Is it something in the water?

Granted, uselessly small sample size, and I don't at all assert that this univ. affirmative is convertible -- I know personally that it's not -- but I find it intriguing that all 3 people I've ever known who take every opportunity to "casually" interject in conversation how smart they are, all grew up in Southern California, in the beach towns south of Los Angeles.

This morning's example - in discussion of weather, this person (an adult) said "Oh, yeah, I was really good at weather in school. But then, I was always the smartest person in my science classes, so."

Another person, I had to stop spending time with because it was simply too exhausting to attempt to have a "conversation" with her, my every statement being met with some example of how the way she had once handled a similar situation was so much smarter, or her pet phrase which was "everyone always says I'm too smart for my own good" followed by a "hee hee" and rueful "oh that scamp" head shake.

I probably have a northeast / puritanical bias against speaking well of oneself, and maybe it says more about me than them that I don't like being around these people.

{Positivity fail}