Why intelligent people tend to be unhappy, page 2

Interestingly Bill Allin mentions that a large proportion of Mensa members are in low paid jobs. I believe the reason for this is that they are more likely to do a job that they find satisfying rather than one which is financially rewarding. I myself have abandoned the career I trained for and have chosen a lower paid job, partly because I can work evenings and weekends, so between my husband and I we can look after our children without the need for childcare, but also because I get tremendous satisfaction from it. In fact, I could earn considerably more money doing the same job elsewhere, but I love where I work and the people I work with, and so long as we're not on the breadline, that matters enormously to me.

I do find I can get on with just about anybody, and I think that most intelligent people are able to recognise the ability of those around them and work within others limitations. Its very important to recognise that every person on this planet has equal worth and rights, and, quite frankly, intelligence has diddly squat to do with that.

As to being unhappier than others, yes, I probably am. I find that discrimination, injustice, racism, sexism etc. etc. etc. weigh very heavily upon me. But I am a depressive, and although my intellect allows me to understand the nature of the disease and take control of it, it does inevitably get the better of me at times and so this may well have an impact upon my judgement.

It is very hard sometimes watching my children struggle within their peer groups as children undoubtedly find it much harder to pitch their conversation at an appropriate level, but they find it easier as they get older.

It may seem very conceited of me to write like this, but I grew up in a household where I was constantly told I was stupid, and suffered terrible lack of self confidence as a result. My epiphany came after taking an IQ test (and it took much persuasion and several glasses of the falling down water to get me to do it so that result was probably a smidgeon lower than it could have been!). I can't begin to tell you the joy I experienced at realising that, just sometimes in my life, I was probably right and others were wrong.

So, generally, I think if your intelligence goes unrecognised or if you are bamboozled into a career which stiffles you, or if you are a child struggling to fit in with the kids in your year group, yes, intelligent people probably are unhappier. But I have had the good fortune in my life to know many people who undoubtedly would be regarded as genius, and they were all normal happy people for whose greatest joys were their families and friends, not their intellectual achievements.

Cheers