1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Science,Beliefs or Friends?

Discussion in 'General Support and Advice' started by charmander, Jul 3, 2013.

  1. charmander

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2013
    Messages:
    113
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Scotland
    Hello Guys! I've been in a pickle lately and what better people to help then my fellow EC Dwellers!


    So My Situation goes something like this:
    I've Been spending a lot of my time studying but I tend to study things that other people wouldn't give two about at my age Such as/ Quantum Mechanics, Japanese and physics etc
    So when my friends bring up these subjects and I tend to know more than all of them combined...Of Course They Don't like this...So they get annoyed and begin judging me.
    We were talking about Quantum physics and my friend said something about super conductors and magnets (You may know what I'm Getting at ((Meisner effect)) and my friend was Like
    "If you do this...You'll get ""Quantum Levitation"" and I said ""Actually it's nothing of the sort...those atoms are simply failing to fall..." Oh...He Was Not Impressed...

    Our friendship is slowly falling apart because of these little events...I Can't help being a frikkin smart ass

    Anyone Got Any Advice?
     
  2. BudderMC

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2010
    Messages:
    3,148
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Well, nobody likes a smart ass, except for the smart ass themself (this coming from a self-proclaimed smart ass :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:).

    If you're encouraged to make smart ass comments when people say incorrect things about a subject you like to talk about... then don't bring up the subject! Sounds simple, right? Think about it: if they don't enjoy the subject much, they aren't going to voluntarily bring it up much. So if you can avoid the topic too, then you should have smooth sailing.

    You'll learn eventually that not all of your friends in life have to have all the same interests as you, and that's fine. That's what gets you a diverse group of friends! For example, I've got a couple of girl friends I met in my first year of university that I'm friends with because we like to chat (primarily about boys). I don't like to be chatty often, but when I do it's fun to hang with them. On the other hand, most of my housemates are really into nerdy things (science, video games, etc.), which I also happen to love.

    Don't stress out too much about it. And remember, they aren't mutually exclusive options - you can like science and have friends :slight_smile:
     
  3. greatwhale

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2013
    Messages:
    6,582
    Likes Received:
    413
    Location:
    Montreal
    Gender:
    Male
    Gender Pronoun:
    He
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    I'm with Budder on this, no one likes to be corrected, even if they protest that they are open to correction or "helpful hints" they really aren't. You're taking direct aim at their egos and that is a delicate thing.

    It took me years to learn this lesson: if it's safe to let him be wrong, and it's no big deal, let him be wrong...it's a mark of kindness to take his feelings as seriously as you take science.
     
  4. charmander

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2013
    Messages:
    113
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Scotland
    Sorry I Forgot to add that I Only Correct my Friends When they try to make look dumb with their "Fancy Experiments" And It ends out back firing...
     
  5. BudderMC

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2010
    Messages:
    3,148
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    So basically, you're both trying to 1-up each other. Just because someone does it to you doesn't justify doing it to them; you know, "two wrongs don't make a right".

    Unfortunately, we're unable to control other people's actions. We can control our own. So do what's within your power to avoid the topic. If they insist on bringing it up, you can always kindly explain to them "look, I'm trying not to talk about this science stuff because I don't like feeling stupid and I don't like making you feel stupid either, so if you could drop it I think that's best".
     
  6. Argentwing

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2012
    Messages:
    6,696
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    New England
    Gender:
    Male
    Gender Pronoun:
    He
    Sexual Orientation:
    Bisexual
    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    You are thirteen and interested in quantum physics? Awesome. :grin:

    I was the same way at your age, though. Maybe not to that degree (I still only know enough about quantum mechanics to know it's really weird) but people are intimidated and turned off by lots of knowledge. But you can't let it discourage you. Sooner than you'd expect, you're going to have to know enough of a subject to get paid for it. If you can communicate with the Japanese scientific community, you have a good chance of making a fantastic career out of that, all while your info-deprived friends are having to work even harder at learning all of what you knew in the first place.

    As a closing note: You could try not showing off that extra know-how until it's relevant for the sake of being friends. But remember that anybody can know something, but people who know everything about something are respected for it.
     
    #6 Argentwing, Jul 4, 2013
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2013
  7. Zaio

    Zaio Guest

    As budder says, nobody likes to be corrected. I've struggled with this for years because I'm the type of guy that knows so many random things about random subjects, just because I wonder how/why certain things occur then do research on it, and because I'm interested in it, it sticks in my memory. Then when random subjects occur I know pretty much everything about it and correct people, which does not make them happy.

    What I do now, is just let them believe what they want to believe unless they ask for my input, this way nobody gets pissed off, I don't correct unless they give me an opening to correct them basically. If you keep correcting people in an annoying way, eventually you'll become the annoying boring guy who harshens people's buzz... I learned that the hard way.

    The simple fact is, people just don't care and like to sound smart themselves even if they're idiots and know nothing about what they claim to have knowledge on.

    All the best.
     
  8. burg

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2012
    Messages:
    432
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    wellington nz
    hate to be a freaky but i love being corrected.
    if you love a topic and hear a fallacy on it chances are you are going say your view and in my mind that's great thing. but try to think what going on on in there head its not you being a smart ass that upsets people its the challenge to there own ego. debating with people and it not getting heated is all about set up. if you feel a debate has a chance of getting heated. put some effort into the set up. defend there ego for them by starting the correction with words like "i know your real smart "if they do say say something smart tell them that's clever. openly recognise any bias you might have on a topic. and avoid using terms like "you are wrong" or "that's stupid"
     
  9. resu

    Advisor Full Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2013
    Messages:
    4,968
    Likes Received:
    395
    Location:
    Oklahoma City
    Gender:
    Male
    Gender Pronoun:
    He
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    Out Status:
    Some people
    I was interested in those things like you, but I soon realized that it is pointless correcting people when their assumptions are harmless or the correction is nitpicky. However, personally in my head I always do fact-checking and come to conclusions through my own logic.