Because it takes time to actually know if someone is smart, because intelligence is complex and multifaceted – and we don’t have time anymore. So, if within 10

Because it takes time to actually know if someone is smart, because intelligence is complex and multifaceted – and we don’t have time anymore. So, if within 10s you have one guy regurgitating something and the other one shrugging, it does make some sense to assume the first one is smarter. What would make even more sense is to accept one cannot know this about someone in 10s. But uncertainty sucks, humans will always try to reduce it as much as possible, at all cost.