Why do intelligent people tend to be unhappy?

Question

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.

Adults tend to believe

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.

Western society provides the ideal incubator for social misfits and those with emotional coping problems. When it comes to happiness, people who are socially inept and who have trouble

coping emotionally with the exigencies of life would not be among those you should expect to be happy.

This may be changing in the 21st century as the geeks gain recognition as people with great potential, especially as people who might make their fortune in the world of high technology. Geeks may be more socially accepted than in the past, but unless they receive more assistance with their social and emotional development, most are destined to be unhappy as they mature in the world of adults.

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.

Moreover, they tend to see more of the tragedy in the communites and countries they live in, and in the world, than the average person whose primary source of news and information is comedy shows on television. Tragedy is easier to find than compassion, even though compassion likely exists in greater proportion in most communities.

Answer 1

Because "Ignorance IS Bliss,"
but knowledge (or the belief that one is knowledgeable and truly is not, in the scheme of things) is suffering.

One possibility is that, when one becomes more intelligent and is keen to do so, the ego is often affected like a hammer to the knee.
The ego is not something that can ever be satisfied when not periodically scrutinized by the individual. It will have a continuous need to be filled. Most people no matter how intelligent, rarely take into account that everything they do, or become, or aspire to be, has a dual dimensionality within them. Simply put, this means a positive and negative (the person who makes the remark about working at McDonalds below is a good example of this).
Being aware of this surely aids in potential to subside one, while increasing the other, but how many people take the time to look at themselves and say, "What has this, or that done to me, or made me become?"

We are all familiar with the scenario of addictions such as drugs, alcoholic, gambling and the like, overtaking a persons persona and life and plummeting down into an abbess of turmoil and unhappiness. 'The downward spiral,” as it were. However, even the need to fulfill the ego can have this effect.

I would never claim myself to be a "rocket scientist", but I have observed that people who are actually on a more simple and basic plane of understanding and knowledge, have always seemed to be more content with themselves and their lives.
Not that there can not be great happiness in intelligence and higher learning in all aspects. While one might actually argue that it is their ignorance of their lack of intelligence that keeps them content (thus substantiating the above comment) it may very well be that they are not in the same ego serving realm of reality as many others with a higher IQ, seem to be.

I live in a city that is considered to be the most intelligent city in the United States and can tell you that I have never in all my years met more rude, pretentious and condescending people in all my life, yet for all their knowledge, many seem to be not only unhappy, but severely depressed.

However, the 'intelligent people' that have some spiritual foundation, it seems, are not this way.

We are in a three dimensional world and as we acknowledge our bodies with food and exercise and our minds with education and analyzation, so we must also acknowledge the spiritual aspect of this “trinity” in order to be complete.

When looked at more closely, I think you will find that those with some belief in a “higher power,” such as Einstein, would have had happier lives.
Perhaps because they have ceased to put themselves and their species at the center of the Universe and possibly unburdened themselves of some imagined responsibility.

This answer can not be referenced with pie charts, graphs or accredited testing by recognized Phds, but requires what is seems to be lacking in those afflicted with the same unhappiness that you initially asked about.
It quite simply requires faith.

I hope this helps answer your question, or at the very least , falls into your realm of consideration.

Answer 2

Simple question but its a complicated answer. As a child you can feel different but you won't be sure why. The only good part is your grades are good and the teacher loves you. Later you will be moved to the back of the class because you're the teachers pet, and the other kids are busy not caring about their grades throwing paper airplanes around calling you the nerd. You begin to feel disgusted even then. You want to fit in but at the same time you begin not to care. You are not a conformist and soon you are surrounded by aliens and misfits. At home if you are lucky, you will have smart supportive parents who can guide you and have high expectations of you and your future. Later in life you will have to navigate through stupidity, conformity, jealousy, and sometimes even malicious attacks against you for having the answers on your lips, or if you try to question or debate anything in a rational manner. You will never understand that people are emotional or irrational and lash out because it is not in your nature and they are threatened. Intelligent people will be different but in time they will learn that these qualities can be also be their successes. You will not be a conformist and will have to use these abilities to succeed, perhaps even become a leader meanwhile no one will understand how you got there. By then you can become bitter about the status-quo and that can build up over time. You have to survive with the world around you and you have to stay on the positive side of things but you will feel pulled down and weighted at times. I guess not everyone can deal with it. I am not claiming to be in the sad zone or ultra intelligent but if you are smart enough and intelligent enough you can use these emotions to benefit yourself. It's frustrating to think that the two go hand in hand, but I do believe its true.

Answer 3

Because ignorance is bliss.
Because if you dont know the problem (obviously) there is no problem to make you unhappy
Because doing something "that everyone else does" is just stupid.
Because knowing what to do to help a situation but not being able to do it makes you unhappy(mainly cause someone stupid already occupies that position,or responsibility)
Because being ordered around by a stupid person doing something that doesnt solve the problem(or solves it slowly) makes you unhappy.
If you already know the answer,or if you know what you can do(and want to do) and others say it cant be done(cause it just cant be done,no explanation or thought) makes you sad.Someone can get really sad by the stupidity of others...
education,work,politics,social problems,you name it.Knowing the answer and not being able to solve the problem is a never ending pain.
The reality is that most people that tend to be content in theire misery simply dont think,go around and ask people,just ask,dont talk,only listen,ask them what is the solution to a X problem.The answers will be the same,even those that claim to know the truth, you can find the group that preached the answers(no original thinking).Most people claim that they know,but the truth is that nobody knows everything,and those that think they know,they will most likely give the same answers over and over again.
Being alone in a world where people dont know that they dont know while you know that nobody can know everything(even yourself)is painfull.Its like thinking is a hoby that you do by yourself.
Socrates was thought to be crazy cause he wondered athens asking everyone for answers,in the end everyone got mad at him cause he made them realize how ignorant they were.

Answer 4

There are many reasons you will find that cause intelligent people to be unhappy.

I know that some people are not challenged enough in school. They become bored and their teachers see this as laziness not what it really is. These children, rather than being nurtured and given more challenging work are lumped in with those kids with learning disabilities and thus end up not learning anything and essentially wasting their entire school age years. This also makes it very difficult to continue on with their education. You can't exactly go to college with that very basic education they mistakenly gave you.

I know three men who had this done to them. They were placed in classes with the underachievers and challenged kids. One of them even ended up dropping out of school because he saw how ridiculous this was. All three of them are in jobs far below what they should be doing because of this. Instead of being the leaders and innovators they should be, they are relinquished to mere laborers due to a lack of education. Things aren't like they used to be. In the old days, an uneducated man could end up being anything he wanted to be. Now, without that college diploma, a man is nearly worthless despite his intelligence.

Anyone else see a problem here? We are stifling our biggest assets and our future as a leading nation in development and new research.

Answer 5

Thinking to much about something and then finding it's negatives always makes someone unhappy. Less intelligent people just ignore unneeded thoughts that don't directly concern them and so don't tend to think and worry about the negatives for to long

Answer 6

I once had a professor who was researching "genius vs. madness." I believe his name was Ronald Weisberg. His research showed that many poets and composers were at some point or other hospitalized with depression and many eventually committed suicide. Not that being depressed means one is mad...it's just that society often considers someone who chronically suffers with it as crazy or "mad". I think it has something to do with the way the human body often overcompensates in one area what it may lack in another. Just as when vision is lost, other senses are magnified. The same goes with depression and high intelligence.

Answer 7

How does Ernest Hemingway define intelligence? Who qualifies as a "intelligent person"?

Answer 8

1

Answer 9

"ignorance is bliss..." someone once said. Now... I deem my true self as highly intelligent, though I love to 'code switch' to appropriate various situations..(i've found this neccessary in order to survive..lol) never-the-less, When I entered into therapy a few years ago there was an attempt to convince me that I could not achieve the things that I wanted..the goals were just too big and unrealistic! I was so depressed because yes, I was capable, but so few around me were on the same level of thinking, therefore draining me of any energy that I had. They were satisfied or rather, more accepting and tolerant of things and walked through life oblivious, I on the other hand, had a much more profound look at circumstances and could not be satisfied. I had to research more as well as create conditions that were suitable for my well-being. Now to be in this situation...with very little support, caused marked depression and sadness...even the doctors thought I should be more accepting! what kind of junk was that? should I have walked around singing "no body knows...the troubles I've seen....?" Or would I make a decision within myself to press forward in spite of my limitations and other's denial of my capabilities? I chose the latter. I taught myself to tune out those who say it can't be done. "he who says it cannot be done, should not interupt he who is doing it...!" I am still sad at times. I feel extremely restrained, but I creatively cope, all along trying hard not to compromise myself and my thinking too much. It is incredibly difficult to be in a natural state of higher thinking and to feel all alone because it is not the norm. I have reached many of the goals "they" told me I couldn't!
(I first stated my "true" self because I feel that I have in a sense 'dummied up' in order to assimilate...sometimes I realize that I've stepped a bit too far away from myself.)

Answer 10

I think sometimes smarter people have higher standards then the average person, maybe they are always looking for something and never feel satisfied.

I had three relatives who committed suicide and they all seem to fit this idea. My uncle was a fighter pilot in WW II; even though he was American, he fought with the Candadian Air Force and joined before the USA was even involved. Years later he was having terrible problems with his wife. She wouldn't let him in the house and he pulled out a gun and shot himself in the head. (It was a German luger that he had personally taken from a a dead Nazi.)

His son grew up to become a psychiatrist. My family didn't have that kind of money, but he won several scholarships because of his outstanding academic achievement. He had a habit of cheating and was married three times. His third wife, who ran his office, caught him and froze all of his assets so he couldn't get any of his money out of the bank. He was also in the army reserves and got called called to go to Iraq (Desert Storm)--he didn't want to go and couldn't get out of it. He shot himself in the head just like his father. (In spite of his intelligence, he made some remarkably stupid decisions sometimes.)

My brother in law was working a PhD at MIT. He was supposed to be some kind of computer genius. He made the "virtual reality" exhibit that was used at a museum in Chicago. Believe it or not, he also created the computerized light show that was used for the Rolling Stones "Voodoo Lounge" concert tour. He was an outrageous character with bright red dreadlocks. He killed himself by covering his mouth and nose with duct tape and then handcuffed his hands so he smothered to death.

Winston Churchill, Mohandas Gandhi, and Abraham Lincoln all seemed to suffer from depression according to historical accounts.

However, it doesn't always go together. I work for an agency that provided services for mental retarded people. Many people with very low intelligence suffer from depression as well.