by If anyone thinks having a high IQ makes your life easier, they’re wrong, and we’ll tell you why.
THE intelligence it is one of the traits that impress us and that we usually look for in the people around us. Next to, this is the reason why the world does not stop but progresses. But while having a high IQ helps you perform better in school and later in your career, it also has downsides you may not have known about.
The Downsides of Being a Genius
THE Mensa Internationaldefines IQ, as a standardized score that determines a person’s mental ability among their peers. The average IQ is around 100, while a high IQ is defined as a score of 130 or more and places a person in the top 2% of the world in terms of mental capacity.
Research shows that of all the scintillating accolades and benefits that come with an incredible intellect, many serious mental, emotional, and social “problems” can get in the way of a person’s happiness. Some of them are as follows.
1. Social isolation
Being around someone you think is much smarter than you can be intimidating. According to research, people tend to avoid people and situations that make them feel inferior. In some cases, the emotional distance between people with high IQs and those with more average intelligence is not a direct result of a person’s flaws. Rather, it is an unfortunate fact of human nature.
However, there are examples of people with high IQs whose behavior harms their relationships. For example, those with a high IQ tend to be critical of othersgiving an idea to correct those around them without considering the social implications.
2. Mental illnesses
The link between high intelligence and mental illness has been established after years of research. A 2018 study published in Elsevier explained that people with a high IQ are more likely to suffer from a higher response to stimuli, which makes them more prone to mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Having a high IQ can challenge someone high levels of stress, which can prevent him from having peace of mind. Thus, one is more inclined to focus on past mistakes or misfortunes to identify how and why things went wrong in some cases so that they can be avoided in the future. Although the intention behind this practice seems reasonable, delving deeply into undesirable events in one’s life can lead to the development of a gloomy view of the future.
3. Human relations
For people with a high IQ, their brain is the feature they are most proud of. As such, they tend to value intelligence, logic, and knowledge above all else and find these to be attractive traits in their romantic partners. Just as a person who values fitness seeks a partner who shares their interests and hobbies by going to the gym, people with high IQs want to have a romantic relationship with someone who finds pleasure and satisfaction in fitness. same way as them.
In the case of those with a very high IQ, this can sometimes be problematic. “Because they tend to live in their heads, they can be largely detached from their emotions”explained psychologist Leon Seltzer in his article for Psychology Today. If both parties see no value in emotional intelligence and rely only on logic to make their relationship work, then building a relationship with each other can be complicated.
4. Decrease emotional intelligence
Because they are more comfortable with their brains, people with high IQs often overlook the emotional aspects in personal or professional relationships. It’s not entirely their fault, because society places a high value on intelligence and has always refused to express or consider emotions in professional fields. This led to the belief that pure intellect was the only viable route to success. It is only in recent years that emotional intelligence has been identified as a key skill to consider and practice in many workplaces. Although emotional intelligence still does not receive the same level of recognition and respect as mental intelligence, its prevalence is increasing.
5. Feeling “full”
People with a high IQ tend to have a “running” mind, always looking for new experiences and information to increase their knowledge. This can be a great advantage as they nurture their creativity. However, when faced with situations or circumstances that do not offer spiritual variety, they can very quickly become bored and indifferent to what is going on around them. Although high IQ dreamers have no problem developing strategies and concepts, they tend to give up when it comes time to execute their elaborate plans.
6. Criticism
While people with high IQs seek acceptance in society by demonstrating their skills, the rejection of those skills can make them feel rejected as people. Those with high IQs also often feel misunderstood, as most people don’t perceive the world with the same level of insight as they do, which makes them don’t want to take criticism from people who don’t see them as “equals”. Although many people with high IQs benefit from “intellectual humility,” which is the ability to admit that they don’t know everything, it’s still difficult to use this ability in a situation where you think you are intellectually superior.
