Beyond The Ordinary

No one ever questions if the pursuit of intelligence is worth it. Everyone understands that it is. But the lived experience of high intelligence is marked with a dark side. Keep watching to see if the following disadvantages feel familiar to you.

10 Problems Only Smart People Have - Downsides Of Being Highly Intelligent.

If you have an above-average IQ, things often come easy to you. These advantages include getting top marks in school, talking about highly abstract concepts, and being wicked fast at puzzle games without ever actually trying. Throughout your life, many people have expressed that they wish they were as smart as you. And it’s true. Intelligence is a quality that society values. We are always encouraged to study harder, think clearer, do better. No one ever questions if the pursuit of intelligence is worth it. Everyone understands that it is. But the lived experience of high intelligence is marked with a dark side. Keep watching to see if the following disadvantages feel familiar to you!

Number 1 - Overthinking… And Losing Sleep Because Of It If you’re great at thinking fast and problem-solving, chances are, you’re always thinking fast and problem-solving. Your mind races. You find solutions to problems that don’t exist (or don’t matter, if we’re being honest). You overthink all day. Then, you overthink all night. If you’re highly intelligent, you’ve had nights where you laid awake in bed, staring at the ceiling, dreading past, present, and future events - somehow all at the same time. A high IQ equates to an overactive mind that, more often than not, actively struggles to rest. It seems like a paradox, but I’m sure you know the pain of overanalyzing conversations, playing out future scenarios, and debating over complex theories all while trying (and failing) to get a good night’s sleep.

Number 2 - An Irritable Lack of Patience Have you ever spoken to a child in their “why” phase? It’s annoying. You find yourself wishing they knew everything already. The same feelings arise in highly intelligent people who find themselves locked in conversation with someone not of the same caliber, so to speak. Trivial conversations test your patience. Trying to talk about topics that genuinely interest you prove to be a chore instead of a pleasure. And it seems like every time you talk to someone who doesn’t quite meet your level of intelligence, you find yourself infuriated over the silliest things. Maintaining a productive conversation about abstract topics like politics or philosophy is a great skill. It can prove to be both challenging and rewarding for intelligent people. But when you engage with someone who needs layman’s terms and time to understand a complex topic, you’ll find that your fuse is rather short. When you have a high IQ, there’s a high probability that your patience is low.

Number 3 - People Find You Annoying In the same way that you find yourself irritated by other people; others find themselves irritated by you. Your constant need to correct fallacies - even when there is no consequence - stirs the pot inside you and those you socialize with. You can only bite your tongue for so long before you just have to correct someone. And if they keep talking about fake news or “facts” that you know aren’t true, your lack of patience and desire for accuracy spill over… resulting in an awkward situation for everyone. Intelligent people struggle to witness the mistakes of others. They feel the need to correct everything. The problem with this is that life isn’t perfect. Mistakes are inevitable. And people don’t always want your opinion. Even though you don’t intend to offend, your efforts often come off as abrasive and arrogant. And this can make maintaining healthy relationships difficult.

Number 4 - You Fear Failing To Meet High Expectations Others maintain high expectations of you. It makes sense, right? You’ve always been the smart one. That translates into the capable one, the best one, the one. And the pressure is intense. Just like how you hate seeing others make mistakes, you feel like you can’t make mistakes. It puts you in a constant state of anxiety and fear of failure. Worse yet, you might experience imposter syndrome - no matter how great your accomplishments are. Your fear could even prevent you from learning new skills, meeting new people, and generally seeking out new experiences.

Number 5 - You’re Withdrawn From Your Emotions Even though you can understand your emotions, you struggle to process and express them. You find yourself talking about your emotions like items on a dinner menu or facts pulled off of flashcards. Highly intelligent people often claim they rarely - or never - experience the relief that comes from expressing emotions. Instead of acting out in rage or joy, you express your emotions verbally. This articulation is essential for your emotional wellbeing, but if you never express your feelings, you won’t ever be able to truly process them. Without tears, the experience of sadness or pain is numbed. Highly intelligent people often don’t experience emotion to the fullest, and as a result, their emotional intelligence and understanding of others is limited.

Number 6 - You’re Stubborn: Logic Doesn’t Apply To Your Belief System Flat earth isn’t real. Evolution definitely is. Climate change is happening. Obviously. Highly intelligent people have an easier time deciding what is true (or has a higher probability) and what is not true (or less likely) after all the facts are laid out. And the more educated someone is, the more likely they are to recognize how much they don’t know. But for some reason, people with high IQs can’t apply the same logic to themselves. Self-reflection becomes a chore, and people call you stubborn. When someone with high intelligence is challenged, they are less likely to change their mind - even when presented with irrefutable evidence. This makes it extremely difficult for intelligent people to identify and change their own biases.

Number 7 - You’re More Likely To Suffer From Mental Illness They say every rose has its thorn. This one might be the sharpest. Studies have shown that high intelligence is linked to an increase in mental health disorders - especially depression and anxiety. While this correlation might be linked to nurture more so than nature, your intelligence could still prove to be a blessing and a curse. Your overthinking, fear, and irritability cause increased stress responses in the body, contributing to poor mental (and sometimes physical) health. An ongoing theory also suggests a connection between high IQ and a hyperactive nervous system, which causes more severe stress responses to external stimuli. We all know that mental illness doesn’t discriminate based on IQ, but if you’ve got a high intelligence, you’re more likely to suffer from mental illness.

Number 8 - You Suffer From Loneliness People like to stick together with others who can relate to them. That’s completely normal. But you struggle to find others with a similar level of intelligence. And you find yourself actively avoiding social interaction. Whether or not you avoid others because you know they’re not as smart as you or because you suspect it, the result is a very lonely life. There is a relationship between high intelligence and isolation. So even if you are alone, you’re also not alone. Having an abnormally high IQ isn’t all that common, and incredibly smart people do tend to be more reclusive. So, your assumption that you won’t just casually run into another person like you on the street might be true. Nonetheless, you might find yourself leading a lonely existence.

Number 9 - You’ve Never Had To Work Hard This one might seem like a pro, not a con. But hear me out. At the beginning of life, school being a breeze was great. Then, as you moved through life, nothing challenged you. Intelligent people can usually get by without putting in much effort. And studies have shown a correlation between high intelligence and low levels of conscientiousness, or a desire to complete thorough work. That means that you’re more likely to stop before you’ve done your best work. If you’ve never experienced struggles early in life, you might find yourself avoiding challenges as an adult. And if you never learned the value of hard work, you’ll never truly succeed. High intelligence isn’t the only thing you need to get through life. You need perseverance and resilience to earn success. And chances are you’ve had less practice. Without a strong work ethic, you’ll never live up to your potential - no matter how smart you are.

Number 10 - You’re Probably Unfulfilled Sometimes people who are less gifted with book smarts believe that a lack of intellectual ability prevents them from experiencing fulfillment. If they were smarter or more skilled at this or that, they could get a better paying job. Then, they’d finally be happy. But intelligence, talent, a well-paying job - none of these things alone bring fulfillment. In fact, high intelligence becomes the source of unfulfillment. If you grew up thinking that you could accomplish anything (and that it would be easy), you’ll find out sooner or later that that’s just not true.

Life is not easy, and everyone experiences failure, grief, and misery, no matter how gifted they are. Unrealistically high expectations prove to be a downfall for many intelligent people. They cause a lack of satisfaction, feelings of unfulfillment, and a general desire for more. While being highly intelligent is certainly a gift, there are always two sides to the same coin. Don’t overlook the disadvantages to your high IQ, because nobody is perfect. What do you think? Can YOU relate to these problems?

Beyond The Ordinary

A question posed on Google. And it's answer.

Are high IQ people prone to schizophrenia?

People with high IQ scores are less likely to have schizophrenia than the general population. If intelligence is best measured by IQ tests, a 2006 study suggests that those with schizophrenia have overall lower scores than the rest of the population, even before they're diagnosed.

Beyond the ordinary

Treating my psychosis and possible low IQ with some red weed in a spliff.

Some Music

We're All Thick As A Brick Here.

WE'RE ALL LOOMIS HERE.

Beyond The Ordinary

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental health condition that can affect a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Affecting around 1% of the world’s population, schizophrenia is one of the most common psychotic conditions. And those who have high intelligence may be less likely to develop this condition.

But IQ scores aren’t the best judge to determine the connection between intelligence and schizophrenia.

Beyond The Ordinary

It's only a cardboard mask I sometimes wear - when I want to look really stupid (and FCUK ugly).

Beyond The Ordinary

On being told I (might) have a low IQ: 'What!..like Gary Glitter?'

Top left: Very Shocked and Concerned. Bottom left: Embarrassed. Bottom right: Embarrassed and Quietly Enraged. Top right: Michael Jackson style Unfazed.

Beyond The Ordinary

While playing around with a GG Mask (it has different modes and you can blend it's look in with your primary mask/faceplate), an American might say I'm being goofy.

Beyond The Ordinary

In American English, being goofy means behaving in a silly, playful, or eccentric way. It describes someone who acts ridiculously or makes others laugh through harmless, lighthearted antics, much like the famous Disney character.The word can have both positive and negative nuances depending on the context.

As a Compliment (Playful & Endearing)Lighthearted.

Having a fun, carefree, or bubbly personality.

Amusing:

Telling silly jokes or making funny faces to put others at ease.

Sweet/Awkward:

Well-intentioned but slightly weird or wacky behavior.

As an Insult (Foolish & Immature)Not Serious.

Failing to show appropriate maturity in serious situations.

Unwise/Naive:

Showing a lack of good sense, judgment, or basic awareness.

Disruptive:

Constantly seeking attention or derailing conversations with nonsense.

In sports like surfing, skating, and snowboarding, being goofy simply refers to a rider who places their right foot forward on the board, rather than their left.

Beyond The Ordinary

Perceptions of intelligence are largely tied to behavioral and communication cues rather than physical appearance, as human intellect cannot be accurately judged by looks alone. However, observations often link low intelligence with rigid thinking, poor emotional control, and a lack of curiosity.

Psychological and sociological observations suggest that people demonstrating lower intelligence or cognitive deficits frequently exhibit the following behaviors:

Overconfidence: Driven by the Dunning-Kruger Effect, they may overestimate their competence and refuse to accept they might be wrong.

Communication barriers: They often rely on personal anecdotes instead of abstract concepts, resort to personal attacks in a debate, or struggle to interpret social and emotional cues.

Rigidity: A key indicator is the inability to revise an opinion, consider other perspectives, or adapt when presented with new information.

Disinterest in learning: A noticeable lack of curiosity, demonstrated by rarely asking questions or showing a lack of desire to understand the world.

While these traits are commonly observed, making assumptions about someone's intellect based purely on appearance or surface-level stereotypes is generally inaccurate.

Beyond The Ordinary

Any of us can wear a Richard Feynman mask. Even if we can't emulate his genius. This is me wearing my Feynman. Much more sophisticated than a GG as you can tell by your own comparison.

I once watched a televised debate in which three scientists discussed various topics. At one point in the programme, a friend of the late physicist Richard Feynman told the story that upon hearing that he had been awarded a Nobel Prize the man responded with the above quote.

Beyond The Ordinary

Google response to an input quote ▼

The exact phrase "I don't need anyone to tell me how smart I am" is not a documented quote by Richard Feynman. Instead, it closely reflects his famous stance on intellectual humility and his absolute disdain for official titles, honors, and external validation. Feynman famously expressed this mindset through a different, highly celebrated quote: "I'm smart enough to know that I'm dumb."

The Story Behind The Mindset.

Feynman genuinely did not care what people thought of his intelligence. His true perspective on external praise is best captured by two real-life events:

The 'Smartest Man' Article:

When Omni Magazine interviewed Feynman and subsequently labeled him 'the smartest man in the world', his mother, Lucille Feynman, famously joked, 'Our Richie? The world's smartest man? God help us'. Feynman loved this response because it kept him grounded.

The Nobel Prize Dislike:

In his famous BBC Horizon interview, Feynman explained that he initially wanted to refuse the Nobel Prize in Physics. He stated that he hated honors, describing them as badges and uniforms. To him, the only true prize was the 'pleasure of finding the thing out' and seeing other scientists use his work.

Core Feynman Principles on Intelligence.

If you want to quote his actual philosophy on wisdom, credentials, and self-worth, these are his most famous verified statements:

On Titles:

'Never confuse education with intelligence; you can have a PhD and still be an idiot'.

On Self-Deception:

'The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool'.

On Authority:

'It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is... If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong'.