rational partner finds this combination so illogical that he can't not comment on it every time. He likes to point at me and say stuff like: 'You forgot part of the outfit.' Or: 'Cold arms, hot knees?' My love. My darling. It's literally normal. I don't know what your problem is."
"God, but not like in a 'there might be an omnipotent being in some capacity' way, but in a 'well, if I didn't believe there was a God, what is stopping me from going around and doing terrible things to people?' way. I just stared at him confused for awhile, and couldn't believe he was serious."
"My wife, a PhD, doesn't understand that thunder and lightning are part of the same phenomena."
"My wife is a very smart woman. I love her dearly. She does not understand many things related to whales. She reluctantly accepts that they are mammals because they breathe air and don't lay eggs, but that took some effort. She refuses to believe that dolphins are a type of whale. When I explained that they are more closely related to hippos than they are sharks, I think her brain exploded.
"Got a lift from a friend because it was raining and I didn't want to ride my motorbike. Noticed the windscreen kept fogging up and my friend would wipe it clear with a rag every few minutes. I asked why she doesn't use the de-mister, and she said because it only blows hot air. I told her to keep it running because it'll warm the window and stop condensation forming — that's how it worked. She tried it, and the window was crystal clear in a few minutes."
"Was arguing with a friend of mine in college — someone I thought was one of the brightest people I'd ever met. He gave me an example to back up his argument, and I realized he was in error and told him, 'That's just not true.' He said, 'Yes, it is. I saw it on TV.' My respect level dropped significantly at that point."
"My entire family is convinced that the cat litter boxes in schools rumour is true."
"My mom is high up in her profession and has multiple degrees. She says tilapia aren't fish because they don't have bones. Refuses to say what animal they could be instead..."
What's the stupidest thing you've seen a smart person do? Tell us in the comments below, or use this form to stay anonymous!