Higher IQ, fewer friends? Scientists reveal surprising link
Scientists have discovered why intelligent people have fewer friends (photo: Getty Images)
It is confirmed by various studies that friendship and communication with close people are an integral part of a happy life. However, scientists decided to dig deeper and found out why intelligent people are more often loners and how these two things are connected. The smarter a person is, the fewer friends and social circles they have, reports the British Journal of Psychology.
Happiness doesn't live in big cities
Psychologists from the prestigious London School of Economics, with colleagues from Singapore Management University, analyzed the results of a survey of more than 15,000 volunteers. Their conclusions confirmed two well-known ideas:
Life in megacities. People who live in densely populated areas generally feel less happy. The noise, bustle, and constant flow of information can be draining.
The power of social connections. Most people's sense of happiness largely depends on the frequency and quality of their interactions with like-minded people and friends. A clear correlation was found: the more intense and close the social contacts, the higher the level of subjective happiness.
Intelligence as an exception to the rule?
But the real sensation came from the third conclusion: people with high levels of intelligence turned out to be the exception to this rule. The study showed that the higher a person's IQ, the less they need constant and intense social interaction.
Paradoxically, for highly intelligent individuals, happiness does not depend on being "the life of the party" or having a wide circle of friends.
Their brain, it seems, prioritizes life a bit differently than the average person's, and this also applies to how they approach social interaction.
Where does happiness lie in the inner world of an intellectual?
The study suggests that intelligent people feel most comfortable and harmonious in their inner world.
People with high intelligence often perceive excessive social activity as something that disrupts their natural state and distracts them from things they truly care about.
Many intellectuals are, in essence, introverts at heart, even if not all are ready to admit it.
Even more paradoxically, the study found that the more frequently intelligent people interact with others, the less happy they tend to feel.
Such people derive far more positive emotions and satisfaction not from socializing, but from other pursuits that match their deeper interests and aspirations.
Socializing distracts from a greater mission
Researcher Carol Graham from the Brookings Institution, an expert on happiness, confirms this idea.
She believes that intelligent people tend to devote most of their time and mental energy to long-term goals and projects that lead to concrete results. According to her, this is where intellectuals find their happiness.
She cites the example of a renowned doctor working on a cancer vaccine or a famous writer crafting a new literary masterpiece, neither of whom needs frequent social interaction with many people.
Such interaction would only distract them from their primary mission, disrupting their inner harmony and focus, and ultimately lowering their sense of well-being.
Thus, for highly intelligent people, the path to happiness often lies in their inner world, deep interests, and meaningful achievements rather than in a wide network of social contacts, setting them apart from the general population. This conclusion challenges our usual assumptions about what makes us happy.
