Fake It Smart: Tricks That Make You Look Brilliant

Think someone’s a genius? Maybe they just look the part. From calm-in-a-crisis cool to throwing around foreign phrases and fake opera outings, the After Party crew dives into the subtle (and sometimes silly) things that make people seem smarter than they are. Glasses on, posture up — let's go.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Get your hand us together and we're going to start
to party.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Start.

Speaker 3 (00:05):
I'm ready to party. See Elvis Duran after party. Yeah,
party podcast. Danielle's here, there's Scottie Bean, There's Nate, there's Gandhi,
there's a Garrett and they're scary. This is an interesting list.

(00:25):
We were talking about not too and Ago Gandhi. I
thought this would be great for the podcast. Tell everyone
the list and let's just do it. Let's attack it.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Okay, So it's a list of things behaviors that you
can do that make you appear smarter than you actually are,
little tricks to kind of, you know, fake people out.
Oh that person must be so intelligent. But then I
thought we could also talk about things we think make
people look smarter than they are.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
Okay, words that aren't used a lot.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Okay, that was one of them. It was maybe learning
a few words in a different language that also have
meaning in this in whatever little language you actually speak,
because that makes you look like you're so cultured and
well versed.

Speaker 3 (01:04):
It's amazing and international.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
Yes, look at you, you're so well traveled. That was
definitely one of them. Apparently, and this I think this
will work on me learning keyboard shortcuts to do things
much quicker than if you, you know, if you're trying
to copy paste, actually learning what the copy paste shortcut
would be. They're saying, that's incredible. If you know the
rules of chess, you may trick people thinking that you're
a genius.

Speaker 3 (01:28):
A chess player. I know how to play chess. You know,
it's not like I'm sitting down in the park challenging people.
I would love to see I would love to see
that as well. I'd get schooled so fast.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
I think this is a this is a really good one,
and I think that I'm not sure how everyone in
this room would fare. But it says, speaking calmly while
there's an emergency happening and everybody else is freaking out
makes you look like the smart, powerful one in the room.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
That makes sense.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
Yeah, it's funny you mentioned that. I have a few
friends who were talking about this same exact topic. They
are typically very over the top and expressive, and they
use their arms and flail when they want to get
a point across. But if something's on fire, if there's
something that needs focus and a savior, they calm down.

(02:15):
They naturally just calm down. Yeah, they speak slower. They
get people to listen to their words because they leave
gaps between them. See, I never do that. I go crazy. No.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
See, I think that if we are freaking out in
this room, I think a lot of times you'll be like, everybody,
calm down, and then you will say what you have
to say in a calm demeanor. I think Nate kind
of he has his moments where he's calm, but a
lot of times he's freaking.

Speaker 3 (02:45):
The freak out. Yeah, scary Zerio.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Scares the zero Scott, he's a negative ten. Definitely, they
can't do it. But yeah, I think I think some
people here it.

Speaker 3 (03:00):
So that makes these people appear smarter. It makes you,
even though they may not be right, makes okay again,
this is the appearance. Yes, okay, perception is reality.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Right.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
The ability to have a disagreement with somebody without raising
your voice, cursing, or personally.

Speaker 3 (03:16):
Attacking them, that's good.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
Can you do that? I think in this room we're
pretty good at it. I don't think a lot of
people in the world in general.

Speaker 3 (03:24):
Are great at that.

Speaker 4 (03:26):
Well.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
Yeah, it turns into a game where Okay, I disagree
with you, and I'm now going to pulverize you until
you know that you're in submission and you will agree
that you are wrong.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yes, right, I'm just going to fight you to death. Okay,
this is my biggest one. I definitely agree with this.
I think when people say I don't know, it makes
you appear so much smarter than the people who always
try to have an answer and the people that you
can see googling something when they want to get the
answer just to act like they have it. No, it's
okay to say I don't know. I think that's a
sign of intelligence versus being a know it all.

Speaker 3 (03:57):
I agree, Yeah, I mean I don't know it.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
You can take your time with it.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
My favorite is just saying I'll google it, ask chat GPT.
They know better than I do.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
You know, these are the same rules as making speeches
as well. If you've been asked to stand up before
a crowd and make a speech, being able to pause
in certain places, not get overly excited, you know, tell
a good story with a great ending, you know all
those things that makes in my opinion, that impresses me most.
I feel like you are smarter if you can control

(04:34):
an audience. To me, that's look, you know, what we do.
We go out on stage at Madison Square Garden with thousands,
tens of thousands of people watching us. That's nothing that takes.
I mean an ape could do that. No offense to apes,
But to stand in front of a room of ten people, yeah,
that makes me most terrified. And so if you can

(04:54):
master that without getting all nervous and needing a glass
of water every five seconds because you're drying up in
your mouth, that's to me a sign of intelligence.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
What about you, guys, I think in that kind of
to what you're saying, I actually think that people who
are really funny are also smart. I think it's hard
to be at least this obviously is my opinion. I
think it's hard to be funny if you're not also
smart in some capacity. I think you can be fun
and you can be playful, but actually funny. I feel
like that takes a level of intelligence that I'm like, oh,

(05:24):
look at you, You're smart and funny. Those go together
for me.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
It makes you impressed. Yes, absolutely, Okay, around the room,
everyone has to have one thing, a trait they noticed
in someone else that makes them feel like they could
be a little smart. What about you, Danielle.

Speaker 2 (05:38):
I feel like if someone's wearing like a nice pair
of shoes or a smart suit, right away, first I
take a double take and I go, oh, wonder, hell
is if that person really is, like that's smart as
smart as they look.

Speaker 3 (05:49):
So it's not only what they're wearing and how great
it looks, but it's the fact they made the decision
to wear that. Yeah, I think that took intellect.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
Especially on men. I feel like this, especially if you're
like a businessman. I feel like your shoes tell a
lot about you sometimes, like if you're wearing a really
good pair of shoes that are not scuffed up and whatever.
I don't know. For some reason, I think you're smarter
than the guy who's wearing a pair of you know,
who knows what.

Speaker 4 (06:15):
I always equate tall people with being smart Jesus. I mean,
I feel like, you know, people that walk with swagger,
people who walk with confidence, and people who happen to
be over six feet.

Speaker 1 (06:27):
I just like the whole NBA.

Speaker 4 (06:32):
Yes, but a great great NBA players who are Yeah,
but I wonder, why why do.

Speaker 3 (06:40):
You equate size like inches tall? I don't know, with intellect? Well,
look at look at like.

Speaker 4 (06:45):
All the CEOs in the top brass of all these companies,
they always tend to be taller men and women.

Speaker 3 (06:50):
They do a lot. So I don't I don't know
where you get that. I'm disagreeing, respectfully, Yeah.

Speaker 4 (06:56):
Of course, no, I understand that. I just it. That's
just the way it appears to me.

Speaker 3 (07:00):
It's an opinion. The presidents have average taller, you know,
if you look at the height of presidents. Okay, so
you're saying all presidents are brilliant. I'm not saying that.
I'm not saying that, but you know, people in power,
I guess, well, but Scary was mentioning the actual height
in physical inches and feet. But he also said people

(07:21):
that walk with swagger with confidence. Different thing, but absolutely
confidence to me is a sign of being smart.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
You see that.

Speaker 4 (07:30):
Yep.

Speaker 3 (07:30):
If you go to the opera, oh.

Speaker 5 (07:34):
Okay, Honestly, like I think about, even if you hear
someone go I went to the opera, you automatically go,
you got something. You're sophisticated and pretty smart. There's no
I could not sit through an opera and because and
you know what, I'm stupid at that point.

Speaker 3 (07:47):
I don't know, you're right, I never see what you're saying,
I do think it takes us a certain level of
intellect to actually be interested in the opera and classical music.

Speaker 5 (07:56):
So if you want to fool anybody, just said you
went to the opera last week, and people are like,
oh wow.

Speaker 3 (08:01):
Smart places do smart thing. Okay. I know some people
may have an argument against that. I think it sounds
kind of true. It does put on at least a
facade of one who has knowledge of things that are
you know, over.

Speaker 2 (08:17):
Bullet.

Speaker 5 (08:18):
I can't use that on you guys next week anyway,
but here, but you know, someone listening can can go
use it.

Speaker 3 (08:23):
And I always thought glasses, If you wear glasses, you
appear smarter. Danielle, I agree. I agree with that. Well, yeah,
I guess not.

Speaker 1 (08:36):
So far up.

Speaker 3 (08:37):
Your Nate just took his off.

Speaker 5 (08:40):
Go beat him, go tick on him.

Speaker 1 (08:43):
I feel like posture also, when somebody sits up straight
or they stand up straight and they walk straight. Yes,
just like scary boobs first, always.

Speaker 2 (08:52):
Clatch first, scary.

Speaker 1 (08:54):
Yeah, there's just something about the way you actually carry yourself,
your physical body when you're sitting down. It changes the
pre I think, yeah, the dynamic a little bit.

Speaker 3 (09:04):
There you go, scary the owner of the Jaquery. He
really does jackery the power generator in case of an apocalypse.
By the way, if apocalypse, if an apocalypse hit, hips
guy can't say apocalypse hits. I wouldn't want to be
living on the twenty of the floor. Scary this is true.

Speaker 4 (09:22):
I well, maybe it's just for another the next superstorm.

Speaker 5 (09:25):
Guys, he's very smart.

Speaker 3 (09:26):
He knows what he's doing or block out. He could
be the last one standing. I'm not going to argue anything.

Speaker 2 (09:30):
Why do you think they called it the Jackery? This
is weirdness, They're hilarious. This is going to be great.

Speaker 3 (09:38):
Oh boy, all right, So if we want to fool them,
we should pretend to be smart by doing any of
the above.

Speaker 1 (09:45):
Any of the above.

Speaker 3 (09:46):
Will watch the opera, wear glasses.

Speaker 5 (09:50):
Say you went to the opera.

Speaker 3 (09:51):
You don't have to go and get bigger.

Speaker 2 (09:53):
Yes, strike going to.

Speaker 3 (09:54):
Be taller, scary things. You're smarter? All right? Well I
think we're good. Are we good? Another cast down? Next
time we'll talk about things you can do to make
you look stupid.

Speaker 2 (10:06):
The Elvista Ran after party

Speaker 3 (10:12):
M