Highly Intelligent Minds Often Struggle With 11 Things That Don't Affect Average People
cottonbro studio | Pexels Highly intelligent minds often have their own struggles that are hard to deal with, despite average people working through them effortlessly.
Because their minds work on such a different level, intelligent people are often prone to overthinking or falling into negative patterns. These issues may seem small to an ordinary person, but to them, it can lead to a much less fulfilling life.
11 things very intelligent minds struggle with that don't impact normal people in the same way:
1. The burdens of pessimism
Eldar Nurkovic | Shutterstock
According to career coach Marty Nemko, many smart people struggle with pessimism in their daily lives because they’re more aware of how complex their unique situations are. They read news headlines and plan their futures, all while worrying about things that would never cross the mind of an average person.
They deal with practical stressors just like everyone else, but they also struggle more with their general emotional well-being. And with age, in particular, it's tough for them when they tie their self-esteem and identity to their intelligence.
2. Acknowledging their weaknesses
Stock 4You | Shutterstock
While admitting our weaknesses is an issue for everyone, highly intelligent people deal with it to a higher degree. They're driven by their strong will that's led them to success, so facing wrong judgments isn't something they want to acknowledge. They may attempt to make up for lacking wisdom with sheer cognitive ability.
Many companies like Google have brought this notion into their hiring processes, screening people for intellectual humility to ensure their employees are willing to innovate and work collaboratively without struggling to admit when they’re wrong or don’t know something. But it starts with untying your intelligence from your self-esteem and ends with accepting that being smart doesn’t equate to worthiness.
3. Imposter syndrome
Perfect Wave | Shutterstock
Imposter syndrome isn’t necessarily an official diagnosis, but it’s frequently experienced by intelligent folks in high-paying or influential positions. Believing that they’re never doing enough or are undeserving of their status, the pressures of imposter syndrome can become too much for them.
Like psychologist Leon F. Seltzer argues, highly intelligent people often set lofty goals and expectations for themselves to prove their worth under the weight of imposter syndrome. And it ends up fueling a cycle of anxiety and burnout that’s detrimental to their emotional stability.
4. Pressure to succeed
Krakenimages.com | Shutterstock
Many intelligent people experience greater pressure to succeed. They feel obligated to challenge themselves to the highest degree and chase the most difficult or time-consuming job for bigger and bolder pursuits.
According to psychology researcher Alice Boyes, these same people may ignore their own weaknesses or hyper-fixate on their perceived strengths to achieve a goal. But they end up missing opportunities to invest in their personal lives or learn beneficial skills for later in life.
5. Unique mental health problems
Prostock-studio | Shutterstock
According to a study published in Intelligence, smart people are more likely to develop and experience the consequences of poor mental health. Often experiencing overexcitability and hyper-body activity, intelligence is argued to be a risk factor for mental health concerns like personality disorders and anxiety.
Unlike normal people who may generally deal with mental health struggles, many high-IQ folks tend to ruminate over it. They rely on anxiety-driven behaviors and habits to mediate their effects on daily life.
6. Social anxiety over unpredictability
Prostock-studio | Shutterstock
Many intelligent people yearn for control in their lives, as knowing what's going to happen gives them more opportunity to prove themselves and demonstrate how smart they are. Interacting with other people can often create a unique social anxiety, as they don’t have a specific framework or set of rules to help guide conversation.
According to a study published in Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience, scientific evidence supports this link between high intelligence and higher rates of worry and anxiety. While people of lower intelligence may experience a similar anxiety rooted in a deficit mindset, the difference is that they’re anxious to overrule a deficit of practical intelligence by proving their own social extrovertedness and charisma.
7. Competitiveness and toxic comparison
insta_photos | Shutterstock
From a societal and interpersonal perspective, many intelligent people feel pressured to compete with one another. To find a comfortable sense of confidence, they compare themselves to those on their same intellectual level and try to one-up them to prove themselves.
While competitiveness isn’t solely correlated with high intelligence, many intelligent people feel pressure to remind others (and sometimes themselves) of their cognitive abilities. Doing so gives them a sense of peace and comfort in social situations.
8. Philosophizing casual conversations
wayhome studio | Shutterstock
With a wealth of information to have healthy debates, highly intelligent minds tend to over-philosophize. Even if they're speaking with friends, it's all in an effort to not just prove their intelligence, but have a stimulating conversation.
According to the Davidson Institute, this tendency towards complex and abstract thinking tends to lead to existential crises earlier and more often in highly intelligent people than in the average person.
9. Feeling pressure to ‘prove’ their intelligence
PeopleImages | Shutterstock
Despite subtle ways to show their intelligence, many smart people feel overwhelmed by pressure. They want to prove how smart they are in relationships in conversations, but the way they go about it can sabotage productive connections.
With such an innate link between their self-worth and intelligence, it’s impossible for them to feel seen and secure. To them, they believe they haven’t done enough to prove their intelligence.
10. Being labeled as inherently arrogant
simona pilolla 2 | Shutterstock
People with intellectual gifts tend to become comfortable with their superiority in everyday interactions. They get used to being right and being praised for it. While it’s not necessarily a personality trait, these people also tend to get labeled as arrogant, as they attempt to pursue validation and self-fulfilling value.
According to the Management Psychology Group, this perceived high arrogance and intelligence can have a healthy impact on practical workplace and educational success. Unfortunately, it can also be detrimental to their personal relationships.
11. Constantly overthinking
ViDI Studio | Shutterstock
Seeing the complexities in everything is both a gift and a curse for intelligent people. It can lead to habits like rumination and overthinking. They overanalyze what other people say during conversations or even when they're solving simple problems at work.
Their tendency towards complex thinking can create a lot of anxiety in their daily routines. Intelligence is a positive thing that can foster emotional intelligence and communication skills, but it can also create a cycle of overthinking that makes it more difficult to find comfort and fulfillment.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
