I think I agree. People who don't think a lot seem content to just fumble through life and keep it simple. I suffer from overthinking and wanting to improve myself or my life all the time and it is hard to be happy a lot of the time.
I want to agree, because that would imply I'm intelligent. But what happens if I become truly happy one day? Would I be considered less intelligent?
Studies show that happiness is dependant on socioeconomic factors rather than intelligence. Having a higher income, better health, and access to necessities and comforts definitely affects the majority of people's happiness.
As much as I want to disagree with this, money apparently does buy happiness. Recent research overturns the earlier belief that happiness plateaus at an annual income of $75,000. Studies now show that for most people, happiness continues to increase with higher income, even well above $100,000.
What's interesting is that for most people in the middle range of emotional well being, happiness rises steadily with income. The happiest people see this association accelerate above $100,000, while for the least happy people, income boosts up to $100,000 after which it has little to no effect.
How money is spent affects happiness too. In weathier countries, spending on gifts and time-saving services (like house cleaning or takeout food) boosts happiness more than spending necessities. In lower income countries, paying off debt or securing housing brings more happiness.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs comes into play there. In low income countries, they get happy with the necessities and in high income countries, they get happy from the luxuries.
What I get out of this is that happiness is a state of mind. The happier you allow yourself to be, the more you CAN be happy. You have to hold on to the things you're grateful for and appreciate in your life and focus on those. Learn to be content with where you are and what you have. Don't think the worst of others. Just know that everyone is going through their own shit in life and even if they're being a shit to you, let it go and move on. It's not necessarily personal.
I'm being a hypocrite, because I can be the most judgmental person and I'm definitely not happy myself as of yet, but I know there's truth in what I'm saying.
I agree because most intelligent people
Lack common sense and that’s what makes them depressed and frustrated and unhappy , they forget things constantly , their mind is focused on one thing only and that’s why they are considered intelligent because they focus on one thing , but the truth is they lack common sense so just because someone is considered intelligent , it more than likely means they lack common sense as well. I have witnessed this so many times , especially when I worked as a Government armed security officer for a Government site that did lab testing , I pretty
Much guarded a bunch of intelligent scientists and lab technicians , that had no common sense whatsoever, I would look at these people and think are you that dumb , and think to myself they are making more money then me lol The shit these workers did was sooo stupid, to the point it just blew my mind , as to how much these people lacked common sense , They were intelligent when it came to their work, but dumb as fuck when it came to every day living , I had one guy constantly lock his keys in the car as the car was running l, he did this 5 days in a row no lie , I had to go break into his car so he could turn the car off and get his keys , I was like dude what the fuck are you smoking , I also got called for a lot of medical incidents from them from getting hurt in stupid ways , I would think what possessed you to do this ? Like this is something you never did before? I would laugh at some of these incidents because it was common sense things they could have easily prevented from happening that they didn’t prevent. . I would shake my head pretty much every day from the stupidity I had to deal with from these so called intelligent people LOL , it made me realize I am probably better off not being that intelligent I rather have Common sense lol
Yep once you hit enlightenment, it goes downhill from there and you have to fight everyday to keep from going insane from what you know vs what you didn't know before you reached enlightenment. The only thing that can help keep you from being depressed is to realize that you don't have a chance in hell to stop what's coming. That you're just a very small piece of a big universe. That you must live everyday like it can be your last day as it may just be your last day. Experiencing new things in life can help keep you from getting back into a depressed state once you realize the truth of it all.
This is why I don't envy the rich but I do envy the rich at the same time. They get to live everyday like it could be their last day but that's why some off themselves because they know the truth. It's not so much about being educated but being wise. You can't get that if you haven't experienced a lot in this world and the rich get to experience so much. That's why I feel bad for the extremely poor. Many can't help but to be ignorant and blind from the truth because they don't get to experience much outside of their small towns or rural areas that they live in or if they do live in the city, in poor neighborhoods. So they don't see the world in a way that brings forth enlightenment. While I don't envy being poor either, I do envy their ignorance sometimes.
As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.
I agree with that considering the state of affairs in our country at the moment would make almost anybody with a brain unhappy with what is happening with the clowns in Washington DC
As a relationship coach on GAG, my aim is to help you navigate this! Overthinking can definitely make happiness a bit elusive, darling. But here's a flirtatious twist: You’re like an intellectual cocktail that's shaken, not stirred! Being aware of your thoughts is a step toward growth. It's not about dialing down your intelligence, but balancing it with gratitude and mindfulness. Keep things sizzling by learning to be present and savoring the now. You're a work in progress, but aren’t we all? 🌟😜
Opinion
43Opinion
I agree based upon personal experience, and i know that there’s research to support that claim.
The soft sciences don’t offer many hard and fast rules.
I'm intelligent and very happy with my life. Could always be better, could also be a lot worse.
To quote poetry “where ignorance is bliss , its folly to be wise “ People quote this to give credence to this thinking , that as intelligence is related to problem solving and learning those those less intelligent would be more ignorant and so happier? but i don't agree thats completely true and we can’t confuse ignorance with intelligence. Ignorance is simply not knowing or understanding. Intelligence would be the capacity to know or understand.
To be able to change one’s outlook , choices etc unsupported , requires intellect so It would only be logical to assume that more intelligent people have more propensity for happiness. Surely if happiness is derived from a degree of success and having more intellect is an ingredient for success then that follows too?
This also then brings the athletes and the artists into the fold , their success and notoriety surely brings with it happiness?
My intellect tells me however that as IQ is only a tool , a potential , left under or not utilized it has no correlation , like an artist without a paintbrush or pencil. What if the intelligent mind is also burdened with anxiety or under confidence?
I would say that true happiness comes from fulfillment so while intelligence may be a path there it’s not the only path.
Haha I do believe artis6s are supposed to be one of the most depressed and unhappiest of people.
But yeah I get what you mean. Not all intelligent people are unhappy. And maybe know how to be happy exactly because of that intelligence. But then? Maybe knowing you xpyld he more, should he more and not being able to get to where you want to be makes you unhappy. So it depends on where you are in life and your abilities couple with self awareness.
For instance sone people with alzheimers know they have it and are very unhappy. Others are too far gone to be aware and are actually very happy not realising the mental absence of reality they are living in.
The mind is a powerful tool. The very most intelligent I guess realise that they have the power to just he happy. That it's a state of mins and choice dependent on no external source really.. 🤷♀️
Nah, it’s nonsense:
From AI:
”
The relationship between intelligence and happiness is complex and not straightforward. Research suggests a weak or inconsistent correlation, with some studies finding slight positive or negative associations depending on context, while others show no significant link. Here’s a concise breakdown:
- **Positive correlation**: Some studies, like a 2014 analysis by Kanazawa and Li, suggest higher intelligence may be linked to greater life satisfaction due to better problem-solving, resource access, and social status. However, the effect size is often small.
- **Negative correlation**: Other research, such as a 2013 study by Penney et al., indicates higher IQ might correlate with lower happiness in some cases, possibly due to overthinking, higher expectations, or social isolation from being "too different."
- **No clear correlation**: Many studies, including meta-analyses, find no consistent linear relationship. Happiness often depends more on factors like social connections, emotional regulation, and life circumstances than raw intelligence.
- **Context matters**: Emotional intelligence (EQ) tends to have a stronger positive correlation with happiness than cognitive intelligence (IQ). For example, a 2008 study by Furnham and Petrides found EQ was a better predictor of life satisfaction.
Variables like socioeconomic status, mental health, and cultural factors muddy the waters. Intelligence might help navigate challenges but doesn’t guarantee happiness—sometimes it complicates it. If you want, I can dig into specific studies or analyze posts on X for current sentiments on this topic.”
I do think there is potential for a negative side of thinking a lot but there's also a way to work through that and benefit from both intelligence and fearlessness if you wanna say it that way. Everybody has their own challenges. I'd rather have more of a challenge but have the potential of working through it and living a life with more depth and variety. I've already dealt with anxiety and fear but I've been steadily working through it and now I'll get to enjoy the upsides I guess? We'll see how it goes but I'm feeling very optimistic :)
m Disagree.
Because I see no strict relation between intelligence and overthinking, since I view overthinking as stemming from unbalanced emotions. Besides, I see no strict relation between intelligence and an urge to improve one's life or oneself, that insatisfaction is also coming from an emotional source, in my opinion.
That being said, I also see people investing a lot in intellectual endeavor as at risk to be less literate about their emotional well-being 😏
Of course. Though I don't think intelligent ones overthink more the opposite. Those with intelligence only really overthink questions, and something that gets them curious or passionate.
Overthinking mudane stuff now.. That's a sign of just normal anxiety driven normie stuff. The reason to why smart people are more unhappy is they are like Rick from Rick and Morty. Understanding that life don't really matter and we always want something else to keep our mind occupied.
Very different.
Yes i agree! Intelligent people overthink and know too much that can lead to sadness because their brain makes different chemicals. Thank god i'm not super intelligent. I would probably get a stroke or heartattack. I prefer staying average and happy in my mind. Cause rest in the mind is priceless!
I heard many years ago that people can only communicate consistently with others that are within 20 IQ points of their own. Past that, there isn't enough of a common frame of reference for the smarter and the stupider to communicate meaningfully at all. Everything just gets lost in limbo.
Being unable to communicate with the majority of people because they're literally too fucking stupid to understand anything you're saying, nor put their own ideas into the correct words, is psychologically destructive.
Most definitely. I'm not a genius but I'm smarter than most people in my opinion and even my dad says he thinks the same and no he's not doing that to gas me up he's not that kind of guy. Hell, my dad mom and sister all went to college and my dad says he thinks I'm smarter than all of them, but I can confirm then as a smart person yes you are miserable a lot.
You'll over analyze things to the point the cause anxiety and it makes you feel like the world is crazy when you see such basic common-sense things and massive issues nobody addresses because they refuse to see because their too stupid for abstract thought. In a world of idiots, you're surround by people constantly making the world worse through ignorance because only you can see the damage.
So, yea it's pretty depressing. A great example is Trump voters. They're so stupid it makes me want to cry and think that maybe Thanos was the good guy after all.
Jesus Christ my typos were next level on this one. Why can't we edit our posts on this site I hate that.
no. but it's true if really dumb and content, is easier. maybe we could all work on being more dumb.
over thinking is not an issue of smarts. the solution I found was "don't give a F!", look that up on videos. stop caring so much. Yes, work on yourself, but you'll never be good enough, work to be your best, achieve some measures of goals, have fun at what you do and the joy of that will draw others to your space.
Someone once said...
"Ignorance is bliss" - Thomas Gray 1716 - 1771
I have long believed Tommy Boy was on to something here. Stupid people cannot connect the dots. They never see the train coming. I've often wondered if intelligence is a curse and lack thereof is a kindness.
@OneViewpoint do you blame demons for everything too, rather than a conspiratorial ploy to oppress o Tommy Boy
@Gaylordslav ,
Watch out. The train is coming boy.
Let it come, I've been waiting for you
@Gaylordslav ,
And you'll be waiting long after the train has passed you by. As it always has.
Like yo momma
Not at all. My friends are highly intelligent and fairly happy. They have sufficient income or assets to live a nice life, and most have happy relationships. I work in high tech and my coworkers are about the same. I think the difference is that highly intelligent people give a more nuanced answer to every question, including "Are you happy?"
I think that depends on you. If I get hard being close to someone I’m into or even thinking about them, that’s more than a physical attraction. It’s a lot deeper. If I don’t get a boner until a make out session then it’s purely physical and probably don’t have a mental or emotional connection to that person
The relationship between intelligence and happiness is not so simple. Many highly intelligent people are perfectly content and happy, and many less intelligent people experience profound unhappiness.
Technically yes. Because we are all individual and can never really say sweeping statements like "less intelligent people are more happy". But as a contemplation... if you put two people in the same identical situation of work, house, home life I wonder if one would be content and one less content due to differences in intelligence (or thinking).
When your eyes are opened to how the world really operates, it takes more effort to shake off the every day evil you see and the effect it has on people.
When you're as ignorant as a fencepost, or you join a cult, you can live blissfully in a state of "not knowing shit" about anything except your tiny little world. That's a very easy place to live in and find "happiness".
I guess. Never really thought about it. There may be a link between cognitive intelligence and depression.
Agreed. Ignorance is a bliss. Once you know, you just have the option to pretend you don't. Still, I personally choose to always know if possible.
Intelligent people usually do not make wrong moves and because they can no longer tolerate it, they fall into emptiness and loneliness takes its place
But a stupid person acts without thinking about the outcome of the situation and in the end very bad results occur...
It's not about being unhappy but about being more bored..
Because you see through a lot of things and just avoid falling in traps ( emotional, argumentative, logical... )
So you live a boring life without trying doing too much I guess
I do not know. It does make sense to some degree that they are more aware of all that is bad and how much there is to worry about.
"Ignorance is bliss" and "what you don't know won't hurt you" has some validity.
Yes. More inteligent people are more pesimistic. That’s a fact.
I think so. Because there is a far greater awareness of what could or should be. We often suffer more in mind than we do in real life.
How we deal with that worry is kind of what defines us. Would you be willing to PM me?
As they say, "Ignorance is bliss."
Happy or unhappy, it doesn't matter. Part of intelligence is having your emotions under control or at least to endeavor your emotion don't affect your thinking process.
No. This is where Ignorance is Bliss comes from, but I think it's just an awareness. More intelligent people can find solutions to the issues that make them unhappy or otherwise engineer their lives to be happier.
There is a saying... Ignorance is bliss... It's true actually because you don't criticize and analyse every situation then
I'd agree to a degree but I have spent a lot of thinking about how I think so I don't have this problem anymore.
If they think that other people are going to measure up to their level of intelligence, they will have a rough life. Boy, that has been a REALLY wide chasm.
Somewhat I mean it’s “smart people” who make nukes.
Intelligence and happiness have no link what so ever. happiness is how you live life its not how powerful your brain is. it might make them selfish a bit with working brain but that doesn't make huge difference.
nope, imagine in 20 years when ur flipping burgers and those intelligent boring people have amazing jobs making 6 figures
Well intelligence doesn't automatically mean success. For instance many women stay home raising children then work part time jobs whilst the husband works the bigger salary job. Are they not intelligent? Being street smart over mathematical smart is also a form of intelligence. Or emotionally smart.
But anyways I digress.
Being wealthy also does not guarantee happiness. Many celebrities are deeply unhappy wallowing in their million pound mansions with ten fancy cars. High on conconcoctions of drugs cos they can afford it and looking for the next big high. But you know what? Being able to buy anything you want when you want is boring. Happiness comes from challenge and pride in success. Sometimes. It's most certainly internal not external. But too much turning inwards can also lead to unhappiness. I think. Which is where "less intelligent" people can find external things more satisfying.
usually does. well then ur husbands rich, not u. and that rarely ever happens, and by the way, u think a rich man is gonna chose a stupid girl who knows nothing? yeah right.
yeah cuz they’re usually alcoholics or drug addicts. yeah exactly. so just dont do drugs! lmao.
ok so what do u think will happen when u get older?
opsi sorry, thought u were younger, but did ur life turn out successful? did u marry a rich man? or r u flipping burgers at a mcdonalds?
I don't need a man to be successful. I didn't marry a rich man but we worked and travelled the world. I didn't he revising children thing. Now I'm working on career. Doing a degree. I have my house, car, savings. I never said I was intelligent tho lol. But I know I'm not dumb. I feel I think too much tjo and am aware too much and that makes me less grateful sometimes and unhappy.
so ur not successful? got it.
rich basically
Oh that's kinda sad. Cos money definitely does not bring joy. You only need enough to not be stressed and afford a few luxuries. After that I think it actually makes life feel meaningless. Of course you can be rich and pursue the real things that make you happy - experiences in nature. Altruism. Empathy. Most super rich people go on a journey of self discovery and faith to find meaning in life. Usually after succumbing to drugs and alcohol because it's so affordable to do so.
oh yes it does💀 no offense but only poor people say that. ok good for them👍
I am a little bit agreed with that.
Because intelligent people thinks all the time.
I agree... that your friend said this.
He/she/it/whatever might be wrong, though.
I think it depends on the out look on life they choose.
At this point I think that's a truism. The point of course is that stupid people are too dumb to know how bad their life is.
No! When the stupid ones look like they’re literally so stupid it gets funny to watch with a cup of coffee.
I think that there is probably some truth to that. There is that old saying about ignorance and bliss.
I'd agree bc intelligent people tend to be more sensitive and have higher awareness about everything. That's my opinion.
I think you're unhappy because your having meaningless sex and your life lacks structure.
Im not very smart either, and my unhappines comes from being targeted by bullies for being gay and unattractive. I find love in getting high but im currently being held from smoking
Not by any means. I am extra extraordinarily intelligent, yet happy as a duck.
Yes, it's true, I completely agree with you, and your friend.
Science backs up your gut feeling.
Yes because we know too much
In my experience, that is 100% correct.
No, more they have pain, are more unhappy
Define inteliigent?
Nope, not at all…
The only unhappy one's are the Karen's!
That would be correct
Not always true
Ignorance is bliss.
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