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Smart people seem to have all the advantages in life.
They tend to get better jobs, make more money, and generally be more successful than those who are less mentally talented.
However, psychologists suspect that highly intelligent people face unique challenges in everyday life compared to the average person.
For example, overthinking is common among people with high IQs, meaning they may have difficulty sleeping at night or focusing on benign interactions with others long after they have finished.
Below, four psychologists have revealed to DailyMail.com the unique challenges that highly intelligent people face.
Chat
Very intelligent people may find small talk especially boring and mentally draining.
Small talk is inevitable, especially when you’re stuck in an elevator or catching up with your colleagues on a Monday morning.
While most of us don’t think about questions like “how’s the weather” and “did you watch the game last night?”, those with high intelligence may especially fear it.
Martina Cola, psycholinguistics researcher at think in italianHe told DailyMail.com that highly intelligent people “often seek complexity in conversations, making routine or superficial exchanges mentally exhausting.”
‘For example, when faced with small talk, which often lacks depth, they may feel disconnected and fatigued because the conversation does not stimulate them intellectually.
“As a result, maintaining polite exchanges becomes exhausting because it lacks the cognitive reward they seek.”
Keep up with trends
Experts told DailyMail.com that people with high IQs might struggle to keep up with the latest trends because they are “small or superficial.”
Staying up to date on the latest TV shows and fashion staples comes naturally to many people.
But trivial things like pairing a particular sweater with a certain skirt may not be a priority for those with high IQs.
Dr. Jennifer Hartstein, psychotherapist at Hartstein Psychological in New York City, told DailyMail.com: ‘Very intelligent people usually don’t have the mental energy for the small or the superficial.
‘Something like keeping up with fashion trends can cause a feeling of fatigue because it lacks any kind of mental challenge.
“Very intelligent people can become bored when they are not stimulated, which causes some exhaustion.”
Maintain friendships and dates.
Experts suggested that highly intelligent people may need more personal space, which can lead to difficulty maintaining friendships and romantic relationships.
Exceptionally intelligent people may also have difficulty maintaining friendships or romantic relationships.
Dr Jonathan Alpert, a psychotherapist and performance coach in New York City, told DailyMail.com: “I have seen very intelligent people struggle with relationships, as they sometimes intellectualize things and struggle to forge connections with others. based on feelings and emotions.”
“This is a double-edged sword. As they struggle to fit in, they may feel anxious and withdrawn, making it even more difficult to develop friendships.’
This could also mean trouble for your love life.
Imi Lo, psychotherapist and consultant in Australia, wrote for Psychology today That highly intelligent people often need more personal space and solitude, which could create rifts in relationships.
He also noted that some people with high IQs may also have increased sensitivity to physical touch, making it difficult to build trust or be intimate with a partner.
Controlling your emotions
Highly intelligent people may struggle with impatience and anxiety more than the average person, psychologists told DailyMail.com.
Highly intelligent people tend to be more analytical and logical than their more average counterparts.
However, Dr. Dakari Quimby, a clinical psychologist with Help Guide Manualtold DailyMail.com: ‘Being very intelligent does not necessarily mean that one is good at managing emotions.
“Balancing one’s own emotions and those of others can be a challenge, especially for those who are more logical and reason-oriented than emotion-oriented.”
Difficulty regulating emotions goes hand in hand with the heightened sensitivity seen in some very intelligent people, as having trouble with loud noises and bright lights could make them impatient and more likely to have outbursts.
People with high IQs may also struggle with imposter syndrome due to success in their fields, which could cause them to feel overwhelmed or anxious.
Sleeping
Research has shown that people with a high IQ are more likely to be sleep deprived or suffer from insomnia.
Because their minds have a hard time shutting off, people with higher IQs may have more trouble falling asleep than others.
For example, a 2022 study in the Sleep Research Journal examined 182 people who were either sleep deprived or getting a normal amount of rest per night.
They were then asked to complete cognitive exercises that tested their math skills, memory and attention to assess their fluid intelligence, their ability to solve problems or think logically.
The team found that people with higher fluid intelligence performed worse on these tests after experiencing sleep deprivation. However, those with normal intelligence did not perform differently on the tests whether they had a normal night’s sleep or not.
This suggested that intelligent people were more prone to sleep deprivation.
Dr. Hartstein noted that this group may also have trouble sleeping because “they don’t take good care of themselves.”
She said: “In fact, they may not really know how to relax, which will affect their quality of sleep and their ability to sleep well.”
‘They don’t really know how to recharge. It overlaps with overthinking, but it can also overlap with one’s inability to do things or the desire to always do them perfectly, which takes the focus off of self-care and the needs of the individual.’