Have you ever wondered how life would be if you had the intelligence of a real genius? Assuming that having an IQ between 145 -160, makes going through life pretty easy, with problems solved even before they occur, or being the star of every conversation.

But, If ignorance is bliss does a high IQ equal misery? Or is walking through life just as bumpy for the uber-intelligent as it is for the average intelligent.

What does being “intelligent” actually mean

The dictionary writes on intelligence: It is the degree of cognitive capacities like abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving someone has.

By the way, intelligence is not genuine to humans but can be found in animals and plants as well.

The word intelligence has Latin origins – the verb “intelligere” means to comprehend or perceive. Intelligence is not about what has been learned from a book, or an academic skill, or being able to do smart-talking.

Intelligence is a complex multidimensional construct. Intelligence is not about being well informed and is different from learning – which is basically storing facts so they can be used when needed in the future. Intelligence however is about trying to understand the world, analyzing concepts, finding answers to why everything is connected and how.

The average IQ score is between 85-115, above average scores 116-144. 68% of the population score an average IQ. Today’s intelligence tests are based largely on the original test devised in the early 1900s by French psychologist Alfred Binet. Intelligence tests are designed to measure a person’s problem-solving and reasoning abilities. The IQ score is a measure of fluid and crystallized intelligence. The score on an IQ test indicates how well one did on these tests of mental abilities compared to other people in the same age group.

Testing the IQ is much debated as it can not accurately measure all segments of intelligence to the same degree. Today science defines three different sections of intelligence. Since the birth of Psychology, the concept of intelligence has been modified many times. Charles Spearman developed the two-factor theory, published in his book ” The ability of Man” in 1927. He states intelligence is determined by a general factor (General intelligence) the G-Factor in correlation to the specific factor, the S-Factor which would be the sum of a number of measured performances for specific tasks. Many more theories have been developed since.

Like

• Emotional intelligence: is the ability to transmit emotions to others in an undestandable way and being able ro read the emotions of others.
• Social intelligence: is the ability to read and understand social motions and motivations of others and oneself. Social intelligence is crucial to how we asses our own and other peoples social character
• Street Smart: some who has gained knowledge through books might lack the ability to actually use this knowledge due to lack of actual experience of a situation. Those with pratical experience are better at solving a specific problem by being able to apply actual experience.

or

• Analytical intelligence: is about the academic ability to solve problems. Analytical intelligence is the ability to analyze, evaluate, judge, compare and contrast
• Creative intelligence: is the imaginative and innocative ability of problem solving, like finding a novel situation to an unexpected problem or “thinking out of the box” .
• Practical intelligence: is problem solving by using common sense, or problems solving by applying knowledge based on experience

So, there is not a reliable way to measure people’s intelligence additionally meaning and value of intelligence differ from country to country and from culture to culture.

Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know

Ernest Hemingway

Telltales of highly intelligent people

Indicator #1: small talk feels exhausting

Intelligent people feel are drained by small talk because it feels fake and meaningless. They feel like they are wasting their time trapped in a suffocating, never-ending list of socially acceptable set phrases. All they really want is a like-minded individual to play with ideas around the important stuff in the world

Indicator #2: stingy with words

As the brain is wired to continuously look for solutions and answers to problems, it takes the intelligent person more time than a person of average intelligence to give an opinion or draw a conclusion. Moreover, intelligent people stay silent unless they are completely sure to have the best answer or the one brilliant idea, for a specific question or particular problem.

Sadly the problem is that most other people are not familiar with the way smart persons thought process works, and get confused or regard the intelligent person as weird, introverted, uninterested, or even arrogant.

Indicator #3: socially awkward

Someone who is uncomfortable during small talk refrains from speaking if not sure doesn’t get inspired by old and exhausted ideas or someone who feels more comfortable with ideas than execution is often characterized by other people as being socially awkward. This is a vicious circle that only puts more pressure on someone and results in the smart person feeling more self-conscious about interacting with others.

Indicator #4: making friends is not that easy

Making friends is more difficult than for average people. Intelligent people are much more cautious, analytical, and independent than the rest, this leads to being mistaken for cold and high maintenance. Additionally, intelligent people can lack spontaneity at times, which leads the other person to lose interest. 

Many highly intelligent people are masters at sarcasm and silly jokes which do not go down well with a lot of people, most people are hurt by sarcasm and stay away.

There are several instances of intelligent people feeling helplessly trapped by their intelligence. For example, intelligent people don’t typically have trouble understanding anything. If they attempt to teach someone and the person doesn’t understand, they can’t proceed. They find it difficult to empathize and lack the desire to help others understand.

Indicator #5: being social is not a priority

Science says people who socialize more tend to be happier, however, for people with high intelligence socializing does not increase their level of satisfaction. Why exactly, is debated and researched by scientists.

Highly intelligent people have so many interests and can get absorbed so much that they prefer to be on their own just, they value their solitude because they have so much on their mind. To learn and grow is their priority They love the journey down the rabbit hole if they are interested in something. They need time to process information, explore all angles of an opinion and have arguments with themselves.

Smart people are less strongly motivated by social acceptance conformity than people with average intelligence They do not seek out social validation because they do not need it. Their interests and views on bigger things play a far more prominent role in their life. Many things they are interested in making others at best roll their eyes – so socializing is not easy to start with.

This does not mean highly intelligent people are antisocial and do not like to socialize or be with their friends. They just have different priorities, their focus is on learning and growing.

Indicator #6: being overly analytical

Many people with a high level of intelligence lean towards over-thinking and keep analyzing everything that occurs in their life, their surroundings, and beyond.

Really smart people tend to think about, see, or contemplate things others don´t notice or care.

Many suffer from paralysis by analysis. Highly intelligent people like to be aware of all the pros and cons before making a decision. That’s because they over-analyze and let potential “what if” scenarios get the better of them. This may also be because many intelligent people are perfectionists and just want to make sure they get the best possible result. This can be frustrating and crippling for those who have to work with them.

Highly intelligent people have a tendency to be extremely hard on themselves. It is not only about their successes and failures, but everything that is about them. Their deep thinking nature minutely analyses their behaviour and actions and compares them against the highest standards. Even though it is done unintentionally, this tendency offers them enough reason to blame themselves for no reason.

I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious

Albert Einstein

Indicator #7: mind demands constant exercise

The highly intelligent minds set goals once achieved it needs a new goal because the brain seeks a new challenge. Highly intelligent people quickly recognize patterns that enable them to shift perspectives and develop connections between situations or problems fast.

Most intelligent people get bored easily with repetitive or mechanical tasks which require little thinking. Highly intelligent people are very focussed on issues they are really interested in, however, if a subject bores the. it seems impossible to get them focused. They can go from one subject to the next because they usually have many interests, just to avoid being bored by something they are not interested in.

The intelligent mind demands a constant input of new information, however, this very same brain may have a problem learning how to work hard and consistent because their mind is addicted to new kicks. This often results in highly intelligent people sabotaging their own success.

Indicator #8: a pressure to succeed

A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, suggests a reason why people with high intelligence often become mentally overwhelmed in complex, dynamic working environments: Their strong mental capacity leaves them vulnerable to performance anxieties and intrusive thoughts.

People with high intelligence are far more aware than anybody else of their own limitations and tend to question themselves more than those with average intelligence. They have a tendency to doubt their cognitive abilities. Some can suffer from ” imposter syndrome”.

Many develop lofty excessively high goals for their life and keep monitoring where their life is heading. Often they feel things should be going differently, they should be further ahead and above all be doing better than their peers.

Intelligent people automatically expect themselves to be the best, so do others around them, no matter what. Very often they feel there is nobody to talk to about their blank points or insecurities. They are overly cautious about failure and feel they cannot afford to take risks just fearing that what would happen if they lose. If things do not unfold the way they want they become supercritical and the pressure to “get it right” gets even higher

If anything they do doesn’t contribute to being more successful, they feel like they are doing themselves a disservice. The pressure they put on themselves grows. If their life doesn’t take the path they think it deserves, they criticize and attack themselves.

Indicator #9: high creativity

Highly intelligent people often have creative hobbies, like music, writing or painting. They use creativity for their innovative thoughts by accessing diverse mediums and are thus able to see things differently.

Highly intelligent individuals such as Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, and Beethoven were highly imaginative, curious, and creative–all creating new concepts and ideas that have value. 

Creativity depends on the ability to think flexibly “outside the box”, to be creative one needs to shift and change the pattern of thinking continuously, rather than being rigid about what must happen next.

However, that does not mean that people with average intelligence can not be highly creative, or highly intelligent people be boring statisticians.