Superintellectuals often fail at things that come easily to people of average intelligence. Shall we test it?
It would seem that those who have been blessed by nature with outstanding intellectual abilities have many advantages in life compared to those who are not so fortunate in this sense. However, psychologists and psychotherapists are well aware that people with very high IQs often have personality traits that make it problematic to do things that are easy for less intellectually gifted people.
Here’s what it’s all about….
1. POLITE CHITCHAT (SMALL TALK)
Light, casual conversations ‘about the weather’ inevitably arise when you’re, for example, meeting colleagues at the coffee machine in the morning, buying something from a familiar shop assistant, or stuck in a lift with strangers. For most of us, this kind of chit-chat about nothing – just a tribute to politeness – happens quite naturally and unnoticed, and we even get pleasure from such communication. But for people with a very high IQ, the prospect of small talk can be intimidating, and the very act of talking about nothing can be an ordeal.
This is due to the fact that such people usually want conversations to stimulate their intellect, to make them think – the very thinking activity, new ideas that arise in the process of communication, cause the release of the ‘pleasure hormone’ dopamine in the brain. Empty, superficial chatter out of politeness causes nothing of the sort, causing the intellectual to experience boredom, desolation, fatigue and mental exhaustion.
2. KEEPING UP WITH FASHION
Keeping up with modern trends, keeping abreast of the latest fashion trends, knowing what is being worn, looked at, talked about – all these may be quite natural for ordinary people, but not for superintellectuals.
For them, making sure that the top goes with the bottom or that the shirt is tucked in or, on the contrary, not tucked into the trousers, as fashionable this season, is too trivial a task, which is definitely not a priority. Highly intelligent people simply have no incentive to waste their mental energy on such trivialities; it causes them nothing but boredom and fatigue.
3. FRIENDSHIP AND PERSONAL LIFE
Maintaining friendships and romantic relationships can also be a challenge for very intelligent people. Instead of relying on their feelings and emotions, letting go of the situation and letting it unfold naturally, they try to bring their intellect into the process of connecting with others, and this only makes things more complicated.
In addition, superintellectuals often have an increased need for privacy and personal space, which also does not go in favour of relationships.
Another thing that makes it difficult to form trust and intimacy with a romantic partner is the heightened sensitivity to physical touch that some people with high IQs have.
4. CONTROL OF EMOTIONS
Highly intelligent people tend to have an analytical, logical mind, but are not very good at controlling their emotions – they can be irritable, impatient and prone to outbursts of anger.
This can be exacerbated by hypersensitivity to loud noises, bright lights, and other such stimuli, which is seen in some people with very high IQs.
5. SLEEP
A side effect of an overdeveloped, overactive intellect is insomnia. Their brains simply find it difficult to switch off.
When going to bed, such people keep thinking about something, chewing over in their minds some of the day’s problems and conversations. They generally tend to dwell on their unsuccessful interactions with other people and long after everything is over, they may, instead of sleeping, endlessly replay unpleasant situations in their minds, thinking about why something went wrong and how they should have responded or acted.