The Fictional Relationship between Intelligence and Misery

Intelligent people tend to be unhappy - that's the general consensus anyway, and it seems reasonable when we examine the reasoning behind it. Intelligence is equated with complexity of thought. And it is precisely simplicity of thought that eases the path to contentment - or happiness, if you will.

Think of happiness as the flow chart pictured below.

The paths to happiness.

It's a process - Point A to Point B. Those whose thoughts are simpler, get from Point A to Point B with little issue. Those whose thoughts are complex, inevitably take a longer time to arrive at Point B, if ever.

Ergo, intelligent people tend towards dissatisfaction.

I know people who are perpetually unhappy. These days, it seems to be the trend. I'm unhappy, therefore I must be smart. These people are either determined to be unhappy in order to prove their intelligence, or using this proof of their intelligence as consolation for their unhappiness... both of which strike me as being very far from smart.

Propositional Logic

Back when I was a University student taking a module on Heuristics And Artificial Intelligence, part of the basics was learning the difference between different kinds of Propositional Logic. The most straightforward form was Deduction, which involves deriving a conclusion from a set of premises. In the case of the subject here today, this particular deduction appears to be as follows:

Premise A: People are unhappy because they are smart.
Premise B: I am unhappy.

Conclusion: I am smart.

Because the above deduction is correct on paper... only if one assumes that Premise A is always true. But it's not. It's not only smart people that are unhappy. Premise A is intellectual vanity, nothing more.

The fallacy here is that intelligent people can never be truly happy. What is true happiness, anyway? It's a lot like true love - many people like to wax lyrical about it, but no one can really define it for you. And when they do try, it invariably turns out to be largely inadequate or a heap of verbal dogshit.

Why people are unhappy

I've come across more than one wannabe genius sharing claptrap like this article on their Social Media feeds to hint (or even outright declare) that they're always unhappy simply because their intelligence makes them so.

Here's what this article (and others of its ilk) claims...

Intelligent people overanalyze everything.
Many people with a high IQ tend to be overthinkers who constantly analyze everything happening in their life and beyond. This can be draining at times, especially when your thinking processes take you to undesirable, frustrating conclusions.

Sure, being intelligent gives one the ability to overthink. You know what would be even more intelligent? Recognizing that such a mental exercise is ultimately unproductive and moving on with things more worthy of your time. 

Intelligent people have high standards.
Smart people know what they want and don't settle for less than that, no matter what area of life we are talking about. This means that it's more difficult for them to be satisfied with their achievements, relationships and literally everything that has a place in their life.

Part of intelligence is not simply about recognizing the possibilities, but also understanding constraints. It's not only intelligent people who have high standards for themselves - plenty of mediocre people do the same while failing to recognize their own limitations. Without that self-honesty, all it amounts to is delusions of grandeur, thinking they deserve more than what they have, and ultimately bitterness when they inevitably fail. After all, you can't work around limitations you don't recognize or conquer weaknesses you refuse to acknowledge.

Intelligent people are too hard on themselves.
Sometimes, you just lie there in your bed trying to fall asleep and suddenly recall a situation (which probably happened years or, at least, months ago) when you didn't act the way you should have. This is enough to mess with your sleep and spoil your mood.

I won't say that some introspection isn't useful from time to time as a tool for digesting your experiences. But if you're doing it too often, that usually just means one thing - you didn't learn the first few times. And that's not smart. Aren't intelligent people supposed to be quick learners?

Reality is not enough.
People with high IQs never cease to seek something bigger – a pattern, a meaning, a purpose. The deepest and the dreamiest of them don't stop there - their restless mind and imagination don’t let them just relax and enjoy "the good things in life".

Well, damn. I didn't know having your head in the clouds automatically made you a genius. I should do that more often. 

Lack of deep communication and understanding.
Sadly, intelligent people rarely have this pleasure. Many of them feel alone and misunderstood, like if no one is able to see and appreciate the depth of their minds.

Jesus, that's some Grade A self-pitying bullshit right there. You're not complex, sweetheart... you just have a complex. Learn the difference. Maybe stop trying so damn hard to be "deep" and just be real. 

That's not to say that this article is entirely wrong. But it needs to be put in the right context. You wouldn't find a tortoise or a gazelle worrying about anything beyond food, shelter and natural predators. You see, things like overthinking, daydreaming, obsessing and delusions of grandeur - they do require intelligence. Human intelligence, to be explicit. Only human intelligence could manage these higher functions.

And not exceptional human intelligence. Average human intelligence would do.

So if you're unhappy and think all of the above apply to you, you certainly are intelligent. Just not intelligent enough to avoid all these obvious mental traps. After all, does your dissatisfaction or unhappiness result in any productive action? No? Then you're wasting time. And wasting time, while not a definite indicator of stupidity, doesn't exactly scream brainiac.

Lastly...

Granted, happiness isn't something you can turn on and off like a switch. But you sure as hell can remove some obstacles to your happiness - primarily by getting over yourself. Take responsibility. Stop hiding behind shitty articles.

Articles like these are harmful. They enable your unhappiness. They give you a convenient crutch to use if you find yourself unhappy but unwilling to take responsibility for it.

It may not be intelligence. You could simply be clinically depressed, and if that's the case, you need to go seek medical help before your condition makes you do something stupid. And if you're not clinically depressed, then you need to grow up, stop mentally wanking off to this shit and proclaiming (or even hinting) that it's your intelligence that's the cause of your unhappiness.

Keeping it simple,
T___T