4 ms·

There are sooooo many reasons why these numbers may look like this. You may consider it is because smart people are unattractive, or you could consider it that

by fnid 17y ago

There are sooooo many reasons why these numbers may look like this. You may consider it is because smart people are unattractive, or you could consider it that smart people are smart enough to know it isn't a good idea to have sex when you are fifteen.

deleted 17y ago
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JeremyChase 17y ago
I think the smartest people are those who discovered condoms and birth control at 15.
- pwnstigator 17y ago
  Do you really think pregnancy is the only reason why 15-year-olds shouldn't be having sex?
  - roc 17y ago
    Pregnancy and disease. Why do you think they shouldn't?
    - pwnstigator 17y ago
      Emotional and psychological complications, sometimes long-lasting. Early loss-of-virginity age, which many people still care about in a marriage partner. Empirically, people who lose their virginity early (< 18) tend to be hypersexual as adults.
      - deleted 17y ago
        [deleted]
        prodigal_erik 17y ago
        Going without until 19 definitely gave me psychological complications. I can't imagine doing that voluntarily.
        pwnstigator 17y ago
        I'm guessing that "going without" involuntarily is what caused those problems. That element of it wasn't your fault; you were being ignored because girls were chasing (trying to "tame") unemployed sociopaths and badboys in lieu of men like you. If it'd been voluntary, you'd have been fine. You'd be surprised by what people can do without.
      - theBobMcCormick 17y ago
        You say that as though being hypersexual is a bad thing. :-) Seriously though, any "emotional and psychological complications", etc. are only because of our societies ridiculous, puritanical, anti-sex attitudes. It's really way past time for society to move past these dark ages attitudes about sex. Sex is natural, and even better, it's FUN! :-)
        pwnstigator 17y ago
        Being sexual in a loving relationship between two adults is a good thing. Being indiscriminately sexual is a bad thing. Being sexual with the wrong sort of people is a bad thing. I don't have any problem with an isolated casual sexual encounter. As far as I'm concerned, that's none of my business. However, I absolutely hate living in a culture that glorifies it, to the detriment of loving relationships. I also hate living in a world where the vast majority of available women have such awful attitudes as to be unmarriageable. Those "puritannical attitudes" exist for a reason. Some people take them way too far, and their application is very unjust (e.g. gendered double standards); but they shouldn't be cast aside as relics of "the dark ages". There are many great things about loving, long-term, monogamous relationships and family formation.
        yesimahuman 17y ago
        What awful attitudes would these be? Just because a person is sexual doesn't mean they are a cheater or doing everyone.
        deleted 17y ago
        [deleted]
        pwnstigator 17y ago
        The attitutde that men are interchangeable accessories like shoes, rather than human beings. The attitude that it's okay to date scumbags you'd never introduce to your parents. The attitude that a guy who's in his 20s and hasn't nailed at least 10 girls is a loser. Men probably have just as many shitty attitudes, but I don't encounter them directly in my dating life (only indirectly, because most women I know have been with some awful men).
rwolf 17y ago
The author suggests the same interpretations in more general terms: "Another idea is that smarter people are more risk averse, and delaying these activities is a byproduct of enhanced concerns about unwanted pregnancy and disease. While not avoiding sexual behaviors, per se, they are just less likely to seek it out or consent to it for fear of the potential consequences. ... Another idea, consistent with popular media portrayals of geeks and nerds (males at least), is that intelligent people actually want to have sex, but are simply less likely or unable to obtain willing partners because they are disproportionately viewed as unattractive or undesirable as partners." edit: this comment is not meant to support your claims, only to suggest your claims are redundant to HNers who read the article.
- pwnstigator 17y ago
  I think it's similar to "Why Nerds are Unpopular". In my parents' day, "finding a husband/wife" wasn't something most people had to make an active effort in order to do. It happened fairly naturally. So smart people paired off at a similar rate to everyone else. In the post-"Game" world, wherein breaking through womens' defenses and attracting them requires learning a bag of cheap sales tricks, the big losers are the people who don't learn them. These are the dumb, who are unable, and the smart nerds, who can't be bothered because they find childish social games uninteresting.
  - wallflower 17y ago
    > In the post-"Game" world, wherein breaking through womens' defenses and attracting them requires learning a bag of cheap sales tricks The entire industry of pick up technology is based on the premise that there may be a technique that can successfully attract a woman. Wheras, in real life, there is no magic technique - it's all about confidence and putting youself out there, taking a risk/taking the lead. What the pickup artists are really marketing is protecting the guy's ego - e.g. I wasn't rejected - it was the approach/technique. Which, as we all know, is false marketing.
    - pwnstigator 17y ago
ahlatimer 17y ago
I lost my virginity at fifteen. I didn't, and still don't, think it was a bad idea. I was emotionally prepared for it, in a committed relationship, and took the necessary precautions. I don't have sex indiscriminately, and I'm not emotionally damaged because of it. It's easy to look at the average and say that a fifteen year old shouldn't be having sex. The average fifteen year old one would encounter is not necessarily emotionally prepared for sex, but I wouldn't say that's indicative of their being a problem with sex. I'd say that has more to do with the pressures of society. The idea that sex is a bad thing that should be suppressed is the problem. We're surrounded by sexual images and ideas as kids and young adults, but we're also told that we should wait until we're married. Fortunately, I had a mother who was open with me about sex, who told me that sex was a beautiful, natural thing and while she would prefer I wait until I was married, she realized that was unrealistic. So, I came out of my teenage years without any unwanted pregnancies, STD's, or emotional baggage in regards to sex.

by fnid 17y ago

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

deleted 17y ago

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JeremyChase 17y ago

I think the smartest people are those who discovered condoms and birth control at 15.

pwnstigator 17y ago
Do you really think pregnancy is the only reason why 15-year-olds shouldn't be having sex?
- roc 17y ago
  Pregnancy and disease. Why do you think they shouldn't?
  - pwnstigator 17y ago
    Emotional and psychological complications, sometimes long-lasting. Early loss-of-virginity age, which many people still care about in a marriage partner. Empirically, people who lose their virginity early (< 18) tend to be hypersexual as adults.
    - deleted 17y ago
      [deleted]
      - prodigal_erik 17y ago
        Going without until 19 definitely gave me psychological complications. I can't imagine doing that voluntarily.
        pwnstigator 17y ago
        I'm guessing that "going without" involuntarily is what caused those problems. That element of it wasn't your fault; you were being ignored because girls were chasing (trying to "tame") unemployed sociopaths and badboys in lieu of men like you. If it'd been voluntary, you'd have been fine. You'd be surprised by what people can do without.
    - theBobMcCormick 17y ago
      You say that as though being hypersexual is a bad thing. :-) Seriously though, any "emotional and psychological complications", etc. are only because of our societies ridiculous, puritanical, anti-sex attitudes. It's really way past time for society to move past these dark ages attitudes about sex. Sex is natural, and even better, it's FUN! :-)
      - pwnstigator 17y ago
        Being sexual in a loving relationship between two adults is a good thing. Being indiscriminately sexual is a bad thing. Being sexual with the wrong sort of people is a bad thing. I don't have any problem with an isolated casual sexual encounter. As far as I'm concerned, that's none of my business. However, I absolutely hate living in a culture that glorifies it, to the detriment of loving relationships. I also hate living in a world where the vast majority of available women have such awful attitudes as to be unmarriageable. Those "puritannical attitudes" exist for a reason. Some people take them way too far, and their application is very unjust (e.g. gendered double standards); but they shouldn't be cast aside as relics of "the dark ages". There are many great things about loving, long-term, monogamous relationships and family formation.
        yesimahuman 17y ago
        What awful attitudes would these be? Just because a person is sexual doesn't mean they are a cheater or doing everyone.
        deleted 17y ago
        [deleted]
        pwnstigator 17y ago
        The attitutde that men are interchangeable accessories like shoes, rather than human beings. The attitude that it's okay to date scumbags you'd never introduce to your parents. The attitude that a guy who's in his 20s and hasn't nailed at least 10 girls is a loser. Men probably have just as many shitty attitudes, but I don't encounter them directly in my dating life (only indirectly, because most women I know have been with some awful men).

rwolf 17y ago

The author suggests the same interpretations in more general terms: "Another idea is that smarter people are more risk averse, and delaying these activities is a byproduct of enhanced concerns about unwanted pregnancy and disease. While not avoiding sexual behaviors, per se, they are just less likely to seek it out or consent to it for fear of the potential consequences. ... Another idea, consistent with popular media portrayals of geeks and nerds (males at least), is that intelligent people actually want to have sex, but are simply less likely or unable to obtain willing partners because they are disproportionately viewed as unattractive or undesirable as partners." edit: this comment is not meant to support your claims, only to suggest your claims are redundant to HNers who read the article.

pwnstigator 17y ago
I think it's similar to "Why Nerds are Unpopular". In my parents' day, "finding a husband/wife" wasn't something most people had to make an active effort in order to do. It happened fairly naturally. So smart people paired off at a similar rate to everyone else. In the post-"Game" world, wherein breaking through womens' defenses and attracting them requires learning a bag of cheap sales tricks, the big losers are the people who don't learn them. These are the dumb, who are unable, and the smart nerds, who can't be bothered because they find childish social games uninteresting.
- wallflower 17y ago
  > In the post-"Game" world, wherein breaking through womens' defenses and attracting them requires learning a bag of cheap sales tricks The entire industry of pick up technology is based on the premise that there may be a technique that can successfully attract a woman. Wheras, in real life, there is no magic technique - it's all about confidence and putting youself out there, taking a risk/taking the lead. What the pickup artists are really marketing is protecting the guy's ego - e.g. I wasn't rejected - it was the approach/technique. Which, as we all know, is false marketing.
  - pwnstigator 17y ago

ahlatimer 17y ago

I lost my virginity at fifteen. I didn't, and still don't, think it was a bad idea. I was emotionally prepared for it, in a committed relationship, and took the necessary precautions. I don't have sex indiscriminately, and I'm not emotionally damaged because of it. It's easy to look at the average and say that a fifteen year old shouldn't be having sex. The average fifteen year old one would encounter is not necessarily emotionally prepared for sex, but I wouldn't say that's indicative of their being a problem with sex. I'd say that has more to do with the pressures of society. The idea that sex is a bad thing that should be suppressed is the problem. We're surrounded by sexual images and ideas as kids and young adults, but we're also told that we should wait until we're married. Fortunately, I had a mother who was open with me about sex, who told me that sex was a beautiful, natural thing and while she would prefer I wait until I was married, she realized that was unrealistic. So, I came out of my teenage years without any unwanted pregnancies, STD's, or emotional baggage in regards to sex.