17 people reveal why they've pretended to be dumber than they actually are.

In most situations, pretending to be smarter than you really are to land the gig, or beautifully 'faking it until you make it' is the move, but what about when it's smarter to play dumb?

So, when a Reddit user asked, 'Have you ever pretended to be stupid or not as smart as you are? Why?' people were ready to share the moments in life when they've decided to withold information about their true intelligence. Sometimes it's just better to act like you don't know how to use the photocopier when your boss hasn't discovered what email forwarding is yet...

1.

I pretended to be less fluent in a language than I am before, if that counts. Anyone who’s lived in Japan is familiar with the NHK man, who comes to your door and pesters you to pay the NHK fee. NHK is the national public TV station, and everyone who owns a device capable of receiving it is supposed to pay a monthly fee to fund it, but there’s no penalty for not paying, and quite a lot of people just don’t. The representatives can be veeeeery pushy though.

Well, I didn’t even own a TV, but when I first started living here I somehow got pressured into signing up to pay the fee. Though after that I just ignored the bills until eventually they sent an angry one saying you’d better pay or legal action blah blah.

So I called them and used my best foreigner voice to explain I didn’t understand what I signed up for and the lady was very nice and said, “Of course, you couldn’t have known, I’ll cancel that for you.” Problem solved! - lygerzero0zero

2.

Yes. When I was in jail. Guys in jail REALLY don't like when you use words they don't understand in conversation. - Imahorrible_person

3.

I’m a female living in Japan now for a few years. I have to act mildly dumb in front or for men despite being more capable with my computer science degree from one of the best college in America. They will always be right. It’s kind of degrading.

“Thank you my kind boss! I’m just not as experienced as you are. I would like to implement a new data structure I have been working on to optimize our (product). However, since I am inexperienced and not as smart as you are, I hope I am not wasting your important time. I would like to seek your guidance blah blah blah.”

Even on dates. “Wow!!! I’ve never heard of a CPU! What does that do???!!! Wowowwoww sugoi you are so incredible!” (Throws up in mouth a little bit). - SeattleCoffeeRoast

4.

Yes every time I play someone new in a board game that I'm good at - TimDuncanCanDunk

5.

I do this with my children constantly. I ask them what they learned about in school and act like they are teaching me about the water cycle (or whatever) for the first time and they are so smart and it's the most fascinating thing I have ever learned and aren't they lucky they get to go to school to learn about stuff like that - thetapiryourodeinon

6.

I occasionally do this when entering a new job role, or as part of an existing job role so that I don't get given additional work. You won't get asked to help code a website if you seemingly don't know how a keyboard works. - JascaDucato

7.

I regularly do this. Customers come up with either heinous political views or heinous religious views and because I'm a retail worker, that makes me their personal speech trainer/therapist. If i refuse to listen, they complain to corporate that I'm not doing my job to take care of customers. So I just started playing dumb.

Example: 'You know, all these alphabet folks are going to hell!' (Me, a gay 'alphabet' dating a trans man 'alphabet') 'what do you mean? Is that a band?' 'No you know who I mean, those qlbfr people!' 'The who? I've never heard of that? What did they do?' Continue as long as possible. - Askmyrkr

8.

I grew up in my dad's garage and helped him work on cars - everything from oil changes to collision work. There isn't much about auto mechanics I don't have at least a proficiency in.

When I was a cute blonde college co-ed (a thousand miles away from my dad's garage and no way to do it myself) one of my favorite things to do was play dumb whenever my car needed work. Just to see who would try scam me, and how badly. It was my roommate's favorite spectator sport. - MedChef76

9.

Because my hearing sucks, and it's less embarrassing to act like an idiot than to ask someone to repeat themselves 4 times because I literally can't hear half of their question. - Sarydus

10.

We have mandatory army service in my country. It's either six months for regular privates or twelve months if you want a higher rank. Plus some special roles do nine months. Early on they do a few tests, one of them is basically an intelligence test. Those who do well are often pushed to do the whole twelve months.

I didn't want to spend all that time there so I answered only half of the questions correct, then shifted my answers by one for all the remaining questions. It worked, only had to do six months. - Zalminen

11.

Very often. It's always useful (and funny) to have people understimate you. Most people tend to show their true colors way faster when they think you're not as bright as they are or can easily be manipulated.

It also make some people more comfortable and friendly because they don't see you as someone judgmental, arrogant or trying to mess with them. - Nonid

12.

At college I had a really sexist Tutor Who thought me, as a girl, could clearly not Complete my course in automotive engineering. After Weeks of his verbal abuse I started playing dumb so he'd leave me alone all while I secretly did my coursework. - Notbeingstalked

13.

I avoid telling anyone that I have a PhD because a lot of people seem to be intimidated by that or think I’m some crazy smart genius when Im really not - I just spent five years being very poor to study something that interested me.

Anyone could do the same, I just had the opportunity. And it doesn’t make me more smart generally, just more knowledgeable about one very niche topic - 2sad4snacks

14.

I have a STEM bachelor's degree and I'm working on a PhD so I know my stuff. People often are scared of/misunderstand some things in my field of study. Often I'll try to correct them once but if they push back I just shrug and drop it. - brodoswaggins93

15.

I live in Germany and I speak C2-level fluent German, until one of those people on the street try to start handing me a bible or some charity pamphlet then i'm all like 'I no deutsch verstehe' lmao - Zack1018

16.

If someone has a racist or f*cked up world view I act dumb to make them explain it out loud so they can hear how bigoted they are 9/10 they get frustrated and leave - gisokef300

17.

It was quite common practice in my home country to hide the fact you have masters degree to get certain jobs. Because either you were 'overqualified' and they couldn't afford you or they instantly knew you will only be temporary asset until you find something matching your education. - ScrotumLeather