10 Things That Make It Hard for a Smart Person to Be Happy

Stephen Hawking’s IQ is 160, Ashton Kutcher’s is 160, and Natalie Portman’s is 140. It seems like smart people don’t have many problems and are truly happy. But as it turns out, happiness is rare among extraordinarily smart people and we’re exploring why in this article.

Bright Side loves exploring problems that continue to bother many people. Just for you, we have found out why intelligent people often feel lonely, unhappy and lost.

10. They tend to overanalyze things.

People with a high IQ tend to continuously analyze the events of their lives. Over time, this exhausts them because their findings are often full of fear and disappointment, and real dilemmas arise in their heads.

Writer and coach Robert Taibbi recommends learning how to accept your right to make mistakes, recognizing them and allowing others to be mistaken too. People are flawed, so we should not make a tragedy of it by criticizing or gossiping. You’ll be much better off just drawing conclusions and moving on.

9. They are too demanding of themselves and others.

Smart people know clearly what they want. Often they look at the world in an idealistic way, and it is difficult for them to give up their expectations. This prevents them from receiving satisfaction from life and feeling happy, and the reality of the world around them often just brings disappointment.

In his book, “True Happiness” Martin Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, calls for a daily “exercise of gratitude”. Just remember those things and events that make you feel grateful. It will distract you from having negative thoughts and help you to look at many other things. Or try to keep a diary of the things you’re grateful for, and every day, be sure to write in it about what you have (family, health, friends, education, and freedom).

8. They lack a warm and friendly relationship.

Everyone wants to experience understanding in a close relationship. But it’s very difficult for intelligent people to talk to an interlocutor openly since they are often misunderstood. They want to talk about important and meaningful events and rarely are accepted and understood. According to scientists, socialization for people with high IQs is an experience often more painful than loneliness.

Try to reconsider your surroundings and get rid of people who pull you to the “bottom” or internally empty you. Find ways to make new acquaintances with people whose company you aspire to. Appreciate the relatives who sincerely love you — this is the best way to get rid of the feeling of unhappiness, according to psychologist David G. Myers.

7. They suffer from psychological problems.

Many scientific works confirm that intellectuals often suffer from mental disorders. The scientists couldn’t find a direct dependence here, but the fact remains. The habit of constant analysis leads to frequent reflections about life, death, and the sense of existence. All this in most cases leads to depression.

The solution? Help others more often, even strangers. Studies have shown that people who support others experience a sense of inner harmony much more often than those who ignore other people’s problems. In addition, this is an excellent excuse to ignore the constant reflections and gloomy thoughts.

6. They seek to meet the expectations of others.

The academic successes of such people lead to even greater future expectations of others. Such a load often proves to be an unbearable burden especially for gifted children who are deprived of childhood early on.

“Excessive self-focus and anxiety about how we look in the eyes of others prevent us from living and having fun. Try to treat learning and working as a game: get fully involved in the process and try not to get stuck in the result,” advises the well-known psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

5. They rarely make rational decisions.

Scientist Igor Grossman of the University of Waterloo suggests that such people should talk about their problems in the third person in order to emotionally distance themselves, reducing bias and coming to wiser conclusions.

4. They are not always successful.

Studies have shown that 85% of financial well-being depends on such things as individuality and the ability to communicate and negotiate. The Nobel Prize winner, Psychologist Daniel Kahneman, found that people are more willing to do business with someone they like and trust, even if they offer a more expensive product.

According to scientists, emotional, moral and physical intellects play a much greater role in achieving financial success. Learn to develop these for yourself. Emotional intelligence is expressed by how well you can understand your feelings and feelings of others. Moral intelligence is how you feel about your obligations and your honesty. The indicators of physical intelligence are how you take care of your body (nutrition, sports, rest and health).

3. They are experiencing more stress.

Canadian scientists came to the conclusion that people with high IQs perceive simple everyday problems much more sharply. They have a habit of thinking many times over what is happening, including negative things, leading them straight to chronic stress.

According to the advice of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, it is worth learning how to temporarily disable negative feelings when we encounter a lot of problems. This will help us calmly analyze the situation and find new ways to get out of the difficult situation.

2. They are more likely to have health problems.

The more intelligent people are, the later they go to bed — this is the conclusion that scientists have come to. Such regimens are known to lead to heart diseases. In addition, it turned out that people with highly developed intelligence are prone to alcoholism and smoking due to increased anxiety.

1. They feel more comfortable alone.

Highly intelligent people experience discomfort during frequent contact with friends. They are too focused on achieving their goals and therefore can quite easily abandon the opportunity to spend time with any company.

If you are comfortable alone, this is wonderful, but you should not isolate yourself from others. Psychologists have proven that people who purposely find time for their loved ones feel much happier at the end of their lives. It is important to share your experiences and joy — the very process of communication is important. Think about how to make the interaction interesting for you too.

What do you think? Does high intelligence only bring problems or is it actually helpful? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.