London - How many times have you been to a party where everybody seems to be more worldly-wise and well-read than you are?
According to a study, most of them are bluffing.
Eight in ten of us fake cleverness in social situations to appear more attractive to potential partners, a poll reveals.
Two-thirds were so keen to impress that they lied about reading classics such as Tolstoy’s War and Peace.
And a sixth have exaggerated their academic achievements or fluency in foreign languages.
A further 11 percent inflated their job status, while a similar proportion owned up to bragging about their knowledge of wine.
To fake a detailed grasp of current affairs, six percent re-tweet news and features from sources that seem clever while five percent research topics before dinner parties.
Over half of us display books we have never read, said the survey, commissioned to mark the DVD release of the sixth series of US sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
It comes after a report claimed three-quarters of Britons say they find intelligence attractive.
Behavioural psychologist Jo Hemmings said “wannabe geeks are exaggerating their worldly qualities in order to appear more nerdy”. - Daily Mail