Why intelligent people tend to be unhappy

One of the keys to happines is understanding others.
If intelligent people are not as happy the normal folk, it's probably because they are out of touch. Part of the problem comes when intelligent people can't comprehend why others are not as smart as them, and frustration arises when they expect others to keep up with them on an intellectual level.this also leads to impatience. Seems the more intelligent a person tends to be, the less common sense that person tends to have.

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

I disagree with the notion that intelligent people are unhappier than stupid people. unhappier. I believe that it's better to be intelligent than to be unintelligent. There are people that are unintelligent that be stupid for the rest of their life and they will think life is fine. Intelligent people take a different approach to life. However, intelligent people need to develop social skills early on in their life in order to have a happier life, otherwise, they will probably live a sad and lonely life. They may think they know it all but they have to have the social skills if they are ever going to make their ideas a reality to the rest of the world. I believe that if you have intelligence and you have social skills than you must be a truly happy person.

I think I actually resent ignorant people for this very reason! They may be "happy" being average nobodies, meandering through life without any goal in particular but its not them that have to carry the world forwards.

The ignorant are not the leaders, the doctors, scientists, priests, nurses, teachers, architects (sorry if missed people ). Intelligent people carry a burden for society, carry the responsibility and stress that makes the world turn and keeps society moving and growing.

So perhaps intelligent people probably are less happy, but they can take solas in their contribution to the world and that they lived a significant life.

Theres too much of a distinction being made between intelligent and unintelligent on here, who decides which is which, the line is not that fine. A person could be a mathematical genius but if his car breaks down he may not have a clue how to fix it so he will take it to someone who he may deem less intelligent but in their chosen field they are master.

People can excel doing what they love be it physics or art. Genius is often born out of obsession, Hendrix practised, Einstein read. And your right without scientists we would have no modern society they push man forward but the same can be said for the common labourer, our society is dependent on us all and both deserve happiness equally regardless of elitist attitudes or importance of positions, to say one deserves joy more than the other is garbage to me.

reply to post by Mayacara


Awesome point and great post Mayacara! You are totally right to have chosen to be happy over the cash. hat's nice to hear

I was pressured from an early age on to go into microbiology, genetics, or biochemistry... then on to get at LEAST a law degree, blech...I like science and did well in it, but I didn't WANT to work in that field.

I was perfectly happy through my 20's trying out a variety of professions with my liberal arts degree LMFAO...Dad would call that, "underachieving" but my goal was personal happiness and satisfaction, not racking up the green stuff and working 80 hours a week with no life.

I chose my own path, and have probably had 20 professions, my resume looks like someone combined 5 people's information. But along the way I picked up a HUGE variety of skills....which looking back, totally fit with my entrepreneurial personality.

The jobs I didn't like, I left. The ones I did, I worked and learned everything about them until I got bored, then moved on, until I found something that I loved.

Someone else in this thread brought up emotional intelligence and I think that's a big indicator or whether or not an intelligent person will do well AND be happy.

It's funny but for many years because of this path I chose I was always short on cash but I had a blast. I wouldn't change anything. The happier I became the more money started to come from all that I learned. It's amazing how that happens

reply to post by kdial1


Thank you for your post.

I am in near total agreement with your statements and hope that more folks will learn from them.

Ahem! I’m a former ‘crème de la crème’ (or cream of the crop). Come to thinking of it, I dunno what happened over the years. I guess it’s my age or the fact that some of our high expectations for perfection cannot be fully achieved, where the people around us shun our creativity, mocking our very souls. The pain cannot be salved with comforting words. I am an EMO and all alone with fragile ego. Waaahhh!



[edit on 2008-6-04 by pikypiky]