10 Problems Only Smart People Have - Downsides Of Being Highly Intelligent

10 Problems Only Smart People Have - Downsides Of Being Highly Intelligent

If you have an above-average IQ, things often come easy to you. These advantages include getting top marks in school, talking about highly abstract concepts, and being wicked fast at puzzle games without ever actually trying. Throughout your life, many people have expressed that they wish they were as smart as you. And it’s true. Intelligence is a quality that society values. We are always encouraged to study harder, think clearer, do better. No one ever questions if the pursuit of intelligence is worth it. Everyone understands that it is. But the lived experience of high intelligence is marked with a dark side. Keep watching to see if the following disadvantages feel familiar to you!

Number 1 - Overthinking… And Losing Sleep Because Of It If you’re great at thinking fast and problem-solving, chances are, you’re always thinking fast and problem-solving. Your mind races. You find solutions to problems that don’t exist (or don’t matter, if we’re being honest). You overthink all day. Then, you overthink all night. If you’re highly intelligent, you’ve had nights where you laid awake in bed, staring at the ceiling, dreading past, present, and future events - somehow all at the same time. A high IQ equates to an overactive mind that, more often than not, actively struggles to rest. It seems like a paradox, but I’m sure you know the pain of overanalyzing conversations, playing out future scenarios, and debating over complex theories all while trying (and failing) to get a good night’s sleep.

Number 2 - An Irritable Lack of Patience Have you ever spoken to a child in their “why” phase? It’s annoying. You find yourself wishing they knew everything already. The same feelings arise in highly intelligent people who find themselves locked in conversation with someone not of the same caliber, so to speak. Trivial conversations test your patience. Trying to talk about topics that genuinely interest you prove to be a chore instead of a pleasure. And it seems like every time you talk to someone who doesn’t quite meet your level of intelligence, you find yourself infuriated over the silliest things. Maintaining a productive conversation about abstract topics like politics or philosophy is a great skill. It can prove to be both challenging and rewarding for intelligent people. But when you engage with someone who needs layman’s terms and time to understand a complex topic, you’ll find that your fuse is rather short. When you have a high IQ, there’s a high probability that your patience is low.

Number 3 - People Find You Annoying In the same way that you find yourself irritated by other people; others find themselves irritated by you. Your constant need to correct fallacies - even when there is no consequence - stirs the pot inside you and those you socialize with. You can only bite your tongue for so long before you just have to correct someone. And if they keep talking about fake news or “facts” that you know aren’t true, your lack of patience and desire for accuracy spill over… resulting in an awkward situation for everyone. Intelligent people struggle to witness the mistakes of others. They feel the need to correct everything. The problem with this is that life isn’t perfect. Mistakes are inevitable. And people don’t always want your opinion. Even though you don’t intend to offend, your efforts often come off as abrasive and arrogant. And this can make maintaining healthy relationships difficult.

Number 4 - You Fear Failing To Meet High Expectations Others maintain high expectations of you. It makes sense, right? You’ve always been the smart one. That translates into the capable one, the best one, the one. And the pressure is intense. Just like how you hate seeing others make mistakes, you feel like you can’t make mistakes. It puts you in a constant state of anxiety and fear of failure. Worse yet, you might experience imposter syndrome - no matter how great your accomplishments are. Your fear could even prevent you from learning new skills, meeting new people, and generally seeking out new experiences.

Number 5 - You’re Withdrawn From Your Emotions Even though you can understand your emotions, you struggle to process and express them. You find yourself talking about your emotions like items on a dinner menu or facts pulled off of flashcards. Highly intelligent people often claim they rarely - or never - experience the relief that comes from expressing emotions. Instead of acting out in rage or joy, you express your emotions verbally. This articulation is essential for your emotional wellbeing, but if you never express your feelings, you won’t ever be able to truly process them. Without tears, the experience of sadness or pain is numbed. Highly intelligent people often don’t experience emotion to the fullest, and as a result, their emotional intelligence and understanding of others is limited.

Number 6 - You’re Stubborn: Logic Doesn’t Apply To Your Belief System Flat earth isn’t real. Evolution definitely is. Climate change is happening. Obviously. Highly intelligent people have an easier time deciding what is true (or has a higher probability) and what is not true (or less likely) after all the facts are laid out. And the more educated someone is, the more likely they are to recognize how much they don’t know. But for some reason, people with high IQs can’t apply the same logic to themselves. Self-reflection becomes a chore, and people call you stubborn. When someone with high intelligence is challenged, they are less likely to change their mind - even when presented with irrefutable evidence. This makes it extremely difficult for intelligent people to identify and change their own biases.

Number 7 - You’re More Likely To Suffer From Mental Illness They say every rose has its thorn. This one might be the sharpest. Studies have shown that high intelligence is linked to an increase in mental health disorders - especially depression and anxiety. While this correlation might be linked to nurture more so than nature, your intelligence could still prove to be a blessing and a curse. Your overthinking, fear, and irritability cause increased stress responses in the body, contributing to poor mental (and sometimes physical) health. An ongoing theory also suggests a connection between high IQ and a hyperactive nervous system, which causes more severe stress responses to external stimuli. We all know that mental illness doesn’t discriminate based on IQ, but if you’ve got a high intelligence, you’re more likely to suffer from mental illness.

Number 8 - You Suffer From Loneliness People like to stick together with others who can relate to them. That’s completely normal. But you struggle to find others with a similar level of intelligence. And you find yourself actively avoiding social interaction. Whether or not you avoid others because you know they’re not as smart as you or because you suspect it, the result is a very lonely life. There is a relationship between high intelligence and isolation. So even if you are alone, you’re also not alone. Having an abnormally high IQ isn’t all that common, and incredibly smart people do tend to be more reclusive. So, your assumption that you won’t just casually run into another person like you on the street might be true. Nonetheless, you might find yourself leading a lonely existence.

Number 9 - You’ve Never Had To Work Hard This one might seem like a pro, not a con. But hear me out. At the beginning of life, school being a breeze was great. Then, as you moved through life, nothing challenged you. Intelligent people can usually get by without putting in much effort. And studies have shown a correlation between high intelligence and low levels of conscientiousness, or a desire to complete thorough work. That means that you’re more likely to stop before you’ve done your best work. If you’ve never experienced struggles early in life, you might find yourself avoiding challenges as an adult. And if you never learned the value of hard work, you’ll never truly succeed. High intelligence isn’t the only thing you need to get through life. You need perseverance and resilience to earn success. And chances are you’ve had less practice. Without a strong work ethic, you’ll never live up to your potential - no matter how smart you are.

Number 10 - You’re Probably Unfulfilled Sometimes people who are less gifted with book smarts believe that a lack of intellectual ability prevents them from experiencing fulfillment. If they were smarter or more skilled at this or that, they could get a better paying job. Then, they’d finally be happy. But intelligence, talent, a well-paying job - none of these things alone bring fulfillment. In fact, high intelligence becomes the source of unfulfillment. If you grew up thinking that you could accomplish anything (and that it would be easy), you’ll find out sooner or later that that’s just not true.

Life is not easy, and everyone experiences failure, grief, and misery, no matter how gifted they are. Unrealistically high expectations prove to be a downfall for many intelligent people. They cause a lack of satisfaction, feelings of unfulfillment, and a general desire for more. While being highly intelligent is certainly a gift, there are always two sides to the same coin. Don’t overlook the disadvantages to your high IQ, because nobody is perfect. What do you think? Can YOU relate to these problems? Share your thoughts and comments below!