Do any of you with high IQ struggle communicating with people who are not as high of an IQ as you?

Social Interaction/Communication Advice

[Reposted because I used the wrong account the first time]

So logically, I know everyone is different. We all have different ideas/thoughts/levels of understanding/ways of learning. I do strive to treat others with the highest respect and kindness, no matter their background.

But emotionally, I am really struggling with some people. Part of it is because I don’t like having to repeat myself, the other part is because I don’t understand how they don’t understand, when in my head it’s simply going from A to B to C.

There are people at work that I especially struggle with because it seems like they struggle with critical thinking skills, and take a comment about continuous improvement as an attack on themselves personally.

Has anyone been able to get past the getting frustrated at people not on your level intellectually? Is this just a “me” issue that most people don’t have? Do any of you have tips on how to improve this?

I do want to note that I do not show that I’m frustrated in any way, or intentionally make them feel less than (I do try to reaffirm their thought process to make it sound like “that’s a good thought, but how about this”). It’s more like me getting frustrated internally but then masking as my usual quiet/emotionless and pragmatic self.

Posted Oct 3, 2025, 5:16 PM UTC

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