{"id":61612,"date":"2022-02-26T10:12:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-26T14:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=61612"},"modified":"2022-03-21T10:12:50","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T14:12:50","slug":"the-benefits-of-playing-dumb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-benefits-of-playing-dumb\/","title":{"rendered":"The Unexpected Benefits of Playing Dumb"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever said or done something dumb on purpose? How does playing dumb help you get what you want?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nobody likes to come across as dumb, naive, or undiscerning. However, sometimes playing dumb can help you succeed in getting what you want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn about the unexpected benefits of playing dumb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What We Can Learn from Otto von Bismarck<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To understand the benefits of playing dumb, consider Otton von Bismarck. Otto von Bismarck<\/a> was a Prussian diplomat and politician who controlled German foreign affairs for 30 years in the mid-to late-1800s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otto von Bismarck used the playing-dumb tactic to get Count Blome of Austria to sign a treaty beneficial to Prussia but against the interests of Austria. The night before the negotiations started, Bismarck challenged Blome to a round of his favorite card game, quinze. He played recklessly and made rash comments and blunders, which lulled Blome into thinking he didn\u2019t need to worry about anything devious being in the treaty. He signed it the next day without reading the fine print, at which point Otto von Bismarck exulted that he\u2019d never expected an Austrian to sign such a treaty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Otto von Bismarck, make your intended victims feel as though they\u2019re smarter than you are by playing dumb, and they won\u2019t suspect you of having ulterior motives.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because nobody likes feeling stupid, be careful to avoid insulting another person\u2019s intelligence inadvertently. Going a step further, you can exploit this human vanity by playing dumb to succeed in your schemes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you make other people feel smarter than you, by making yourself out to be naive or slow-witted by comparison, they\u2019ll let down their guard and fail to be suspicious of your motives.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making others feel smarter than you by appearing to be subservient and naive can also help you advance in the ranks, if you\u2019re starting in a low position. You won\u2019t seem threatening to anyone, and you\u2019ll be promoted. At the least, you\u2019ll be left alone to pursue your own interests unnoticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides downplaying your intelligence, you can do the same with other qualities to lull people into complacency. For instance, make people feel they are more sophisticated or have better taste. They\u2019ll like having you around to make them feel better about themselves, and you\u2019ll have the space to develop your schemes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you ever said or done something dumb on purpose? How does playing dumb help you get what you want? Nobody likes to come across as dumb, naive, or undiscerning. However, sometimes playing dumb can help you succeed in getting what you want. Keep reading to learn about the unexpected benefits of playing dumb.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":62930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,9],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-61612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-psychology","tag-48-laws-of-power","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Unexpected Benefits of Playing Dumb - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nobody likes to come across as dumb or undiscerning. However, sometimes playing dumb has benefits. 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