For centuries society has exalted the virtues of intelligence, in the most restrictive sense of the term; that is, intelligence that is measured through IQ. Numerous studies have shown that smarter people not only get better jobs but also tend to succeed in their careers and often come up with good ideas. However, everything is not rosy in their lives. There is research that suggests that more intelligent people also tend to have more worries and a higher level of anxiety. Now another study, carried out at the University of Rotterdam, has asked whether intelligent people really manage to be happier.
Intelligence under the microscope
We usually invest a lot of time and resources in developing our intelligence, so it is totally valid to ask ourselves if it makes us happier since, after all, this is one of the main objectives of life.
It is worth clarifying that in this research the authors understood intelligence as the ability to understand complex ideas, adapt effectively to the environment and learn from experience by putting thought into action to overcome obstacles. On the other hand, happiness was approached as a feeling of satisfaction in which a state of fulfillment is experienced, that is, the person feels satisfied with their life.
In practice, what the researchers did was compile a series of studies carried out around the world that measured both the level of happiness and the IQ of citizens. These investigations were carried out between 2000 and 2009 and included data from 150 countries.
As you might guess, the authors found a negative correlation. That is, the nations in which people were more intelligent were also unhappier.
Why doesn’t intelligence necessarily lead to happiness?
At this point things get complicated because the authors can only provide us with different theories. However, some of these ideas give us a lot of material to cut through or, at least, to reflect on. For example, researchers think that more intelligent people also tend to have higher expectations in life and, if they fail to realize them, they feel more frustrated and less satisfied. In fact, having realistic expectations and learning to manage frustration is a skill that is not necessarily linked to intelligence.
Another explanation could be that intelligence hurts, in the sense that it encourages us to confront our imperfections and those of the world, which, obviously, does not make us the happiest people on Earth. In this case we could even go so far as to affirm that “ignorance is a blessing.”
However, researchers think that the true explanation lies in the fact that developing intelligence requires time, costs and effort; which also means that we sacrifice other pleasurable activities, such as spending time with the people we love or engaging in activities that we enjoy. In practice, the most intelligent people would be so busy studying and then developing their professional careers that they often forget about other factors that, coincidentally, are what make us happiest.
I believe that, beyond the possible explanations, what we must be clear about is that being more intelligent is not synonymous with more happiness. Therefore, from time to time we should stop along the path of our life to ask ourselves if what we are doing really satisfies us.
Reference:
Veenhoven, R. & Choi, Y. (2012) Does intelligence boost happiness? Smartness of all pays more than being smarter than others. International Journal of Happiness and Development; 1(1): 5-27.
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