With at least a few people it's probably you who is much smarter than them. Do you ever find yourself playing dumb with them, for instance when they're chewing through some chain of thought you could complete for them in an instant? Do you ever not chime in on something inconsequential?
After all you just might seem like an insufferable smartass to someone you probably want to be liked by. Why hurt interpersonal relationships for little gain?
If your colleague is really that bright, I wouldn't be surprised if they're simply careful about how much and when they show it to us common folk.
Nah, in my experience 90% of what (middle-aged) super-duper genius people talk about is just regular people stuff - kids, vacations, house renovation, office gossip etc.
There's a difference between "looking down on someone for being dumber than you" and "feeling sorry that someone is unable to understand as easily as you".
After all you just might seem like an insufferable smartass to someone you probably want to be liked by. Why hurt interpersonal relationships for little gain?
If your colleague is really that bright, I wouldn't be surprised if they're simply careful about how much and when they show it to us common folk.