 "Dumbing yourself down" around your peers?
RiderOfGiraffes: I felt like that until I was 19.  I joined Mensa, and found people who loved puzzles, knowledge, intelligence and discussion.When I moved town and did my PhD I found the local Mensans complete prats, but the university gave me the stimulation I needed.You need to find people with whom you can be yourself, but equally, you need to learn how to get on with people in general.  I learned a lot from Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People."  It's almost a manual for how to problem-solve your way through the challenge of social interaction.  Recognise that others have needs and desires, and sometimes that means you shouldn't try to educate them. There are times when it's of no value.Recognise too that sometimes others are just as smart as you, but in different fields of expertise.  Learn to learn from them.Stay true to yourself, learn to interact with people generally, respect people as individuals, ...Seek out those with whom you can be yourself.They do exist.