Americans are split on whether brilliant people are warm
Core finding
Americans give brilliant or genius people the benefit of the doubt on niceness, but barely: a narrow majority (51%) thinks they are warm rather than cold, according to a Verasight survey of 509 U.S. adults conducted May 11, 2026.
The other 49% say brilliant people run cold, not nice, leaving the country almost evenly divided.
Topline distribution
Americans are split on whether brilliant people are warm.
Are brilliant/genius people warm (nice) or cold (not nice)?
n = 509 · May 11, 2026 · MoE ±4.6%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | May 11, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 509 |
| Margin of error | ±4.6% |
| Module | society |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26
Are brilliant/genius people warm (nice) or cold (not nice)?
Cite this question
Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=509 US adults age 18+, +/- 4.6%.