Psychology: 6 totally stupid things that even smart people do over and over again

psychology
6 stupid things that even the brightest people do over and over again

As once said a great philosopher of modern times: “He is stupid who does stupid.” Of course, we are far from doubting this wisdom. Especially since we know: In fact, the philosopher named Forrest, Forrest Gump, parroted his mother and, as is well known, mothers never go wrong. However, we would like to add the addition: “Even prudence does not protect against stupid deeds.” And there is plenty of empirical evidence for that …

6 stupid things that even smart people do over and over again

Procrastinate

We know that our to-dos don’t take care of themselves. We know that the longer we put them off in front of us, the more they stress and the more lifetimes they ultimately spoil for us. So we know: procrastinating is rather stupid. But even clever people get carried away from time to time, and it often takes them more strength and effort to “just do” something and work away than people who may not have so many thoughts in the way.

Engage in toxic relationships

People who don’t do us good and just waste energy without giving anything back to keep in our lives is primarily self-destructive and stupid. Nevertheless, even (some people even claim, especially) smart people get involved with toxic people again and again and find it difficult to get rid of them. Do they love the challenge? Or have made a conscious decision never to give up their hope or their belief in people? One does not know.

Multitasking

It is known to almost everyone and scientifically proven that multi-tasking stresses us out, degrades our performance and is one of the stupidest things we can do. Even so, even smart people cheerfully answer calls while they work, receive messages, raise their children while filing their tax returns. They are clearly reacting to the demands of our time and only giving in to general, external pressure. But that doesn’t make it any less stupid.

Hold on to useless ballast

Whether habits, thoughts or things – if they are of no use to us, it is soberly stupid to hold on to them and give them space in our lives. Nevertheless, even smart people usually have old clothes in their closets that they never wear, have quirks or habits that they have long recognized as toxic, and think about things that do not help them any further. Many smart people live in disorderly to chaotic conditions, both mentally and materially. And since chaos and disorder basically eat up a lot of time and energy, they are undoubtedly acting stupidly.

lying

In retrospect, lying mostly turns out to be a stupid decision. Not only do they usually cause a guilty conscience, they often also make life complicated and dangerous: you have to remember who you have told what, be careful not to contradict yourself, act so as not to arouse suspicion, and nevertheless you can be blown at any time. In many cases, it would be easier and more energy-efficient to be honest. But just like almost all people, smart people lie cheerfully through life without much doubting their sanity. They don’t have to either, because there’s nothing wrong with it – it just doesn’t protect you from stupid actions.

Let yourself be unsettled by people who don’t know any better than you do

No matter how smart people are – when someone stands in front of them and says: “It’s like this, I know that one hundred percent, I read it in the newspaper”, most will believe it or at least doubt what they originally thought . Actually, it is stupid to trust others more than yourself, after all, we usually don’t know their intentions or all of their backgrounds (and we already know our own). But many clever people have internalized the Socrates idea “I know that I know nothing” so deeply that they can easily become unsettled and made to doubt themselves. Again and again.

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