Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon/stereotype? You know, the intellectual student that seems completely absorbed in their studies and somewhat asexual in their romantic disinterest?
I cannot decide if this is because of singleminded ambition causing kids to block romantic distractions or if kids who are asexual aren’t distracted in the first place and therefore more inclined to focus more on school.
OBVIOUSLY you don’t have to be asexual to be intellectual and vice versa, just the personality type seems to crop up a lot with the academic overachievers. Maybe they’re just too awkward/busy for relationships?
I’ve wondered this myself. I love it when I find out other people have the same crazy thoughts I do.
It’s honestly a mystery to me.
However, I think people get the impression that I have absolutely no romantic or sexual interest either. And I do. So maybe they’re not actually asexual.
A lot of kids who are a certain kind of intellectual feel a bit distant from their peers. They might have a different sense of humor or be disinterested in the sorts of things that most of the students in their grade talk about. In that situation, it can be hard to find potential friends, much less romantic interests.
(Interestingly, I’ve found that in groups of intellectual kids, there seems to be a much higher percentage of kids who aren’t straight, including people who are asexual, so while this may or may not relate, it’s sort of cool.)
There are currently some intellectuals compiling all of the ways to get lucky, ranging from my illustrated guide on how to pick up chicks to wearing red more often.
I was actually just thinking about this! Maybe asexual, or at least aromantic. Some of the world’s most brilliant people (like Newton for example) were reported as having very little interest in romantic relationships and everything involved with them. These super smart people probably had to devote large amounts of time to thinking intensely about their fields, and liking somebody can be SUPER distracting, so it would make sense…
Most people are private about their sex lives, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s especially true for “intellectual” types. I don’t think they’re more likely to actually be asexual, though.
Well, I think it’s more like intellectual people may like other people “like that” but want to try to do something with their life (e.g., get a college degree) prior to getting wrapped up in a romantic relationship. It may not necessarily mean they are asexual or aromantic, just that they have more self control than other less intellectual, happy-go-lucky types. I know this from experience - the first person I fell in love with was/is very determined and intellectual, and I finally realized that this person was too wrapped up in their own life and goals to really care about me. It wasn’t that the person was snooty or mean - nice and respectful, actually - just very focused.
I think that there is, perhaps, a correlation between the two, just like there may be a correlation between being a male fashion designer and being gay – it’s a stereotype that often holds up. But, as an asexual biromantic girl, I think I have the right to object to the idea that intellectualism is some side effect of asexuality. It’s definitely not. Plus, the idea that asexuals don’t have/enjoy sex or that most of us are aromantic is really, really incorrect. Which kind of goes against that whole theory of detached intellectualism (even if sometimes I like pretending that aces are just inherently amazing!).
Harvard’s “What What In The Butt: Anal Sex 101” class begs to differ. Or maybe it supports your assertion. Depends on your point of view.
From my experience, I haven’t encountered many asexual intellectuals (most likely because asexuals are rare enough as it is). The intellectuals I know are just as romantically/sexually involved as anyone else, though they may not outwardly show it.
Maybe it’s just my school, but many smart people at our school are promiscuous; many are not; and most have been romantically involved/are definitely not asexual.
A guy actually told me he thought I was asexual once, LOL. (We used to be friends and this came up during a discussion about homosexuality, so it wasn’t TOO awkward…)
I don’t consider myself to be very smart, but I think that people in my school automatically assume I am (and stereotype me as the ~intellectual and docile Asian student~) because of my grades/friend group/etc. I’ve definitely had crushes, though, I just typically don’t divulge details to anyone and I guess I’m good at not making it obvious…?