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I simply don't feel that "interesting ways to solve energy output problems from solar cells" can be described as "in depth discussion, introspection, navel-gazing".
If you think that any contemplation of a complex problem is "in depth discussion, introspection, navel-gazing", then sure, a total lack of desire to interact with complex problems is not well correlated with intelligence.
But if people are inclined to "live life and vibe" outside their professional fields + areas of special interest, that doesn't intrinsically reflect on their intelligence.
(I think this whole comment thread kicked off with someone dropping in to say prioritizing a smart mate is important, which I interpreted as a response to my claim that constant in-depth quality discussion turned out to not be nearly as meaningful to me as I'd imagined when I started dating. Hence my initial response resisting conflating the two. I really believe it has much more to do with personality than intelligence)
We've dropped something midstream through our conversation. At the very beginning you said: Smart ≠ highly analytical and inclined to in depth discussion, introspection, navel-gazing. Would you then retract the first part? That smart does indeed = highly analytical?
I mean that unsmart people "just live life and vibe" outside and inside their professional fields; they are uninterested in the truth value, implications, or consistency of the symbol systems they manipulate for a paycheck, or any other system for a hobby. Take the third grade teacher in another thread who teaches elementary math for a living but does not understand why two column multiplication works when a student does the tens column first, tries to browbeat them for doing it wrong, and then complains in the teacher's room that the student keeps getting problems right. That person is most people. They do not have an "area of interest". They want to ascend status hierarchies and have pleasant experiences, and good for them.
Could you be in a smart-people bubble where you don't interact with them enough to scratch the surface and realize average people are like that?
I guess it's possible to have a smart partner who is inclined to in depth discussions... but not with you, because you're not versed in their area of interest. You know they're smart, but you don't meet the standard to speak with them about the thing they care about. God knows, in-laws through my sister's husband I meet every Thanksgiving would never guess I like in depth discussions. Their opinions are not worth dissecting for me. (Again, good for them, they spent their time and mental energy on something better.)
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