Do you think that being smarter can make you less happy?

Question

That's exactly what I mean surffsav, of course, I'm looking for either an expansion on that type of answer or any other way that being smarter can make you less happy...or a contradiction...or why you think the average dude is happier than a smart person, if that's so. I haven't finished reading the page yet by the way. No, I'm not attacking you for having a short answer. I'm praising you for saying that you helped me come up with a way to explain my question.

Why are you shouting at me BANANA!

...and banana, the question doesn't deal with whether you help or hurt yourself; rather, it deals with how intelligence can help or hurt you

I screwed up a a sentence in the first section of details. I meant to type "I'm praising you for helping me come up with a way to explain my question".

I feel like I'm in agreement with about every answerer.

I feel like I'm in agreement with about every answerer.

One more thing, then I will stop filling the page. I must have hit the "submit" button too many times.

Nevermind, I have to add this, I got a little crazy with the thumbs up button.

Answer 1

Yes, of course. If ignorance is bliss then it follows that knowledge is sorrow. The more you know, the more you have to worry about, the more responsibility you feel to do something about it. If you don't know, then there's nothing to worry about, you are carefree.

Remember when you were little? You spent most of your day playing and laughing. Did you get stressed out? No. You had no responsibilities. You had no bills to pay. You didn't know many of the evils in the world (unless you had a difficult childhood & were faced with many adult problems before your time). As innocence gives way to experience, as ignorance gives way to knowledge, you lose some of that happiness. Adults laugh far less than children.

Many of the greatest talents throughout history (great artists, writers, thinkers) have been tortured individuals, too unhappy to exist in the world. When you see too much, when you know too much, it can be an unbearable burden. It can drive you mad, destroy you if you let it. Some of the most intelligent people I've met have been the most unhappy.

The key is to find enough beauty in the world to counteract the ugliness, to find happiness despite life's sorrows & trials. You can use your intelligence to come up with solutions to the problems that trouble you (where possible) and finding ways to cope when there is nothing that can be done.

I always loved the Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

Perhaps wisdom is attained when you don't let your intelligence bring you down, when you maintain a childlike sense of wonder & find happiness regardless of the sorrows that surround you.

Answer 2

Yes, I believe so. Being smarter lets you think about things the Average Joe doesn't and because there are more Average Joes (since that's the meaning of Average), you keep having the feeling that no one can really understand you. And it doesn't stop there, you think about why no one understands you and then try to come up with an explaination and you realise its probably because even you can't understand yourself because you've got all these complex thoughts in your mind.

Before you know it, everything can be expanded into something more and more complex, and the more you think about it, the more cynical you become and thus less happy.

Smart people can't see the simple happiness in life or rather they know the simplicity exists but are unable to just accept certain things are simply just that simple.

Answer 3

While ignorance is bliss, a little self-knowledge can help find what makes oneself happy. To see beyond what society tells you you need and find your own path will fulfill you more than any of the riches of the world. Being "smart" does lead to more depression, but it also helps lead to true happiness.

Answer 4

Yes, because the smarter you are, the less people you will find on your level. It is frustrating to make a reference or a joke when the people around you don't know the reference, you feel like you don't fit in.

Answer 5

Yes. Some less intelligent people can be quite content in this world. People with more intelligence and some free time can drive themselves crazy with questions like "Why are we here?" "Why am I me and not someone else?" and other things that have no meaningful answer.

Answer 6

I tried to analyze everything, and I was a very unhappy individual for quite a while. So I think about this quote: Look for the ridiculous in everything and you will find it". It's not that you have to be ignorant to be happy, but you have to understand that you don't HAVE to over analyze every aspect of your life.

Answer 7

I think the smarter you are the more you notice the complexities of a situation. I think smarter people worry more...yes. I think being smarter can make you less happy. But I think it could make you appreciate happiness more when you find it.

Answer 8

Yes. More things are examined and considered, not just accepted as what other people say or write. Simplicity is sometimes made complex by deeper thoughts. And it's difficult to get into ordinary conversations.

Answer 9

Happiness is being content with what you have. Want is unhappiness. Therefore whether you are smart or not is a mute point.

Answer 10

No I believe the smarter you are the more interesting you are the more people are intrigued by you and the more you can accomplish by being smarter makes you happier