I'm sorry you are hurting right now. I wanted to tell you that your post contains better writing than 99% of the other confessions on here and I think you have excellent writing skills. Believe me, it takes a decent amount of smarts to place words properly on a page, and you have those smarts. I do hope you find your happiness, maybe it will be through writing.

dumb is not seeing that there is more to know. It's a limitation. I've experienced what you're talking about and I don't think I'm dumb anymore; I had anxiety and trouble focusing. my thoughts were somewhere else, also I was asking questions, like too many questions, which got in the way of comprehension when alot of people just take things for granted and don't apply one form of knowledge or topic or whatever to a different context. And then people make you feel dumb for complicating the conversation. Dumb is not valuing what other's have to say and not introspecting enough to take a look at why you are assuming others are dumb. If you comprehend this forum and the whole of this website you are fine, and even if you are "dumb" you have a valuable perspective and are probably smarter than other people in other ways that you can't see yet.

You write better than an awful lot of posters here and elsewhere.

So, regardless of anything else, you have that going for you and it's something I find valuable.

Besides, you sound depressed, not dumb. When I'm depressed, I can barely concentrate on anything and feel like an idiot.

I wish you luck.

Your writing skills, as others have pointed out, do not suggest someone lacking intelligence. I half-believe you are a troll, or making some kind of 'hidden' statement. If you really are dumb, or at least believe you are dumb, become a writer.

...sound very smart to me. Have you ever been assessed for something called an auditory processing disorder? It's challenging to diagnose, and for that reason is often overlooked, but it can cause a lot of the issues you are describing. These are some of the things people experience:
-finding it hard to follow spoken instructions, especially if they are multi-step
-not always understanding what people say to you, especially if there is background noise or music
-having trouble with reading and spelling, which require the ability to process and interpret sounds
-finding word problems/logic problems in math especially difficult
-finding it hard to follow conversations
-finding it hard to learn songs
-having trouble remembering details of what you have read or heard

that you display in your post prove to me that you are smart, not dumb. I agree with the other commenters that this post was in the upper level of Confessions writing.

Don't dismay, and don't compare! Weigh yourself against others and be assured that you will always come up short. Want to hear a secret? All those folks out there accumulating academic notches in their belts are not necessarily preparing themselves for success; they are merely deferring a job search that will continue to be difficult after they finish studying.

Don't focus on being the smartest - there are plenty of brilliant people out who are fighting each other for boring acclaim. Focus on being unique, having a blended skill set, and being the best version of yourself. There are people out there who want what YOU can offer. I promise.

Stay safe, stay well, stay with us. Please do not harm yourself... the world needs you!

I know exactly how you feel. My brain is so fogged all the time. I don't know what's worse being stupid or being just smart enough to actually know that your intelligence is below average. I'd rather be just straight up retarded. I have a hard time following concepts and concentrating. It's embarrassing when someone is trying to explain something to me and I can feel them becoming frustrated so I just pretend like I know what they're talking about. And of course it's obvious that I'm doing that. I don't know if my dumbness comes from too much drinking and partying as a teenager or if its just my natural state. I feel like I wasn't always this stupid. I think there has to be some way we can improve our intelligence like eating properly, exercising and making an effort to gain knowledge. Knowledge is power they say so it would make sense that with us feeling so dumb we feel so powerless, especially when were surrounded by people who are so much smarter. I know the pain you are feeling. It's so depressing feeling like an idiot, wishing you had a different brain but knowing that could never happen. I also have told people that I feel dumb like really tried to describe it to them and its so true they just give you the good old pep talk. It's annoying and does nothing. You're not alone friend. I feel you.

Reading through your post its clear you're not dumb. Your ability to write, reason, your grasp of vocabulary and grammar, your ability to reason and share your thoughts clearly all add up to someone who is in fact intelligent. Probably more so than most people.

I swear I'm not even trying to make you feel better, just read most the other confessions and compare it to what you've written objectively and you'll see it for yourself.

But then you seem so convinced that any amount of reassurance may go right past you.

There's five anonymous people here who agree with this.

I suspect, and I can't say for certain, that you're probably depressed, or at the very least have a very unrealistic low self assessment.

Have you ever heard about CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and thinking traps? You exhibit a few. Discounting positive statements (brushing off your friends reaffirmation that you are in fact intelligent), generalizations (everyone else gets through post school like its a breeze), should statements (I should be intelligent, I should be able to do what they do) and so much more.

Please, seek counselling. This talk about you being unintelligent is, in and off itself, the only unintelligent thing I see.

On a personal note, I have a Masters with Distinction, yet I too fail to follow plot lines of movies. More often than not jokes go right over my head. I can completely miss the point someone was trying to make even when it's crystal clear. Yet I performed really well in school. My point is intelligence isn't a single value. It isn't determined by any one thing, and so few people have it all like you seem to imagine. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and your problem is you dwelling on your weaknesses (or probably blowing them out if proportion) while ignoring your strengths.

Good luck op, and wishing you all the best!

Your writing is proof that you are anything but "dumb".
I thought the same of myself at one time, seriously felt I couldn't function out there. Negative reinforcement while growing up perhaps? One good experience that really rocks home your unique strengths could change it all. Intelligence is so much more than intellectual conversation.
But at times when you are stuck in the middle of it, listening skills and asking questions are powerful tools, especially when someone isn't so confident talking with people. Make *them* keep talking with your questions, and you control the conversation! :)

You do not call yourself dum, I have some of the same problems, I have a learning Dissability and at times A Social Dissability too, you need to like you better