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Lumifer comments on Stupid Questions August 2015 - Less Wrong Discussion

7 Post author: Grothor 01 August 2015 11:08PM

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Comment author: Lumifer 02 August 2015 12:01:12AM *  15 points [-]

I think this is mostly a function of the subculture to which you belong and, specifically, which things you find interesting, exciting, important, etc. IQ, of course, is a major underlying factor, but it's not just IQ.

Each subculture also has its own social rituals and implicit communication methods so when you cross over to a different one you are very likely to have conversation difficulties -- unless your social skills are highly developed and you have some idea about how that subculture works.

Comment author: Creutzer 02 August 2015 07:18:21AM 6 points [-]

This was my first thought, too. The Singaporean psychology grad student is a member of the same culture as you; the local fashion designer is not.