However, intelligence has drawbacks too. For example, studies have found that higher IQ is associated with more and earlier drug use. Studies have also found that higher IQ is associated with more mental illness, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
Yet intelligence also imposes burdens on the person: Intelligent people are more aware of a situation's complexities and so are more likely to worry and/or be pessimistic. As Charles Darwin wrote, "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge." In short, ignorance is bliss.
Ego, overthinking, boredom, inaction and procrastination are a few of the many reasons many intelligent people are unsuccessful. Most geniuses are not successful because of their egos. They became too caught up in their abilities and believed they were better than everyone else.
Recent research has found that those with higher intelligence may be more likely to experience worry, anxiety, and other mood disorders.
Summary. Geniuses are both born and made. While genetics can explain up to 75% of variations in IQ levels, factors like socioeconomic status and home environment decide whether a person achieves their full genetic IQ potential.
“Self-doubt is why we don't change and why we don't take action. Self-doubt is a story we tell ourselves to justify why we can't do something and why it's not possible. That is the reason why smart people often fail. When you're really smart, you're good at predicting all the negative outcomes.
Geniuses don't work well with others.
Geniuses have high expectations of themselves and despair quickly when they fail to produce superior results. Highly intelligent people have too many interests and tend to get bored easily.
Intelligent people often override common sense with their considerable brain power — but this isn't always a good thing. Smart people think in situations where they should feel, like in relationships. They may avoid the correct response because it doesn't seem rational when we all know that life isn't always rational.
Connecting With Others Is Difficult
Having a high level of intelligence, no matter the form, can make it difficult to form connections around others. Intelligent people may find that others are not interested in what they have to say, and that, conversely, it's hard to find interest in what others talk about.
Moreover, intelligent people also struggle with love because they value their freedom and independence. They might not be ready to give up their single lifestyle for a committed relationship. Or, even if they are in a relationship, they might still feel the need to have some “alone time” to pursue their own interests.
In 2015, clinical psychologist Elke van Hoof did research on high sensitivity and looked at a possible link with giftedness. She discovered that 87% of gifted people are also highly sensitive.
As research published in the journal Intelligence found, people who are mentally gifted are more likely to suffer with specific psychological and physiological problems that may become a barrier to forming healthy relationships.
Because of their interests and views on bigger ideas than the average person cares to think about, they don't seek out social validation because frankly, they don't need it. This means that they don't spend as much time socializing because it's just not as important to them.
Smart people don't close themselves off to new ideas or opportunities. Hammett writes that intelligent people are "willing to accept and consider other views with value and broad-mindedness," and that they are "open to alternative solutions."
The smarter the person, the faster information zips around the brain, a UCLA study finds. And this ability to think quickly apparently is inherited. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, looked at the brains and intelligence of 92 people. All the participants took standard IQ tests.
The researchers found that more intelligent individuals generally tended to be more satisfied with life throughout adulthood compared to less intelligent individuals.
The data showed that those with a high IQ got bored less easily, leading them to be less active and spend more time engaged in thought. The highly active group got easily bored when having to sit still and observe their abstract thoughts.
Geniuses have a denser concentration of mini-columns than the rest of the population – it seems that they simply pack more in. Mini-columns are sometimes described as the brain's 'microprocessors', powering the thought process of the brain. Research shows that geniuses have fewer dopamine receptors in the thalamus.
Research has shown that there is a high correlation between being intelligent and socially anxious. The higher your IQ, the higher the chance your social apprehension is higher than usual. Of course, that doesn't mean that your social anxiety should be classified as a disorder.
Researchers have previously shown that a person's IQ is highly influenced by genetic factors, and have even identified certain genes that play a role. They've also shown that performance in school has genetic factors. But it's been unclear whether the same genes that influence IQ also influence grades and test scores.