Being smart is often seen as a desirable trait in society. It is associated with success, achievement, and a high level of intelligence. However, there is a downside to being smart that is often overlooked - the curse of being smart. One of the main challenges of being smart is the burden of expectations. When others perceive you as smart, there is an assumption that you will always have the right answer, excel in every situation, and consistently perform at a high level. This can create immense pressure and stress for individuals who feel the need to live up to these expectations.
Most of us, if not all, can probably think of a time when we became aware of something that it would’ve been easier to remain unaware of. Whether it was something that hurt to find out, or just some grim detail about your mate’s personal life that wish you’d never heard. Sometimes the truth can be hard to swallow, and we long for ignorance. As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.
Explaining concepts and issues in layman s terms, when you have a deeper understanding, is a good skill to have, but when it s a constant requirement of every conversation, it can be infuriating. Often, they manifest their fear of failure in the form of crippling perfectionism, which can result in missed deadlines, never being happy with their work, or failing to even start.
This can create immense pressure and stress for individuals who feel the need to live up to these expectations. It can be overwhelming to constantly feel the need to prove oneself and meet the lofty standards set by others. Another aspect of the curse of being smart is the isolation and loneliness that can come with it.
Is being smart a curse?
The smartest people in history suffered from depression and various kinds of mental illnesses due to the impact their thinking habits left on their social life. The smartest people are the saddest people, and that's evident if you survey the best and most creative people in history, regardless of their domain, whether it's science or art or entertainment, all of those individuals who sparked additional intelligence and creativity rather than the rest of the crowd had to pay for it big time in social isolation, social bullying and social rejection, as children or grown-ups.
A smart person is a relatively depressed person and you'd think if they are so smart why they can't control their depression? But that's the sad truth about depression, it's superior even to intelligence and doesn't care if you're smart or not so smart if you're young or an adult, depression couldn't care less if you are prepared or not to handle it. If anything being smart can maximize your depression episode to new highs because intelligence is linked to attention to details and every confusion lies in details, not the big picture normal people see, so intelligence becomes your curse and worst enemy than a gift you can run with and see life from a special view.
The mind of a smart person is doing non-stop work and running endless cycles working out solutions to problems that don't even exist! Even when they're resting their mind works, in-fact that's when their brain works the most, their sleep pattern is a mess, their social performance declines to very low alarming levels, and this ongoing cycle can be so brutal that it kills their will to live and eventually suicide in some sadly not so rare cases because in their mind every problem has a logical solution then they look at all the injustice and destruction around them without one working solution no matter how big or small the problem at hand is their desire to be part of society shatters then they seek even more social isolation.
They are not very argumentative people, they have more debates and discussions inside their heads than they do with other people. So, if you ever get nothing but silence out of them know that they don’t see you a match to get them to react. If you don’t grasp the fundamentals of the topic you are discussing or debating them with they won’t give you the time of the day and may just respond with a cold mini smile or a sarcastic but not offensive comment. Smart people are twice as defensive of other people than they are of themselves. They are more than willing to sacrifice their time and sanity helping someone out than helping themselves out of the same particular situation and it goes back to a perfect psychological barrier system they created themselves which means you can only offend them if they let you to, otherwise all you can do is try. So what this means is that they don’t get offended by the same things that offend other people, for example calling them “weird” is like giving them a compliment, they do like and enjoy being weird, they naturally strive to be different than everyone else
If you get loud while discussing something with them they will write you off entirely. To them, getting loud is the equivalent to losing the argument so if you want to get them to be responsive make sure you stay calm and refrain from using complex big words because that also means you are not well informed on the topic you are discussing, you can fool many people and they may admire you for it but you’ll never be able to fool them. Smart people won’t be standing in line waiting to get a best seller book or attending a global phenomenal movie. While they may respect the intellectual effort of the writer or the movie staff, in their mind, only generic concepts can touch a vast amount of people so they seek unheard of books, rare unheard of movies or watch an old movie that has sentimental value or reminds them of their childhood.
This society labels smart individuals as “Nerds” and paints them with the most outrageous adjectives there is. A nerd according to our society is someone who is socially awkward, unpleasant looking, needs thick glasses to see, fails to function among a large crowd, is easily embarrassed and bullied, can’t get a date, can’t get it together. Instead of crediting smart people by referring to them as smart they're called nerds and this is exactly how a troubled society operates by isolating the positively different and embracing the negatively influential individual simply because positivism needs effort, while negative is the default and needs no effort to be achieved.
The saddest truth about smart people is that the world around them speaks on their behalf, it speaks so loud and harasses them for being different and daring to be defined by their intelligence by sporting it in their social interactions and refusing to blend in if it meant acting as stupid as everyone else. You'll often find them hanging alone with no friends either by choice or because others see their social behavior abnormal, they may wear a sweatshirt to a formal gathering and pay no attention to social etiquette. In their mind, these are all fake things people do to seem what they are not. They are observant especially of their own behavior and have a self-corrective system which always keeps track of any personality changes made just for the sake of blending in. They beat themselves up at night if during the day they said something against their character just to get public approval and can dwell on it for days. Smart people are very moment-aware even if it may look like they aren't paying attention to you they have already studied the room and everyone in it and decided that no one there is worth their direct interaction, so they switch to hibernation until the function or gathering is over.
When I think intelligence I instantly think of Einstein, he spent years unsuccessfully trying to snag a faculty position at a university. Even after he came up with E=mc2, Imagine you're reviewing a resume and rejecting someone like Albert Einstein. Every time an innovator showed moments of brilliance society rejected them, if you go as far as 100s years back when Giordano Bruno dared to think against the church teachings he was given the chance before he was set on fire at the stake by being told: take back your claims that the universe has no center, and stars are suns, surrounded by planets and moons and you'll be allowed to live, and he said NO, I won't, Bruno decided to die and let his idea live (and it did) than live and let his idea die before him. Throughout history, smart people have been tortured, abused not by society but by a whole complete systemic abuse that doesn't approve different individuals and sees them as inferior and a threat needs to be eliminated.
The saddest truth about smart people is that they are smart people in a world that values and respects the stupid, a world that glorifies and fears dumb individuals and puts them in high ranks, as high as ruling a nation. Human psychology is so complex and impossible to understand we only just began decoding ourselves and there are things yet to be unraveled that as of now we are not prepared to understand, but decades later it will make so much sense and that's what it's like to live in the mind of a smart person. They are here, but their minds are well ahead of their time, they have to be present, but their thinking is in the future, and while they do all that they have to deal with psychological discomforts and various painful episodes they collected as young kids from all the bullying they endured for just being special and different.
Overthinking is a minor, barely reliable sign of intelligence, persistent thinking is a more obvious, reliable sign. When you overthink you are practically stuck inside a loop and that's not a smart thing to do, however persistent thinking until you work out a solution is a smart person trait. Being an over thinker can happen at any stage of your life especially if you are an average person. Overthinking to obsessive levels is mentally draining and can kill your potential and creativity, and that's why it's hard to say smart people are over thinkers because many have created and achieved life-changing achievements.
Not every smart person is depressed and not every depressed person is smart, however, the life routine of the smart can potentially lead to depression due to social disadvantages and also thinking habits and problems sorting. One of the most false stereotypes is linking intelligence to doing mathematical calculations on the fly or solving complex Math problems faster than average people but you can be smart and not know how to do that and you can be average and know a couple of calculus tricks it doesn't mean you are intelligent, we often set Math as the most reliable scale to determine if someone is Intelligent/Smart/Genius because of its complexity and randomness to achieve problems solving, but that's one small factor of many. It's often said that: if you hire a lazy worker he'd find the fastest route to finish a given task at the least amount of required effort, and while math is far from static you can learn to hack it and master it and still not be one of the intelligent people.
One of my favorite examples of natural intelligence and gained intelligence is the difference between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano is a hard worker he trains non-stop, always working on learning and shaping his skills, but only one thing separates him from Messi, it’s called natural intelligence. Lionel Messi just goes out there and performs like he created the sport, he only needs to train to stay fit and still be the best player in the world without having to try as hard as Cristiano does, however mastering one domain in life makes you an expert or smart in that particular domain, the kind of smart we are discussing here is the universal kind smart which is so rare but it wouldn’t be if teachers at schools paid more attention to their students than messing on their phones. Our education system values grades more than it values education and that’s one of the main reasons we rarely hear of gifted smart people anymore.
This world is still not ready to respect and value the smart, as long as you see Kim Kardashian making millions of dollars know that we are not heading in the right direction, and we still have a long time to go as a species to develop and learn. As long as you see a scientific discovery documentary gather a thousand views and a famous model in bikini video gets millions of views know that we are a generation to feel sorry for. People get worked up debating hip-hop artists feuds all over social media and burn hours of their lives defending famous people who could care less about their existence. Luckily life is the gift that keeps on giving and there are more smart people yet to be born and bring outstanding innovations into the world, and hopefully, by then this world can learn to appreciate and embrace them, instead of making them feel like inferiors and harass them every step of the way. People are more likely to remember Einstein for his “crazy hair” than his grand findings.
The “in their own mind genius” people are very common these days and they don’t have much that separates them from failures with that mindset, with all due respect to people who fail to achieve in life, no one enjoys or seeks to become a failure, sometimes life circumstances are stronger than our wishes and desires.
If you feel like you have a revolutionary idea no matter how crazy it may sound, get off your seat and promote it to people in your region, on the internet, anyone involved in the particular domain you feel inspired enough to revolutionize or improve. Never settle for “in-head drafts” and keep projects locked in there, they die with you and that’s a sad way to go.
Most innovators in history were considered crazy the moment they started thinking out-loud and people ended up respecting them after seeing their achievements, the best ideas sometimes sound the craziest, especially to those who don’t want to see you achieve.
Here's how being smarter than the average can make your life harder.
Smart individuals may struggle to connect with others who share their level of intellect or interests. They may find it difficult to engage in meaningful conversations or feel misunderstood when they try to explain complex ideas. This can lead to feelings of alienation and difficulty finding true companionship. Additionally, being smart often means being more aware of the problems and challenges in the world. Smart individuals may possess a heightened sense of empathy and a deep understanding of the complexities of various issues. This awareness can be a weight on their shoulders, as they feel an obligation to make a difference and solve these problems. This burden of knowledge can be overwhelming and lead to feelings of frustration and helplessness. Furthermore, being smart can sometimes lead to feelings of arrogance or superiority. When one consistently outperforms others or is praised for their intelligence, it can be easy to develop a sense of superiority. This can create strain in relationships and prevent individuals from truly connecting with others on an equal level. In conclusion, the curse of being smart is a real phenomenon that is often overlooked. It comes with the burden of expectations, feelings of isolation and loneliness, the weight of knowledge, and the potential for arrogance. Recognizing and addressing these challenges is crucial for individuals who identify as intelligent, as they navigate the world with their unique set of abilities..
Reviews for "The Curse of Being Smart: The Difficulty of Finding Intellectual Equals"
1. Emily - 2 stars - I was disappointed with "Curse of being smart". While the concept of a curse of being intelligent sounded intriguing, the execution fell flat. The story lacked depth and the characters felt one-dimensional. I found it hard to connect with the protagonist and couldn't understand their motivations. Additionally, the pacing was off, with the plot dragging in some parts and rushing through important developments in others. Overall, I was left unsatisfied and would not recommend this book.
2. Jason - 1 star - I couldn't finish "Curse of being smart". The writing style was convoluted and pretentious, making it difficult to follow the story. The author seemed more interested in showcasing their vocabulary and intellectual prowess than in creating a meaningful narrative. The excessive use of jargon and complex concepts alienated me as a reader, and I felt disengaged from the plot. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for an enjoyable and accessible read.
3. Samantha - 2 stars - "Curse of being smart" was a letdown for me. The story had potential, but it was bogged down by excessive exposition and unnecessary tangents. The author seemed to get lost in their own ideas, and the result was a meandering plot that lacked a clear direction. The characters were also unrelatable, with their actions and decisions often defying logic. Despite a promising concept, this book failed to deliver an engaging and coherent story. I wouldn't recommend it to others.