Does intelligence lead to unhappiness?

[nziller]

Do you feel that ingnorance is bliss so to speak? Are smart people unhappy because they are never satisfied with where their life is? Are dumb people lucky in their acceptance of how they are? Sometimes I wonder if I would be happier being a dumb bimbo rather than being intelligent.

[rei]

i don't think the unhappiness is inevitable.

being smart means you can more quickly grasp all the resources that teach you how to have a positive attitude, and it often means you can more quickly think of sources of gratitude - things you can appreciate - and this encourages a more positive attitude. it means you might even be more likely to get results from the action you take, but sometimes action would be needed.

yes, it is possible to feel heavy when you're smart, but i don't think it's inevitable, and you can also apply your intellect to shifting things for yourself.

[nziller]

Originally Posted by rei

i don't think the unhappiness is inevitable.

being smart means you can more quickly grasp all the resources that teach you how to have a positive attitude, and it often means you can more quickly think of sources of gratitude - things you can appreciate - and this encourages a more positive attitude. it means you might even be more likely to get results from the action you take, but sometimes action would be needed.

yes, it is possible to feel heavy when you're smart, but i don't think it's inevitable, and you can also apply your intellect to shifting things for yourself.

Yes, but sometimes being smart can lead to never being satisfied with what you have. You know the possiblilities.

[rei]

Originally Posted by nziller

Yes, but sometimes being smart can lead to never being satisfied with what you have. You know the possiblilities.

yes, but like i said, you can also apply that intelligence to methods that will increase acceptance, satisfaction, and a positive attitude. you can consciously choose to cultivate those things, and it's often easier work if you're smart. it's also a valid choice to stop at the point of never being satisfied, if we don't wish to take it further.

[Mu No Hito]

I think that the question raised in this post is quite interesting. Indeed you are correct in saying that people who are ignorant sometimes enjoy life more than so called 'intelligent' people. If you look at the way a family functions in a village, it is very different and seems to be happier than a family that lives in the city, where the children are usually schooled and people are 'intelligent'.

However, I do not believe that Happiness comes to those who are ignorant. Happiness, is a result of following one's aspirations, whether you are ignorant or intelligent, you'll find happiness when you are in line with what truly fulfills you. As for being unsatisfied and wanting more, that can be true of both the ignorant and the intelligent. There are ignorant, excessively greedy people and vice a versa.

What I recommend is going and aspiring to be more, moving forward in the direction of one's aspirations, not denying them. Be honest with yourself, take a deep look and ask yourself, what makes you happy? From there, just keep moving forward in that direction, step by step, everyday, contribute a little towards your happiness and be diligent in it. Everyday, ask yourself, how have I contributed to my financial, relational, spiritual and so on, at the same time realising that a life with no obstacles, difficulties and hardships is part of becoming a virtuous human being.

One problem that 'intelligent' people face, is that they are too future orientated sometimes. They are always looking and seeking to improve upon their situation. When they are in that mode of thinking, it becomes difficult to just enjoy being. So when that is taking too much of your energy, learn to tame it, but don't deny it! Feelings/Thoughts are there for a reason, they are guides that help you move towards becoming a virtuous human being.

My screen name is Mu No Hito (No Person) (A person who doesn't think). In Japanese, this refers to what a Zen monk becomes when he is enlightened, not ignorant or lacking in intelligence or even passive in any sense, it means that he doesn't give into his fears or worries, because he realises that fear is ignorance and is conscious of living his 24 hours a day, everyday, as opposed to being lived BY the 24 hours of the day.

[illus]

Do you feel that ingnorance is bliss so to speak?

ignorance is only blissful as a spare for the moment because it revolves on pleasure kinda bliss which is momentarily


Are smart people unhappy because they are never satisfied with where their life is?

a little knowledge is a dangerous thing one who truly understands is satisfied with everything and finds satisfaction wherever he is

Are dumb people lucky in their acceptance of how they are?

being dumb is a judgment put on 'dumb' people by other people to make these other people feel 'smart' about themselves - dumb, what are you referring to when you use that word because being 'dumb' can be really wise

Sometimes I wonder if I would be happier being a dumb bimbo rather than being intelligent.

why do you think you are intelligent? what are you basing your judgment on?

[Ekb]

Hey! I felt absolutely compelled to write as I felt this way as a child - growing up in a small town I was always the top of my small class. I felt like I couldn't relate to other kids and that I were somehow better than them consequently I became incredibly shy and dwelt angry to myself. Then we had a couple of new kids come - and I realised, that I wasn't the hottest ****! Lol. So I don't know if you feel this way - but look at other smart people - are there any that you think are incredibly unhappy? Do any of them say it? Get to know people you think have less than average IQ - are they really happy? Do they need a little help every now and then too? Oh, and in my later years drowned myself in alcohol and drugs for a while - trust me I felt way worse! Luckily still had enough 'intelligence' to realize it's bad when I couldn't add 2 digits together :P

[Mike75]

Originally Posted by nziller

Do you feel that ingnorance is bliss so to speak? Are smart people unhappy because they are never satisfied with where their life is? Are dumb people lucky in their acceptance of how they are? Sometimes I wonder if I would be happier being a dumb bimbo rather than being intelligent.

I don't think that people living in ignorance are happier. They face different kind of challenges then the people who are aware of the world. They don't live in some Wonderland either

[newmark]

I think Ekb's comments above are good. If you are intelligent and surrounded by those who are not; or who are just different from you in another way, then it would be easy to blame intelligence, when it is the difference or lack of companionship that is causing the unhappiness.

I've known intelligent and happy people. I've known intelligent and unhappy people. I've known less intelligent and happy people. I've also known less intelligent and unhappy people.

I think intelligence and happiness are not related if you use any of the standard interpretations of intelligence. If you prefer a much wider and non-conventional interpretation of intelligence, then they may be related.

[180]

I think it depends.

I'm at a level of intelligence where I can see everything... intentions, lies, etc etc... Social intelligence

HOWEVER, It makes me extremely jaded and un-trusting of people often. I can see everything that happens, body language, etc etc...

So these thoughts actually make me angry about the true nature of humanity. We're all selfish beings but some of us take it to extremes and it bothers me too much. I hate selfishness in all it's forms... So I have a very hard time making new friends. I can see right through them. And they can see that I don't trust them.

As an example, yesterday I was with some friends I just met. One of the girls felt so superior to me she said something along the lines of "You can go if you want to." Well, intellectually I knew through her tone and word use that she was being completely condescending and she thought she was "higher rank" than me. So I was obviously completely turned off by her and actually became quite distant. IF I was ignorant of that, maybe the friendship could last. But because I"m aware of it, I don't want it to continue.

In some ways, intelligence can make you very unhappy.

As a buddist monk would say, thinking makes you worry. Worry makes you unhappy. Don't think and you can be happy.

[Brutha]

Yes, but sometimes being smart can lead to never being satisfied with what you have. You know the possiblilities.

Don't blame your limiting beliefs and ineffective world view on your intelligence.
IQ doesn't help you when you have low self awareness and a crappy understanding of the world.

Highly intelligent people can become paranoid when they lack wisdom.

If you build intelligence in the way Steve defined the word in his book you won't

I'm at a level of intelligence where I can see everything... intentions, lies, etc etc... Social intelligence

HOWEVER, It makes me extremely jaded and un-trusting of people often. I can see everything that happens, body language, etc etc...

So these thoughts actually make me angry about the true nature of humanity. We're all selfish beings but some of us take it to extremes and it bothers me too much. I hate selfishness in all it's forms... So I have a very hard time making new friends. I can see right through them. And they can see that I don't trust them.

Being a cynic doesn't mean that you have social intelligence. It just means that you push an ineffective mental model into a situation without having the self awareness that you are actually using an ineffective model by choice.

[Melchior]

Originally Posted by nziller

Do you feel that ingnorance is bliss so to speak?

Yes.

Are smart people unhappy because they are never satisfied with where their life is?

Who said that smart people are unhappy?

Are dumb people lucky in their acceptance of how they are?

Who said that dumb people accept how they are?

Sometimes I wonder if I would be happier being a dumb bimbo rather than being intelligent.

Who equated being being dumb with a lack of intelligence?

Does intelligence lead to unhappiness?

No.

[xtheist]

Someone once said to me 'What would you rather be? Happy pig? Or unhappy genius?'

I chose happy pig.

This is a question I've pondered on before. I have definitely noticed that less intelligent people can often seem more happy and content with their lot. There seems to be alot less angst and soul searching and just a tendency to focus on life at physical, base level. Their needs are relatively simple and easy to attain.

Situations are fairly cut and dried and solutions seem more obvious. I have envied that at some points I must admit. I have had to work through a lot of unresolved crap from early childhood and adulthoodhood to feel happy. I had depression for years but didn't know it, caused by unresolved issues. It was only when I started to actually think of them and understand them that they melted away. This takes a certain amount of intelligent thinking and I know without this I woud still be stuck in a dark place. So I've now gone round the houses and come back on myself and I can say that, in my case, it was by using my intelligence that I became a happier person in general!

So then I think 'well what if alot of horrible stuff happens to a person who is not that bright? do they have no way of workng through it if their intelligence is limited? or is it that they actually have to have someone lead them through it, like a counsellor etc?'

I am not suggesting that a person who needs a counsellor is less intelligent by the way! It's just I've never had anti depressants or counselling or anything like that. I believe if I had consulted a professional about the way I felt they would have subscribed both.

It's a conundrum.

I mean there are different kinds of intelligence and what exactly is happiness? It may mean something different to someone else that it does to me.

[anniecooper]

I wish i wasn't smart.
I would be in .01% of the problems i'm in now.

I hate it.

[Acting Like Godot]

It would seem to be a fairly straightforward study to conduct.

However I don't think that I've ever come across any study showing a correlation between happiness and intelligence.

[Daffy Duck]

Originally Posted by nziller

Are dumb people lucky in their acceptance of how they are?

How do you define intelligence? In my opinion, an intelligent person will be happy with who and how they are. It would be dumb not to! That doesn't mean we don't strive to achieve our goals, of course.

Although some studies may disagree, overall there is no definite link between intelligence and happiness.

From Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55(1), 34-43.

"Researchers have also accumulated evidence that many life circumstances correlate with SWB [subjective well-being] at only modest levels, again supporting the idea of adaptation. For example, Campbell, Converse, and Rodgers (1976) estimated that 10 resources, including income, number of friends, religious faith, intelligence, and education, together accounted for only 15% of the variance in happiness."

Originally Posted by xtheist

I chose happy pig.

Ah this makes no sense! Pigs aren't happy. Have you ever listened to Miss Piggy? She's a ♥♥♥♥♥!

[Plato]

High IQ is correlated with high levels of fast "beta" brain waves. The same that cause dis-ease, anxiety and stress.

But yeah, if I can throw in an anecdote:

I went to a school of above average intelligence people (my year was the No.1 mixed state school in the country for A-levels and GCSEs). Almost everybody was really happy.

[SatvikBeri]

Originally Posted by Plato

High IQ is correlated with high levels of fast "beta" brain waves. The same that cause dis-ease, anxiety and stress.

Where does this come from? Doesn't seem true at all in my experience-several of the high IQ people I know are the best at relaxing and using alpha when taking tests. That's what most of them did on the IQ test.

Do you have a source?

[Brutha]

High IQ is correlated with high levels of fast "beta" brain waves. The same that cause dis-ease, anxiety and stress.

It not that easy.
What do you mean with beta brainwaves causing disease?
I think someone read to much Bill Harris. The guy is pushing an approach that might have been clever in the 70's when he came up with it but we didn't know anything about the brain back then.

[Plato]

Originally Posted by SatvikBeri

Do you have a source?

No. I'm only into pseudo science.

Awwww, you missed my nifty little anecdote about hanging out with the smartest year group in England and how most were really happy.

[Plato]

Originally Posted by Brutha

It not that easy.

I never said it was. Just putting it out there. And I meant dis-ease (uneasiness). Not disease.

[SatvikBeri]

Originally Posted by Plato

No. I'm only into pseudo science.

Awwww, you missed my nifty little anecdote about hanging out with the smartest year group in England and how most were really happy.

I actually didn't, but I just felt the need to pick on you Plato . I would love to see a study indicating any correlation between brainwaves and intelligence.

[Brutha]

I never said it was. Just putting it out there.

Didn't you just write a post about taking responsibility? What meaning did you want to imply by those facts? People might draw conclusion from reading your post, what conclusion do you want them to draw?

You left out the part about people with high beta activity having much less depression than people with low beta activity with happens to have more to do with the topic than stress. At least that's the kind of mainstream knowledge about beta brainwaves that you get when you read a book on the topic while that book doesn't usually carry the IQ claim.

[Plato]

Originally Posted by Brutha

Didn't you just write a post about taking responsibility? What meaning did you want to imply by those facts? People might draw conclusion from reading your post, what conclusion do you want them to draw?

Well, I knew you would be here to counter my rubbish post.

I'm glad you did. I'm far from confident in my assertions about this topic. That's what the anecdote was intended to highlight.

[ThoughtAddict]

"Happiness" doesn't say enough. A person can be "happy", feel in every moment a general pleasure, and yet be rather unfulfilled. In Voltaire's "Story of a Good Brahmin", he recounts the lives of two individuals. One, a poor obscure woman with no family, a small house, and little money. The other, a rich, respected, wise brahmin with multiple wives and financial abundance. The woman found herself content with her life so long as she had warm place to sleep and a bit of sacred water to wash herself with. The brahmin despaired in his lack of knowledge and the meaninglessness he found in his life.
And yet, says Voltaire, it is difficult to find anyone who would willingly sacrifice their reason in exchange for mindless happiness. Voltaire ends confused about this.
The best explanation I can come up with is that it is difficult to accept a numbed happiness over an aware pain. Our reasoning, our intelligence, is like a glass. We all have different size glasses which we fill with our happiness and meaning. With a very small glass, as I had in times when I was habitually intoxicated, it took very little substance to fill my glass and feel happy and fulfilled. When I operate at my sharpest, that glass swells in size and the things that previously ensured happiness now seem like mere drops due to the massive size of the glass.

Aristotle's term for a fulfilled happiness was eudaimonia, a word best translated as "flourishing". When you are fulfilling your purpose, feeling driven and happy and acting as the ideal you would, you strive toward this state of eudaimonia. This idea makes much more sense to me than just "happiness"...

[nziller]

oh wow I didn't know so many people replied to this thread. I logged off almost immediately after posting it on Friday. This is all really interesting.

[180]

Old topic, but I'm reading a book that discusses this.

Intelligence... in some ways is related to EGO. And the EGO gets in the way of happiness, because we tend to think limiting or negative thoughts.

think about it this way. As the book says. A squirrel will not think... "I'm only going to limit myself to 10 nuts today.... I'm not worthy of anymore." But a human will attach a limiting belief all the time. What do they say "Oh I can't do that... I can't go on stage" etc etc...

Our own minds reach a great deal of consciousness that it works against us. We all experience it and a great deal of intelligent people suffer from it. It's probably why most nerds don't stand up to bullies.

Think about it! As a nerd in highschool, even though we were the smartest of the bunch we ALWAYS thought in limited ways because of our EGO. We calculate and discern that "we aren't as cool as the jocks, we can't stand up to them"

Now imagine if all the nerds turned 180 (ahhahaha) and decided to be the biggest baddest and ruthless non-limiting machines you've ever seen. They would stronger and more powerful than the jocks. Imagine them using their intellect to manipulate everyone. Why don't they do it? EGO.

Intelligence breeds a sense of inferiority rather than superiority. The less faith based we are the more we calculate failure and dissapointment into our equation. Versus someone completely faith based in themselves are going to take risks, get into fights, and do everything to win. A nerds going to calculate his % of loss, and avoid a fight.

So yes, intelligence can/does breed unhappiness

[Karanime]

Stupid (or, I should say 'average') people are happier because they talk to more people. The more people you talk to, the more superficial your conversations have to be, in order for everyone to understand without having to keep explaining it. And since average people, by definition, can talk to more people (social connection often has to do with intelligence levels), they're also more superficial.

And if anyone here's been following my threads--superficial conversation is abound, and it's possible to be happy and completely meaningless.

Intelligent people don't have as many people to talk to, so philosophy is the only thing we have left to do with our minds. It's great, because we don't have to repeat ourselves as much. And it's also why we often choose meaning over happiness. Which is probably why we're less happy.

But if we realize that choice, we're happier about being less happy. Paradoxically.

Hum. Yay logic.

/<3

[brendannz]

It depends how you define smart

Being overly-analytical itself, can make you more inclined to anxiety or worry.

Most nerds or smart people aren't able to find pleasure in laughing at the shortcomings of others, which is a cheap thrill to some people.

[Artelus]

Just like having too much muscles can be bad for the unprepared body, having too much thought can be bad for the unprepared mind.