Unveiling the Hidden Challenges of High Intelligence

If ignorance brings happiness, does high intelligence lead to despair? Common belief suggests so. Prodigies are often seen as plagued by existential angst, dissatisfaction, and depression. Think of Virginia Woolf, Alan Turing, or Lisa Simpson - lone stars, constrained even as they shine brightest. As Ernest Hemingway put it: "Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know." The question may seem trivial to some, but the insights it offers could impact many. Much of our educational system focuses on improving academic intelligence; although its limits are well-known, intelligence level remains the primary measure of mental abilities, and we invest millions in brain training and mental enhancers aimed at boosting those scores. But what if the pursuit of genius is futile in itself? The groundwork for answering these questions was laid nearly 100 years ago, during the American Jazz Age. At that time, the modern intelligence test was gaining traction, having showcased its skills in the Second World War recruitment centers. In 1926, psychologist Lewis Terman decided to use it to identify and study a group of gifted children. Scouring California's schools for the best, he selected 1,500 students with an intelligence level of 140 or higher - 80 of whom had intelligence levels exceeding 170. Together, they were known as the "Termites," and the ups and downs of their lives are still being scrutinized today. The Termites' average income was twice that of the typical middle-class job. As expected, many of the Termites achieved wealth and fame - most notably Jess Oppenheimer, the writer of the classic 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy. When his show aired on CBS, the Termites collectively earned twice the typical middle-class income. However, not all members lived up to Terman's expectations - some pursued more "humble" professions such as police officers, sailors, and typists. Hence, Terman concluded that "intelligence and achievement are not perfectly correlated." Their intelligence did not ensure personal fulfillment either. Throughout their lives, rates of divorce, alcoholism, and suicide were similar to the national average. As the Termites approach old age, the moral of their story - that intelligence does not guarantee a better life - has been reiterated time and again. At best, a great mind makes no difference to your life satisfaction; at worst, it can actually result in less fulfillment. This is not to say that every highly intelligent person is a tormented genius, as popular culture might suggest - but it is nonetheless puzzling. Why don't the benefits of sharper intelligence pay off in the long run? A significant burden One possibility is that awareness of your gifts becomes somewhat of a perpetual burden. In the 1990s, the surviving Termites were asked to reflect on the events in their 80-year lifespan. Instead of reveling in their successes, many reported being haunted by the feeling that they had somehow failed to meet their youthful expectations. That sense of pressure - especially when coupled with others' expectations - is a recurring theme for many other gifted children. The most prominent, and tragic, case concerns the math prodigy Sufiah Yusof. Admitted to Oxford University at age 12, she dropped out of her course before taking her finals and began working as a waitress. She later worked as a call girl. Another common complaint, often heard in student bars and online forums, is that smarter individuals somehow have a clearer view of the world's shortcomings. While most of us are shielded from existential dread, intelligent people lie awake grappling with the human condition or others' foolishness. Persistent worrying may indeed be a sign of intelligence - but not in the way these armchair philosophers had imagined. Conversing with students on campus about various topics, Alexander Penney at MacEwan University in Canada found that those with higher intelligence levels did indeed experience more anxiety throughout the day. Interestingly, most concerns were mundane, everyday worries, but the high-intelligence level students were more likely to replay an awkward conversation than ponder the "big questions." "It's not that their concerns were more important, but they are simply agonizing more frequently about additional things," says Penney. "If something negative happened, they thought about it more." Delving deeper, Penney observed that this seemed to be related to verbal intelligence - the type measured by word games in intelligence tests, compared to proficiency in spatial puzzles (which actually appeared to reduce the risk of anxiety). He speculates that greater verbal expression could also make you more likely to voice concerns and ruminate over them. Nevertheless, it's not necessarily a drawback. "Maybe they were problem-solving a bit more than most people," he says - which could help them learn from their mistakes. Mental blind spots The harsh reality, however, is that greater intelligence does not necessarily equate to a happier or more fulfilling life.