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From time immemorial, we have praised the mind, but high intelligence means not only great opportunities for its owner. It also comes with certain difficulties and limitations.
Back in the 1950s, the psychologist Lewis Terman, who had been working on the problems of intelligence development for many years, came to the conclusion that high IQ does not always lead to bright achievements. In the decades that have passed since then, psychology and neuroscience have actively advanced in the study of the pros and cons of high intelligence. Here are interesting data obtained in recent years.
1. Mental health problems
Mental disorders are, quite possibly, the price humanity pays for high intelligence. This conclusion was made by British psychologists-researchers led by Daniel Smith from the University of Glasgow. After observing a group of nearly 2000 people aged 8 to 23 over a long period of time, Smith and his colleagues found that the higher a person’s IQ in childhood, the more likely they were to develop bipolar disorder in their youth.
After the publication of these data, discussions broke out with renewed vigor about whether there is any connection between intelligence, creativity and mental disorders. Previously, a group of scientists from different countries came to the conclusion that the relationship between the level of intelligence and mental health can be explained from the standpoint of evolution. The development of the intelligence of Homo sapiens has been associated with gene mutations. But these same mutations also explain the increased risk of mental illness.
2. Anxiety
People with high intelligence are more prone to anxiety than people with average intelligence. This is evidenced by a study by American evolutionary neuroscientists led by Jeremy Coplan. It is possible that in the course of evolution, anxiety and intelligence were formed in parallel. In prehistoric times, constant alertness could have contributed to human survival.
3. New ideas
But people with high intelligence are more likely to generate new ideas. Again, this could be important from an evolutionary and historical point of view, since it meant the ability to reject stereotypes and see new ways of development. According to a study by evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa of the London School of Economics and Political Science, people with high IQs are more likely to be atheists and politically more likely to take a liberal stance.
Among the young people in the study, 95% of those who identified themselves as conservative had an average IQ of 95, while those who described themselves as very liberal had an average IQ of 106.
4. Loneliness
And here’s another interesting discovery by Satoshi Kanazawa and his co-author Norman Lee from the University of Management Singapore: the wider the circle of friends among people with high intelligence, the lower their level of satisfaction with life. This study refutes the conventional wisdom that socialization makes you feel happy. At least, now we can say that such a representation is not applicable to everyone.
5. Owl Mode
Satoshi Kanazawa also found out that the owners of high intelligence prefer to get up late. In one of his scientific papers, he analyzed the sleep patterns of 20 American teenagers. Those with low IQs, on average, went to bed at 745:23 pm and woke up at 41:7 am. Teens with high IQs went to bed later at 20:00 and woke up later at 29:7. During the weekend, the difference in the mode of the two groups was even more obvious.
6. Trust in others
The higher the intelligence, the higher the level of trust in other people. This conclusion was made as a result of the analysis of public opinion polls in the United States. Perhaps this can be explained by the fact that the smarter a person, the better he understands other people. In addition, it turned out that those who trust others more also feel happier and have better health.
7. Tendency to be lazy
Lazy people tend to think more, say the authors of a new study, psychologists from the University of Florida. For those who cannot sit idle for a minute, activity helps to escape from their thoughts. Previous research has shown that those who like to think have better memories, spend more time making decisions, and end up choosing the best options.
Source: spring.org