4 ms·

At first I interpreted this as wishful thinking, but there may be a bit of truth to it. To some extent intelligence can breed disillusionment and along with th

At first I interpreted this as wishful thinking, but there may be a bit of truth to it. To some extent intelligence can breed disillusionment and along with that depression. I don't think that I need to convince anyone in this crowd that smart creative types tend to be stifled and frustrated in most of today's institutions; school, office jobs. The associated depression can easily manifest itself as a drinking problem. The concept of emotional intelligence, while buzzwordy and overused, goes a long way to explain this as well. IQ doesn't correlate with or slightly negatively correlates with EQ. Self control is supposed to be an element of EQ. Higher IQ students can often coast though school without developing self-control and healthy coping mechanisms needed in later life.

pm 18y ago
"Higher IQ students can often coast though school without developing self-control and healthy coping mechanisms needed in later life." I second this sentiment, having experienced it myself. I coasted through high school while many of my peers had to work extra hard to get good grades, and it subsequently took me seven years to finish a three year degree (an illustration degree, no less, which requires patience far greater than what I had). I don't consider it a failure - I consider it a lesson well-learnt, and don't regret the time it took - but if I had developed that discipline earlier, it wouldn't have taken nearly so long nor been so difficult.
- dangoldin 18y ago
  But at the same time you may not have appreciated it as much. Of course that doesn't change how you feel but it just comes to show that almost everything has both a cost and a benefit.
  - pm 18y ago
    Agreed, and I now appreciate the determination it took to complete the degree considering the spectacular number of failed courses on my academic transcript. It was a humbling experience, and for someone of my hubris at the time, really the only way I could have learnt persistence and followthrough.
yters 18y ago
Another problem is that our society attaches romance to being depressed and smart, such that people can sometimes go out of their way to be depressed just so they seem smart. Additionally, smart people who lack EQ will find their self esteem in being perceived as smart, both by themselves and others, and thus have incentive to be depressed, especially if they are already depressed from being lonely. So, we've just got a nasty vicious cycle going on with smartness and depression. Just examine your first impression of a happy person and an unhappy person. The former will probably seem more vapid to you. Or, look at how depression themed submissions are highly modded on this site (check my submission history for an example).
- eworoshow 18y ago
  I think your comment is right on the mark. The cycle you describe paints an unfortunately accurate picture of many of my high school and university years. I derived not just self esteem but much of my identity from having people perceive me as smart. I learned early on that people don't readily equate perky with intelligent so I dampened my enthusiasm for, well, effectively everything. Loneliness, too, played a role. Being "the smart one" shut me out of a lot of social situations which fed into my depression. But the exclusion also fueled my image of intelligence. I'm sure you can see how this situation has vicious cycle written all over it. Thankfully I can write about this in the past tense. What changed? I moved to San Francisco for four months for an internship. I didn't know a single person in the city and used the opportunity to forge a new identity. Day after day, person after person, I would try a new Eric. I pretended, on various occasions, to be a cook, a banker, a mechanical engineer, a park ranger, any number of other professions. And, funny thing, I was happiest just being me. When I moved back to finish my degree I was happier than I had ever been. So it all came down to a change of scenery!
  - yters 18y ago
    Wow, how coincidental. I have the same name and went through a similar deal. In my case, it was gaining responsibility for my life that has helped break me out of the cycle. The social culture of high school and college is just in no way good.

pm 18y ago

"Higher IQ students can often coast though school without developing self-control and healthy coping mechanisms needed in later life." I second this sentiment, having experienced it myself. I coasted through high school while many of my peers had to work extra hard to get good grades, and it subsequently took me seven years to finish a three year degree (an illustration degree, no less, which requires patience far greater than what I had). I don't consider it a failure - I consider it a lesson well-learnt, and don't regret the time it took - but if I had developed that discipline earlier, it wouldn't have taken nearly so long nor been so difficult.

dangoldin 18y ago
But at the same time you may not have appreciated it as much. Of course that doesn't change how you feel but it just comes to show that almost everything has both a cost and a benefit.
- pm 18y ago
  Agreed, and I now appreciate the determination it took to complete the degree considering the spectacular number of failed courses on my academic transcript. It was a humbling experience, and for someone of my hubris at the time, really the only way I could have learnt persistence and followthrough.

yters 18y ago

Another problem is that our society attaches romance to being depressed and smart, such that people can sometimes go out of their way to be depressed just so they seem smart. Additionally, smart people who lack EQ will find their self esteem in being perceived as smart, both by themselves and others, and thus have incentive to be depressed, especially if they are already depressed from being lonely. So, we've just got a nasty vicious cycle going on with smartness and depression. Just examine your first impression of a happy person and an unhappy person. The former will probably seem more vapid to you. Or, look at how depression themed submissions are highly modded on this site (check my submission history for an example).

eworoshow 18y ago
I think your comment is right on the mark. The cycle you describe paints an unfortunately accurate picture of many of my high school and university years. I derived not just self esteem but much of my identity from having people perceive me as smart. I learned early on that people don't readily equate perky with intelligent so I dampened my enthusiasm for, well, effectively everything. Loneliness, too, played a role. Being "the smart one" shut me out of a lot of social situations which fed into my depression. But the exclusion also fueled my image of intelligence. I'm sure you can see how this situation has vicious cycle written all over it. Thankfully I can write about this in the past tense. What changed? I moved to San Francisco for four months for an internship. I didn't know a single person in the city and used the opportunity to forge a new identity. Day after day, person after person, I would try a new Eric. I pretended, on various occasions, to be a cook, a banker, a mechanical engineer, a park ranger, any number of other professions. And, funny thing, I was happiest just being me. When I moved back to finish my degree I was happier than I had ever been. So it all came down to a change of scenery!
- yters 18y ago
  Wow, how coincidental. I have the same name and went through a similar deal. In my case, it was gaining responsibility for my life that has helped break me out of the cycle. The social culture of high school and college is just in no way good.