"well... I read some articles about it..."

[MissQuote]

Are people ever surprised at your knowledge of various subjects?

I am not particularily sure why I am asking yet, but I am suddenly interested/wondering if this happens to others here. Maybe that is why I am asking, to find out if it is my own quirkyness/issue or if it is common for this type I supposedly belong to.

Sometimes, I keep my mouth shut when someone is telling me about something they learned and thought I would be interested in, usually they are excited, and I don't want to disappoint them by letting them in on the fact that I own, and have read, five books on the subject, as well as sub-topics on the subject, though I may have never mentioned any of it to anyone before. (generic example)

Other times someone is brings up something random or obscure and seems to trip out when I, sometimes enthusiastically other times matter of factly, start discussing it with them in terms that I guess they are surprised at because I have never mentioned any knowledge of the subject before.


I notice one of my most over used phrases is "I read this article about..."

I guess I keep most of the things I learn about in, it is really only my own unignorable need for information that cause my curiosity to explore new subjects, not really a need or desire to share most of it with others at all. People who know me might dispute that, saying I am a "walking encyclopedia" when they really have no clue how much I never mentioned.

I'm worried this is starting to sound narcissistic which I didn't mean for it to be. I do have some questions!!

Are people ever surprised at your knowledge in genearal, the amout of subjects you know things about?

Are they ever surprised at the subjects/amount of subjects you know way too much about?

Are people ever surprised at the bizarreness/obscurity of said subjects?

Do you ever hear "wow you know a lot about such and such!" when you really only consider yourself a novice on the subject.

What are your methods for joing a conversation about something you find interesting and you are knowledgeable about without coming off as arrogant if the others, as it turns out, know less than you?

Actually, that last question I would be interested in answers to the most. Maybe that was what I was (mostly) getting at with all of it.

 

[smithcommajohn]

No one is ever surprised about my knowledge on a subject. In fact, I normally shut the conversation down as soon as I state what I know about a subject. Maybe I should be playing even dumber than I am?

 

[MissQuote]

Being worried of shutting someones conversation down is what gets me to keep my mouth shut at times, that and assessing what they know already, sort of observational I guess.

 

[smithcommajohn]

Being worried of shutting someones conversation down is what gets me to keep my mouth shut at times, that and assessing what they know already, sort of observational I guess.

It is a valid concern, for sure, from a social perspective. What's more important, building a social bond or expressing the truth of a matter so we can both share in the knowledge? It's a tough call.

I'm not an encyclopedia by any means, but on subjects I fancy, I learn as much as I can. I feel the need to share what I know with others if they have an interest in it. I don't try to "one up" them or anything, I just feel the information is there, they should be allowed to know it as well.

Hmmm...

 

[Ozymandias]

What are your methods for joing a conversation about something you find interesting and you are knowledgeable about without coming off as arrogant if the others, as it turns out, know less than you?

Actually, that last question I would be interested in answers to the most. Maybe that was what I was (mostly) getting at with all of it.

I usually just add ''I'm not quite sure about this, but'', or some other similar sentence that makes me seem a bit more unsure then I really am.
If someone starts discussing a subject with me and I turn out to be more knowledgeable about the subject then they are I usually just say what I know. If they have a problem with someone else knowing more than they do then they have a problem, not me.

If a group is discussing something of interest and I'm not yet a part of the conversation, I just listen for a while and check how much they know about it and then engage them at that level.

 

[Dimensional Transition]

Oh I definitely recognize this. I have it all the time.
'Well, I read some articles about...' is one of my most common phrases as well. It has gotten to the point where people just think I'm making stuff up ): I don't think my dad believes me when I say cannabis is successfully used for many illnesses, or when I tell people about the benefits of green tea, or green tea with lemon, or green tea with sugar, or how caffeine sometimes gets rid of headaches, even those that are not related to caffeine-withdrawal...
There's tons of other stuff I know about. It's mostly related to medicine, animals, plants, philosophy and 'fun-facts', but yeah, lots of stuff.

 

[MissQuote]

@DT Just making stuff up... sometimes I wonder if people think that. Sometimes I wonder if I am just making things up.

I think Excedrin "the headache medicine" is just caffine and acetaminophen, so there you go just point that out.

It is a valid concern, for sure, from a social perspective. What's more important, building a social bond or expressing the truth of a matter so we can both share in the knowledge? It's a tough call.

I'm not an encyclopedia by any means, but on subjects I fancy, I learn as much as I can. I feel the need to share what I know with others if they have an interest in it. I don't try to "one up" them or anything, I just feel the information is there, they should be allowed to know it as well.

Hmmm...

When you put it that way obviously the share of knowledge. (kidding, sort of)

I usually just add ''I'm not quite sure about this, but'', or some other similar sentence that makes me seem a bit more unsure then I really am.
If someone starts discussing a subject with me and I turn out to be more knowledgeable about the subject then they are I usually just say what I know. If they have a problem with someone else knowing more than they do then they have a problem, not me.

If a group is discussing something of interest and I'm not yet a part of the conversation, I just listen for a while and check how much they know about it and then engage them at that level.

Maybe I'm just over worrying about this just now or something.

 

[Zionoxis]

Though I share this trait, I have never made a habit out of reading 5 books on one of my random interests. I guess I could say that if you include ebooks themselves, but I usually derive my knowledge from ze internet.

 

[thelithiumcat]

I don't usually consider myself to know that much about a subject and I'll almost always defer to someone else because I find that I'm often wrong. It's only if I absolutely believe myself to be right that I stand up for my opinion.
I do like to research on occasion but I don't consider myself to have a good memory for the more detailed areas. I'm often surprised to find that I know more than I think I do.

 

[darude11]

And I bet that it is because of my activity! 90% of my articles start with "I've read somewhere on internet" "[link for article]" "I have recently read this and that" "California " or something similar. FINE! The California isn't used for now

Well, I find it interesting... I don't know, if it is me or INTP personality (rather 2nd one), but I can learn anything about subject that interests me. Really. This personality stuff started, because of the "Searching for mechanism, that generates the behaviour of people for my future stories". Simply I have started to do research, and research, and research... I am probably one from two people in our town, which can describe ESTP without internet (or else-ley said: Nobody else knows anything about MBTI from my region). So... I am described already as "psychologist", but then... then I come on this forum, ask people what I need to know, and say to myself "I am only beginner. Don't worry, they have probably visited some kind of psychological courses or psychology university. They sure can help you."

To the last question... uhh... I don't know if it is the answer you want to hear, but I will be at least honest.
I join conversations without asking. Maybe first tacticaly wait for a while to make sure they are talking about the subject I am interested in. Then I suddenly add something. Something I think they may find important/useful. Usualy IRL they are just like "Eeww, the most awkward person in the radius of 50 kilometers have spoken! Somebody kill him! Let's escape!"

// and yeah, I just waited, 'til somebody will make thread about this phrase

 

[IfloatTHRUlife]

The way i always put it is, i know a little about a lot. I am not exactly an expert on many things, but i know enough about so many topics that i can more or less take part in any random conversation i want, often clarifying things for people.

The funny thing is, if someone were to say something along the lines of "well if you're so smart, prove it." I really wouldnt know what to say, i know so many things, but i can never really muster up information unless i am asked direct questions about specific topics.

 

[intpz]

Yes, people are surprised sometimes. Sometimes is because I reveal it only sometimes. Some particular people even don't believe me, because they supposedly "know better" from school, a friend or TV, or any other place. Or they don't know, which means that I'm making it up, because they know everything.
That behavior irritates me. I even keep my mouth shut often now. And if I say something, that is a short version of what they know, so they will shut up, nothing more.

I'm often are uninformed on current things, like inflation or other things like that. Some people thinks I'm an idiot because of that, because they cannot talk about anything deeper or requiring actual knowledge, not a news or a newspaper story. Wondering if other INTPs are in this situation often...

 

[Vrecknidj]

Are people ever surprised at your knowledge of various subjects?

Yes.

Are people ever surprised at your knowledge in genearal, the amout of subjects you know things about?

Yes.

Are they ever surprised at the subjects/amount of subjects you know way too much about?

Yes.

Are people ever surprised at the bizarreness/obscurity of said subjects?

Yes.

Do you ever hear "wow you know a lot about such and such!" when you really only consider yourself a novice on the subject.

Yes.

What are your methods for joing a conversation about something you find interesting and you are knowledgeable about without coming off as arrogant if the others, as it turns out, know less than you?

Compassion. I assume all human beings wanted to be treated kindly and with compassion, so I treat them that way, being careful not to come across as arrogant or prideful. Besides, arrogance and pride usually come back to kick me in the ass if I bend to them.

Actually, that last question I would be interested in answers to the most. Maybe that was what I was (mostly) getting at with all of it.

Happy to join your thread.

Dave

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

If a group is discussing something of interest and I'm not yet a part of the conversation, I just listen for a while and check how much they know about it and then engage them at that level.

Hmmm. Yeah, I do the same thing if listening in to what level they're at. And I guess I also engage them at their level, but it's with the goal of bringing them up to my level-- to teach them.

Also, this clip deserves to be in this thread:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7VgNQbZdaw

 

[Cheeseumpuffs]

Haha this always happens to me. I'll be listening to a conversation and as soon as a topic I know about comes up I'll jump right in. Usually I just kind of interject what I'm thinking before I lose the thought and people are just kind of surprised. A friend of mine said this to me "You never say anything until something random comes up but then you just don't shut up." or something along those lines. At first people got surprised but now they just kind of accept that I know all kinds of random facts. It actually gets annoying because people will ask me for answers to the most random questions.

 

[Dimensional Transition]

Hmmm. Yeah, I do the same thing if listening in to what level they're at. And I guess I also engage them at their level, but it's with the goal of bringing them up to my level-- to teach them.

Also, this clip deserves to be in this thread:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7VgNQbZdaw

Hahahaha

 

[monsterfurby]

Well it is the agreed opinion of my peers that I accidentally swallowed Wikipedia at some point.

Are people ever surprised at your knowledge in genearal, the amout of subjects you know things about?

Actually, yeah.

Are they ever surprised at the subjects/amount of subjects you know way too much about?

Definitely. And they way I talk them into more or less caring about pretty obscure topic. Hint: never mention Sealand in my presence.

Are people ever surprised at the bizarreness/obscurity of said subjects?

Ditto.

Do you ever hear "wow you know a lot about such and such!" when you really only consider yourself a novice on the subject.

I consider myself a novice on nearly every subject. I like to broaden my horizon more than I like deepening my understanding of something. In conversations with experts in a certain area, I usually fail magnificently, but other novices are usually impressed. I do have a pretty good sense for noticing areas even experts don't know and steering the conversation in that direction, though.

What are your methods for joing a conversation about something you find interesting and you are knowledgeable about without coming off as arrogant if the others, as it turns out, know less than you?

I had to think about this a bit, but I usually take the most direct approach. "Hey, you're talking about thisnthat?" I do kind of feel the need to establish myself as someone knowing a lot about the topic, though, which can be a problem. I usually save the situation by taking control of the conversation and steering it onto familiar ground.

 

[Lostwitheal]

I remember walking through our research department once and hearing a discussion about tea, coffee, and caffiene. As a throwaway comment to spark some debate I said, on the way past, "Did you know that there's more caffiene in tea than there is in coffee?". There were looks of disbelief, and murmerings of "Really? What?", followed by sounds of frantic Googling. When I walked past a minute or two later they'd found what I knew - by dry-weight, tea does have more caffiene than coffee, but once brewed coffee has higher caffiene content.

They told me that I was sneaky

 

[CLOfriendOSE]

I get this a lot, though my random information stems from my days in elementary school (fourth and fifth grade, probably) spent reading the encyclopedias. I don't understand why people find it strange when I know a little about everything, mostly because the information is *everywhere* now, it's hard not to trip over it.

If people spent the time they were on facebook actually doing something with their life.....

Anyway. I usually try to shift conversation from fact based (since I find that boring most of the time) to system based - I prefer dealing in hypotheticals, it's a much more constructive use of my time interacting with a 'real' person. Of course, there are many people who don't understand how to do that and consequently conversation is somewhat rare for me now. I just don't see the point in "dumbing myself down" to fulfill a "social quota" as relevant.

 

[EmBeeTeaEye]

I've gotten that reaction a few times in my life. "Article" or story based talk is definitely my primary conversation method. I do believe this style of talking is limited in its effectiveness. Essentially you can only talk to similarly intuitive types or those who have a high level of interest in the particular topic.

I think it's actually important to avoid receiving these "walking encyclopedia" kind of "compliments" (it implies BORING). I believe one should follow a "six sentences or less" philosophy when doing this. It makes the stories more interesting by forcing you to sum up the highlights and doesn't make the uninterested people hate you. It also gives others a chance to give their input before you decide to drone on longer.

To address the OP's question on entering a conversation and not appearing arrogant, you need to read the situation and the people involved. First, talking about some article generally slows the pace of conversation which throws off a lot of non-intp,intj types (maybe others too). This slowing definitely leads to boredom unless your stary is interesting (as stated above). Second, if you think the other person doesn't know what he's talking about or isn't anywhere near the right answer, it's often best to just leave it be. If you can illumate something that may slightly steer the other speaker in the right direction (and he seems receptive), your input may be valuable and welcomed. Lastly, you can stick to comments that are non-threatening and constructive. Tack on bits of information to the other speaker's narrative rather than try and hi-jack the conversation.