This could be from any age really. I remember reading lots of books like Harry Potter as a 4th grader to seem smart to the teachers looking at me but I didn’t understand any of it. When the big YA dystopian boom was happening, I read tons of terrible YA dystopias to seem cool but many of them frustrated me.
I am stupid, but here’s my answer:
I suppose you can begin to read works from renowned academics, such as economists and anthropologists. It could aid your intellectual appearance in conversation by providing you with a deeper understanding of human behavior, societal dynamics, and psychological principles applied with nuance to complex topics.
This subreddit likes to recommend Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow frequently; this might be a decent starter work, as Kahneman writes in an accessible, yet well written manner. If you’re able to slow your thought process the way he can, it might help with your problem.