Discussions
Do You Agree That Intelligent People Tend To Be Unhappy
Posted by dune • 1/29/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: attitude, happiness, intelligence, people, society
I recently came across a very interesting article:
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
- Ernest Hemingway, author and journalist, Nobel laureate (1899-1961)
Hemingway, who took his own life in 1961, knew his share of both intelligent people and of unhappiness. He lived through two world wars, the Great Depression, four wives and an unknown number of failed romantic relationships, none of which would help him to develop happiness if he knew how.
As Hemingway's quote was based on his life experience, I will base the following speculation on both my personal and my professional experience as a sociologist. Not enough study exists to quote on this subject.
Western society is not set up to nurture intelligent children and adults, the way it dotes over athletes and sports figures, especially the outstanding ones. While we have the odd notable personality such as Albert Einstein, we also have many extremely intelligent people working in occupations that are considered among the lowliest, as may be attested by a review of the membership lists of Mensa (the club for the top two percent on intelligence scales).
Education systems in countries whose primary interest is in wealth accumulation encourage heroes in movies, war and sports, but not in intellectual development. Super intelligent people manage, but few reach the top of the business or social ladder.
Children develop along four streams: intellectual, physical, emotional (psychological) and social. In classrooms, the smartest kids tend to be left out of more activities by other children than they are included in. They are "odd," they are the geeks, they are social outsiders. In other words, they do not develop socially as well as they may develop intellectually or even physically where opportunities may exist for more progress.
Their emotional development, characterized by their ability to cope with risky or stressful situations, especially over long periods of time, also lags behind that of the average person. That intelligent kids can deal with anything because they are intellectually superior. This inevitably includes situations where the intelligent kids have neither knowledge nor skills to support their experience. They go through the tough times alone. Adults don't understand that they need help and other kids don't want to associate with kids the social leaders say are outsiders.
As a result we have many highly intelligent people whose social development progresses much slower than that of most people and they have trouble coping with the stressors of life that present themselves to everyone. It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of prison inmates are socially and emotionally underdeveloped or maldeveloped and a larger than average percentage of them are more intelligent than the norm.
People with high intelligence, be they children or adults, still rank as social outsiders in most situations, including their skills to be good mates and parents.
www.scribd.com/doc/8778/Why-Intelligent-People-Tend-To-Be-Unhappy
There are also some cases that the rates of suicide, imprisonment and emotional dysfunction among highly intelligent people are much higher than for the average.
So, do you agree that intelligent people tend to be unhappy?
User Comments
-
I think they just think too much.-
So, you think intelligent people are too smart to be happy?
-
I agree ignorance is bliss. Not exactly the opposite of thinking, but close enough.
-
-
Cuz they know better,lol... Nooo... j/k. What I meant is that when people 'think too much' they forget to just be in the moment and enjoy. Thinking is analyzing, analyzing is comparing, comparing is disappointing, being disappointed is to have expected, expecting is .... disappointing. See? It all comes full circle.
-
I think intelligent people often have a tendency to over analyse things, even simple ones.
Well, I consider myself smart but I also appreciate small things that makes a 9 yr old laugh. I think there's some exceptions.-
That reminds me of that 'study' that floats around the internet about these 5 or so questions that were asked of 1st graders and adults and how only the 1st graders answer them with the right answers. Like how do you put an elephant in a refrigerator... only a kid will say 'You open the door of the refrigerator and you put him in.' Their minds are so less clouded than ours, lol.
But I dunno. I only answered this in the first place cuz I felt like talking out of my arse. Lmbo. Don't hate me. I was bored. But hey, maybe it takes a smart arse to learn to talk? I would think... I don't know. :-D
-
-
no , i'm reasonably happy -
Not at all. We say people are intelligent, but we actually describe is that they are experienced and knowledgeable (not necesssarily intellectual).-
@HelloAnnie
Intelligence does not always come with experience or age, though it does for a lot of people. Whether you gain it as you grow older depends on whether you try to learn and grow from your experiences and be open to change or just keep on repeating the same mistakes over and over.
Intellectual people uses their intelligence to understand complex ideas (most of the time cause they love to challenge themselves).
-
-
Intelligent is a tough word to define.-
Same as happiness, specially the genuine ones.
-
-
I agree to some extent regarding the school social experience for kids who are considered academically skilled.
I know I experienced a lot of isolation in school because I was ahead several years in reading.
Their answer had been to make a five year old go to third grade reading classes with third graders. And this three year gap continued well through grade school. Frankly, as a small child, it was scary.
So, no, I didn't get included in a lot of group activities, and I was scared a lot. And as an adult, I find I'm still surprised and delighted to be included in things.
I don't know, though, how common this sort of situation is. -
From what I see, smart people always see a problem and act fast to find a solution while average people see a problem and walks away from it and find a place that will make them forget it.
The average person is unable to understand (most of the time) an intelligent persons point of view that often result to misunderstanding. -
A lot of people who think they are intelligent are not. They may have brains, but having emotional direction is a form of intelligence just as much as looking in books. -
Sometimes it takes an even smarter person to ignore lifes imperfections. -
No, I don't agree, there are too many other dynamics involved such as social conditioning, education (stigma/expectations), health, life circumstances, types of intelligence, personality traits, etc.
You said it yourself Hemmingway's claim about unhappiness was shaped by circumstances that could hardly leave anyone walking around being happy whether they are intelligent or not.
For me empirical evidence or personal experience isn't proof, since my personal observations (professionally and socially) don't match yours. I don't think mine is proof any more than yours is. -
I did find an article on research that states intelligence doesn't guarantee happiness, but then neither does winning the lottery
www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20050714/intelligence-doesnt-guarantee-hap...
they also stated in the article:"For example, higher intelligence may lead to greater achievement, but it also brings with it greater awareness of alternatives, which may lead to frustration."
But again there are many who don't have the ability to see alternatives and still face frustration/unhappiness.-
You have a point jafabrit, makes me wonder that if they're really intelligent and have more achievements in life than the average person why they can't figure out how to be happy.
-
-
I agree intelligent people would be more unhappy because they know the disgusting details. Like who wants to know that when we sweat bacteria from underneath hair follicles get pushed out onto our skin, the bacteria dies because of the acidic levels of the skin. This in turn causes body odor when you sweat because of the millions of dead bacteria carcases on our skin. Intelligent people know things like that, and that would make anyone unhappy. Me on the other hand....I just refuse to learn such things :\-
Being intelligent and being knowledgeable are different things.
Personally I would like to know everything about everything. -
Hi Sensico, I'm happy to see you
-
Hey Dune, happy to see you too sexy
-
-
i do agree -
I am not the sharpest tool in the shed so to speak but I would say I am somewhat intelligent and I am almost always very happy -
Wow, that could'a been a blog post
I think that to really study any correlation between happiness and intelligence, one would have to better define the parameters of "intelligence".
For example, I can certainly understand a person ranging above the genius category being relatively unhappy. Or at the very least, moody or eccentric. The people in our world whose intelligence supersedes even the most reasonably intelligent people are, essentially, living life on a different planet than the rest of us. And I don't mean that in a bad way. But we do not know the greater emotional or psychological ramifications of being that smart. Of being able to comprehend things that are above and beyond what the average person could be bothered to imagine.
If anyone has ever seen "Pi", I think they might know what I'm talking about. There is a fine line between genius and insane.
On the other hand, you have intelligent people (in the normal range) who may very well be unhappy because they simply cannot ignore facts and figures when they come to their attention. If you both learn and comprehend a bit of truth that others may not, and that truth is usually shocking and/or depressing, I could see how cynicism would seep in, and possibly take over.
That's not to say they wouldn't have happy moments, however. -
I think it depends if the person feels intelligent. I know some people who are highly intelligent and have sort of an elitist attitude, thus they do not engage in activities that they think are "beneath them" or socialize with people who they assume are less intelligent. As a result they miss out on a lot of the "little things" in life.
On the other hand, people like me are very "book smart" with relatively high IQ's, yet do not have the type of attitude that stands in their own way. I used to be in the first category, I thought little things were pointless. Then I met a girl and she was the most entertaining and unpredictable person ever, since then I have learned that everyone deserves a chance, jumping on the bed is not only great cardio but it's also fun, and that life is too short to separate oneself from the greater group.
Happiness, IMO, is about openess. You cannot ever be happy if you are not open to the idea. -
Yes, i agree
-
Yeah:) that's why intelligent people tend to be not so intelligent afterall:) I know I'm right. -
My intelligence made me reach the conclusion that happiness is a result of one's own thoughts.You choose wether to be happy or not.Ofcourse outer factors do help, but its mostly how you think that decides wether you are happy or not.
My intelligence was a reason for me to reach this conclusion, therefore my intellignce made me happier.-
sooo...my intelligence leads me to conclude that you are not intelligent
-
-
I'm thankful of what Albert Einstein done to our lives and I'm interested to know if he's happy in his life.
It's interesting to meet a person who have high IQ as well as high EQ. -
It is true that intelligent people get boredom quickly than others. that's because they think fast, understand fast get tired too fast.I agree that intelligent people tend to be unhappy because they reach the heights of happiness quickly and the curve drops thereafter very soon.-
That's a good point.
-
-
Intelligent people can use criticism and intellect to reason their way out of unhappiness - this is something I massively rely on. They also avoid attributing unhappiness to the wrong causes and thus have a better chance of making the right choices for them in their lives. . -
@vijayanths, Anok, Arnous81, EndlesslySheSaid and LadiesAlone
Well, you all have a point. I want to know what Benny Greenberg has to say on this. Where is he anyway? -
Hunny would ya please pass the cheetos! I like this thread. -
I would like to also remind that Happiness does not equal pleasure.Intelligent people know this and can see beyond the fleeting moments of temporary pleasure.That's why they are not impressed and appear to be unhappy.However if they were truly intelligent, they would be grateful for every little thing they have in their life, at every moment.Gratitude is a main cause of happiness.
-
I disagree with the first part, I think that happiness can consist of fleeting moments of pleasure. Example: my three year old runs from across the room, jumps on me and gives me a kiss. It is short, sweet and makes me take pleasure in the fact that I have raised a loving and spontaneous child, which in turn makes me happy.
I agree with "However if they were truly intelligent, they would be grateful for every little thing they have in their life, at every moment.Gratitude is a main cause of happiness"
Lol I need coffee, so that probably makes no sense -
I think your example of the first part resembles more than the average pleasure that I am talking about.Your son kissing you actually means something to you.Thats why it makes you happy.You explained it yourself.What I was talking about is purely phyisical pleasures.Sex (without love), good food,and adrenaline rushes are pleasures.Good ones too.But alone, they do not make a person genuinely happy.
-
-
Here's your cheetos HollytheHousewife -
@Arnous81
very well said. -
Perhaps they are at first because they think and see all these impossible things to solve. Then in time they mellow out and begin to have faith that this is what's meant to be after all.-
I'm happy to see you here LynneaUrania
-
-
I have often thought that if you paired off the homeless people that wander the streets - then they would look like they were talking to each other and other people wouldn't think so badly of them...
(I also have this marketing and sales plan for renting of coffins - so I may not be all that smart)
Perhaps the way that "intelligent" people are happier are when they are paired off with people of equal levels of intelligence...
I do not know where I fall in the "dune-scale-of-intelligence" - I can tell you this... I was happy - I was unhappy for a very long time - and now I am more happy than at any point in my life. Does that mean I have had an uphill-downhill-uphill battle with my own intelligence or lack thereof? I doubt it...
There are so many extenuating circumstances to ones happiness... but I can tell you this little bit of wisdom...
Until you are happy with YOU - You will never be happy with anyone!-
Yup. That is true.
-
Well said. I have for the most part always been happy with me and have been happy most of my life. There were situations that I was once in or shall I say a relationship I was in that I was not happy in and at that time I was not happy with myself. Ok that kinda proves intelligent people can be happy. I was intelligent for leaving the relationship and I was happy again after I left
-
man - that is the fourth "well said" in less than 24hrs...
I must be getting good at this -
Hi Benny, good to see you here. I admire your social skills specially online. And that skill what most intelligent people lack of. Most jobs available for them don't require this skill so their not honed.
-
so...essentially you are calling me... less-than-intelligent?
laughs -
Ok ok be careful your head doesn't get too big You do have a good way of putting things into words.
-
it has taken a long time to acquire that skill (not the big head thing) - thank you...
-
-
wrong spot...
my intelligence must be slipping-
Just means you are happy now
no more comments on that one -
There's always an exception Benny, your one of them and that's very rare. Not sure about your intelligence? Just kidding
-
@chicky - Oh I am happy - happier than I have ever been - and the great thing... I know that I will be happier tomorrow. So it really does not get better!
@dune - thank you - I think -
I definitely be happier tomorrow! It will be Friday though I like my job and probably have too much fun at work!
-
-
Chicky, it is not that intelligent people are unhappy always. IMO they are happier than the average persons, only thing is they will be fed up with the routine very soon and seek for something new inexperienced,so until they find something new ,they tend to be unhappy( hmm, somehow I justified the title of the discussion, dune can I expect a word of thanks from you))
-
Oh I never said intelligent people aren't happy. I'm always happy
-
-
@chicky, yes, nice to know that. be happy always.I'm happy most of the time.rest of the time? I'm intelligent perhaps according to dune.
-
ya - we really do need the definition of the "dune-scale-of-intelligence"
-
-
I disagree.
They tend to be unhappy because they don't know how to adjust with the situation.-
How come dosox, remember they are intelligent.
-
An intelligent person should be intelligent in all ways
-
-
@benny, I agree with you to my level of intelligence.
-
well they do say "water seeks it's level"
-
-
It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of prison inmates are socially and emotionally underdeveloped or maldeveloped and a larger than average percentage of them are more intelligent than the norm.
That doesn't jive well with my criminology classes. While there is probably a percentage of psychopaths (very small percentage of actual criminals) who fit the bill of "highly intelligent" your joe average jail bird isn't a rocket scientist. Can you point out some criminology studies that support this theory.
I tend to agree with the socially awkward part however being intelligent should make said person more equiped to adapt to situations given the brain power, don't you think? An intelligent person has a better chance of dumbing down than a dunce has of smartening up.
Edit: I don't know that I buy the less happy thing.-
dumbing down is fun. It gives a fresh perspective Just have to be careful that others don't start automatically labeling you a dumb. Example: 90% of the world thinks Paris Hilton is borderline retarded, however her IQ is in the 140's though she did have one that said 129, still between 129-140 isn't too shabby.
-
@Endlessly, you say borderline I say completely ha-ha! Actually I don't think she's retarded but I also struggle with believing the IQ of 140 as well. I might give her 115ish.
-
@faithsju243
Good to hear your opinion, mine is also an opinion. I'm just sharing an interesting article. I didn't agree nor disagree with it, cause for me there's an exception to this. I hope your not mad at me. BTW, I'm not playing around. -
it's possible. Could have just been good PR finagling, Madonna is confirmed 140, so is Shakira. I thought they were both "special" til I saw that... ready for this GW is 123 & Mahommad Ali was 78 in the army before all of the head shots....
-
-
Ok, obviously I'm referring to IQ. I believe that we are all born with some intelligence that can be honed. In my opinion, happiness is a choice. If you truly want to be happy in life, you'll do all thing that makes you happy. Simple huh.
-
Simple...
Positive attracts positive and Negative attracts Negative...
If you work on the positive - give positive - that is what you get - and when you get positive - what you do is give it right back... the best kind of circle...
of course that circle works for negative... so you must pay close attention to the removal of negatives...
-
-
yes! exactly dune. Do what makes you happy. If you like to go to school,then go.
If ya like throwing field party's,then throw them.
You don't have to be smart to figure out what float's your boat. LIFE is too freakin short. Live life have fun. -
@BennyGreenberg
I didn't agree nor disagree with it. I'm just want your opinion of this and most of you has points about it.-
and I am quite poignant - aren't I!
-
-
Oh thx for the cheetos. I don't know if you were being mean or nice.
either way thx.-
Sorry, I forgot this
-
-
lol
-
Not sure it is all down to intelligence - there a loads of intelligent people that are happy and many more that do not commit suicide - so I think this is a generalisation IMOO -
in general no, but there is huge potential -
Many of the 20th centuries great authors suffered mental illness. Just as many or more did not.
There is no indication that just as many people without extreme intelligence aren't suffering extreme mental illness, but you don't usually have the opportunity to read much about people who aren't in some way rather notorious.
There are in fact studies which show a causal relationship between happiness and intelligence, they are easy to research, but I haven't come across any which show a causal relationship between lack of intelligence and happiness. -
If I lacked intelligence... I would be unhappy
-
This discussion is making me think too much, so I'm outta here.
-
does it hurt J?
-
Arrrrggggghhhhh my brain is starting to melt, quick somebody do something.
"I'm melting, I'm melting, what a world, what a world,
whoever thought that a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness"
Wizard of Oz 1- Wicked Witch Melting
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfV_ENR5IZE -
Information overload J...
tosses her an aspirin - a Bloody Mary and the keys to the Lizard Mans cage -
RESURRECTED....It's a Miracle, I'm back, thanks Benny
-
hey - what are friends for J!
-
BennyGreenberg my Hero....
-
Or a hoagie
-
-
If Ignorance is Bliss,
Wouldn't the opposite of Ignorance, be Hell?-
Hell, I vacation there quiet often.
-
yeah, me too. Stoned stupid is my favorite spot:D -
eric... always with the tough questions
-
-
Intelligent people are capable of being happy. We all are. It's not really intelligence (or lack thereof) which leads to happiness. It's more of a choice within yourself whether you concentrate on the good things in life or the bad. We all have ups and downs, and if we focus on the ups....we have a better chance of being happy.
I personally believe helping others is a key element to happiness. It helps you feel good about yourself when you make a positive difference in others lives. You don't have to be super intelligent to help others. You just need a caring heart.
Of course this is just one opinion, but it works pretty well for me.
www.ImaNicePerson.com -
Many people think that being sulky makes them look intelligent. And it does work for some time. -
It's a fact that suicide rates among experts on the human psyche are rather high but if they are geniuses, shouldn't they be intelligent enough to know that thinking too deeply is dangerous to your (mental) heath?
One of the posters on a discussion I started the other day gave what I thought was some of the best advice; live in the moment. Perhaps the people who are well-endowed in the brain department reach too far into the future and lack the ability to release the past? A good memory, which can be a characteristic of an intelligent person, is not always a blessing.
One of my favorite lines in a Leonard Cohen song goes "If I HAVE to remember, that's a fine memory". I believe he was referring to a retained mental image of his girlfriend taking off her clothes, which is off-topic to this thread. What I found profound in the statement was that he'd prefer not to remember the past but if he did have to have memories that one was a keeper. -
@msbaby, PhotoHand and imaniceperson
Thanks for participating, this is why I started this discussion. You get to know the different views from different people of different cultures. And I know that my opinion is not enough. -
I believe that in childhood the "geeks" are left out of the social norm, but as they get older a lot of them learn ways to cope in social situations. I know I did, all you have to do is move away from where people know you from childhood and start over. Not a hard as it seems because you are not really leaving anyone who really liked you anyway. So you start over after you gain some social skills and everything is great. Remember being intelligent means you can probably learn anything even social skills -
I think chopping up the mind into many compartments: emotional, intellectual, social--creates a dangerous excuse for contradictory behaviour.
Happiness is a product of the mind. It takes a mind to realize happiness, and intelligence to recognize it. Those who don't have a mind are incapable of happiness. -
yes ignoraance is bliss
with knowledge comes responsibility.... cause no one knows any better -
@phantomelen, marktmarket and siralmo
Thanks for all your great comments.-
are you for real... that is the most horrid thing i ever heard...
****************************EDIT****************************8
about phantomelen's comment
-
-
I agree that it comes down to personal choice - we all have the ability to choose how we react to our circumstances, so we can choose to be happy or not. It's not really that simple I know, as all sorts of factors can influence how we make our choices.
I'd say my partner and I are roughly equivalent as far as intelligence goes, but he's far less of a worrier than me - I spend far more time wondering what might go wrong and analysing things. He lives much more in the moment and trusts that things will work out.
So maybe it's not how intelligent you're rated, but how you apply it.
I wrote a post recently about a couple we met who are making themselves miserable by dwelling on past mistakes. I felt uncomfortable listening to them for too long, especially as they're not ready to move on. So my intelligence was telling me I don't like being around unhappy people. Does this make me intelligent and happy? -
no valid basis for such a theory ...
everybody tends to be unhappy- sometime in his/her life span. -
I don't think it's valid to make this type of generalization. When I read this question to my husband, he commented, "That's like asking 'are rich people happy'?"
Just because someone is rich, doesn't mean they're happy! They may be happie than most poor people, but perhaps not! Quality of life may not be ideal, etc.
Intelligent people may also have a deep faith that allows them to be joyful, even in adversity! -
If I knew how to post the picture I just posted on my chicky's life blog I would show you that intelligence is not always happy Almost forgot about this guy until I was going through my pictures and decided to post about him.
-
For a long time I believed the inverse: happy people are stupid. (Not funny people, happy people. Humor is often dark, twisted.) I've since mitigated my views. Some perpetually happy people are stupid. Others just view the world differently, have different criteria for assessing their own happiness. -
@dayflyer
"So my intelligence was telling me I don't like being around unhappy people"
So do I.
"Does this make me intelligent and happy?"
Well, are you happy? Relationships is where we can get true happiness in life, to love and be loved.
@jeremylong
"everybody tends to be unhappy- sometime in his/her life span"
I totally agree, but we're talking about who's spent more of his/her life on happiness.
@divinelydesigned, chicky401 and lulubelleb
Happy people learned the art of contentment. Most(means not all)intelligent people thinks that there's always something to be done, something to be improve. More thinking leads to stress.
These are some ways (I know) that makes a person:
1)Find who you are and be yourself.
2)Find your purpose in life and follow it faithfully.
3)Your passion leads to your happiness.
4)Always have a positive mind.
5)Build a happy relationships, with your family and friends.-
Oh mine was actually a joke the guy had about as much intelligence as my toe He wasn't very happy though.
-
@dune
May I contribute this please? In contrast to those who are crying on the inside and acting happy on the outside, many people are intelligent risk takers, who are genuinely happy. They view their failures and any criticism they receive in a positive way, rather than allowing either or both to bring them down and deter them from achieving their goals. They don't give their power away by choosing to be overly sensitive to what others think of them. They don't give their power away by choosing to be "set in their ways" and resistant to change. Instead they are flexible, resilient and adept at making changes.
(6) Accept every failure as a lesson in how to succeed in the future and make the adjustments required to achieve success.
-
-
-
This guy was unhappy that my bus took a couple spots far away from the store and left thousands of open spaces close to the store. In his unhappiness he was intelligent. That is just the long story short. But that is ok cause my butt scratched his car as I was trying to get in my bus
-
-
My IQ is 131, and I am relatively happy. Except for when I am unhappy, which rarely has anything to with my IQ. -
I think intelligent people just think more about whether or not they are happy, and then what the nature of "happy' is, and then whether or not they are actually currently thinking, and then about the nature of consciousness, and then they realize they've been frowning in concentration for the last half hour and everyone around them thinks they're all pissed off about something.-
Ha! There ya go! Case closed.
-
-
no
Add Your Comment
Login to leave a message.
