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.
Common sense and intelligence are two terms that can often be confusing although there is a difference between these two words. Common sense is good sense in practical matters. On the other hand, intelligence is the ability to gain and apply knowledge and skills.
A simpleton is an idiot — a person without much common sense or intelligence. This is one of many words — such as moron, dummy, and dimwit — that insult a person's intelligence.
The most pressing reason why smart people struggle to succeed in life is that they don't hold importance to social skills. Hence, they fail to develop crucial social skills like relationship building, active listening, effective communication, and empathy. This alienates them from the people around them.
They are a natural strategic and independent thinker. In addition, they have a highly complex inner world that not many people get. Because of this, they may struggle with loneliness, relationship frustrations, and feeling misunderstood.
Other research has found that people who consider themselves to be highly intelligent also tend to be disagreeable.
Sensitivity And Emotional Intelligence
The good news is that highly sensitive people aren't more or less emotionally intelligent than others. They just use emotional intelligence differently.
Yes, some smart people lack common sense. Why? 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.
Despite their intelligence, highly intelligent people may struggle socially. They may find it hard to connect with others, especially those who have different interests or perspectives. They may also find small talk or networking events challenging, as they may prefer more in-depth conversations.
A person may be considered to be lacking in common sense if they continue to believe or do something when there is evidence to suggest they would be better off thinking/acting differently. We often say that such a person is “set in their ways” and unable to change.
Simply put, not everyone can be of average height or weight, temperament or personality, cognitive ability, social status; yet, almost all people think they are (see also: Lake Wobegon Effect). That is, by definition, not everyone can have common sense. To some, a lack of common sense can be earth shattering and awful.
But common sense may not be as common as we think. It varies from person to person, because none of us has identical knowledge and experiences. A group must apply a lot of concerted, intentional, and integrated effort to develop a shared pool of judgment.
High-IQ people often experience social isolation, which can lead to depression or make them act more introverted than is their nature. The very intelligent know they're intelligent, so they're prone to setting lofty expectations for themselves that they can't meet.
Early twin studies of adult individuals have found a heritability of IQ between 57% and 73%, with some recent studies showing heritability for IQ as high as 80%. IQ goes from being weakly correlated with genetics for children, to being strongly correlated with genetics for late teens and adults.
Common sense is derived from both intellectual ability and life experiences used together to make good judgements. You are born only with an ability to develop common sense. As life progresses, you learn more about the world and this gives you more insight into what makes sense and what potential solutions could be.
Ability to learn new topics quickly. Ability to process new and complex information rapidly. Desire to explore specific topics in great depth. Insatiable curiosity, often demonstrated by many questions.
Studies have also found that higher IQ is associated with more mental illness, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
Being intelligent has its advantages but can also bring unique problems that only smart people face. From overthinking every situation to struggling with social anxiety, perfectionism, or loneliness – the list of issues that come along with higher levels of intelligence is long.
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.
You're the silent type
You'll find plenty of misconceptions about quiet people, e.g. being labeled as introverts, socially awkward and so on. This isn't necessarily true, and while not all quiet people are necessarily smart, highly intelligent people will often refrain from speaking if they are accessing a situation.
Highly intelligent individuals may find that being alone provides a space to focus on their thoughts and ideas without distraction, allowing them to explore creative solutions, gain deeper insight and analyze their thought patterns more deeply.
Intelligent people, though, tend to be characterized by insecurity. They have a high level of personal response, reflection, and discretion. None of these things makes an impact. Plus, we live in a world where people still see insecurity as a negative characteristic.