Why Highly Intelligent People Struggle With LIFE

The intellectually gifted (IQ 126+) are, by some interpretation, so different from the broad population as to be considered outliers.

I found that it was incredibly easy to conceptualize metaphysical and metalogical concepts. Logic, in my mind is agile and bendable. Even the craziest concepts backed by reasoning are there if you look for it. There is reasoning for everything. This tends to make people feel uncomfortable even though an idea is an idea, there is no emotion tied to it.

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Who am I?
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I have a lot of dumb ideas. I tend to write them down and then revisit them from time to time. Sometimes, the world and/or my own understanding of it has moved enough to where it can now be taken to a new place. If you’d like to talk, I’d love to hear from you.

Enjoy!

[robertus]

books as email newsletters in 10 minutes or less per day

[Byakuya_ML]

Honestly I stopped struggling a lot when I stopped socializing 😂😂

[fllw]

there will be a lot of struggle until people don't learn that grades and intelligence don't go together

[PKWeaver]

I'm aware I am intelligent and also have ADHD which has contributed to academic underachievement. I find social situations difficult because most people want to do 'small talk' and I love talking about a subject deeply. I can emulate the more typical way of socialising, but it's exhausting and I feel like I'm masking and not being my authentic self. Above average intelligent can certainly correlate with poor mental health.

[kenconcepts]

I like being left alone in my room. That's where magic happens

[colepichie]

I'm so smart I tricked myself into thinking I was stupid because I realized I didn't have to try so hard at a young age.

[Strider]

I've spend too many years of my life being told that i'm stupid, getting into trouble at work for seeing failures before they happen, for seeing the things other people can't see, being told I have an attitude problem or that i'm a
Then in the last few years I did some IQ tests, the results came back from 136 to 149, and I feel like i've wasted so many years being gaslighted and bullied into acting dumb.
I'm now at a point where I just don't know what to do any more, I need a job again, but i'm worried about working for someone who sees me as a threat.

[nannettefreeman]

Sometimes I wish that I could sit every 15yr old struggling with acceptance down & explain to them that they are destined to become vastly more interesting & well-rounded people than those who shun them socially as teenagers. Those "popular" kids are having their peak experience in life now. In just a few short years, they will find themselves in unfulfilling careers & loveless marriages, raising a brood of mediocre offspring, & never doing anything remarkable, or experiencing all that life & the world around them really has to offer. Too concerned with how they appear to others, feeling the need to be "normal" & fit in, afraid of treading on unfamiliar ground, trying new things, even contemplating "radical" ideas, they will play it safe & go on doing what is expected of them, believing what the majority believes, & never venture too far outside the lines. High school will be the pinnacle of their lives. Let them have it. It will likely be the last time they genuinely feel good about themselves.

You, however, have not yet begun to blossom into the amazing person you are going to be. Numbed to what others think by years of being called a weirdo, nerd, freak or crazy person, as a young adult you won't hesitate to try new things, go to exotic places, consider radical ideas. As most "weird" kids in school are highly intelligent, & find joy in learning, you will continue to pick up new ideas, more information about the world you live in & the people who inhabit it. You will follow your passions, rather than falling In line. You will continue to grow & evolve for the rest of your life, your life will be far more fulfilling & filled with a far greater variety of experiences, & you will be much happier in the long run. You will form your self-esteem by referring to your experiences & accomplishments, not from the opinions of others. People will be drawn to you because you will be interesting, provide unique insight, & will be less dogmatic & more open-minded to the views of others. the relationships you form later in life will be stronger & healthier because they will be based on who you are, not some facade you put up in order to fit in & be popular, & they will be with other people with whom you have more in common, those who have also taken the road less travelled & continued to evolve as human beings, people you never would have encountered as a "popular" kid, sticking to the relative safety of conformity & being "normal." In short, you will be more well-rounded, psychologically sound, pleasant to be around & autonomous, & you will have healthier relationships & more productive interactions with the people around you. You'll have a better life. Those "popular" kids who taunt & shun you now, will envy you & the life you have, in just a few short years.

Yeah, sometimes I wish I could do that, assure all the outsider kids in the world that this angst they are experiencing is only temporary, & in due time they will be the ones whose company & friendship people will seek out. But then I remember that this angst, this emotional pain that they are going through is critical to the process. Without it, they would not go out into the World as fearless vanguards. To take away that pain would alter the outcome. So I look back on the amazing life I've had, with all it's ups & downs, filled with wonder & disappointment & joy & pain, appreciate the dynamics of it all, & keep that insight to myself, leaving the "weird" kids to suffer through it, knowing they'll be glad they didn't know.

[INSPIRATIONAVENUE]

We live in a world where smart people are called freaks, nerds, and the stupid are cool 🥺 Struggle is real ! Thank you for this and keep it up ! ❤

[JeRzUx]

Idk why is it so hard to accept being intelligent or better. Probably cause I want to believe there are more intelligent people and people on way higher levels than me. It makes me feel like I’m living in a simulation fr so hard to find someone like me

[Cecilia-kyuw]

Being both forgetful and yet having a good memory is how i describe myself, i remember the stupidest stuff, useless stuff and some useful stuff when i need them, but i also forget a lot

[juliagamotska]

In my opinion it is smart enough to conceal your intellect with ordinary people and make them friends in order to not be exluded socially. When you meet someone who is similar to you, let them know, so that you could trully connect with them. Concealment is the best tactics.

[ryno_]

I don't consider myself to be Super smart but some days I feel like the only way to be happy is to either be blissfully ignorant or distract yourself from how bad life can be sometimes.

[Rard.]

I see myself as smart but I realized I was not that smart and I was not unique, it was just the people, their perception and of course I can't stop being a human, ego is always there but atleast I can see him now.

[DaedalianAbilon]

sometimes the hardest thing is dealing with people who are not too smart at understanding things without much detail, ofc it sometimes it can feel a nice kinda way by diving into my mind and explaining complex things in simple detail so they understand but after awhile its very depressing when you feel like you're the only one problem solving and having no one to turn to with similar intellect, though i wouldn't be surprised if a few smart people watched this video and found it reinvigorating.

[DronesOverTheMoon]

Sir i have high IQ but i want to stay as far away from math as is humanly possible

[clockworkmind]

From one Robert to another, thank you, this helped me a lot.
I've always struggled with the kinds of things mentioned in the video, always assuming it was owing to Autism or something, since I managed to get into MENSA age 16 or so. My best friend (who was also pretty smart) tried too, and whereas I just made it, he just missed. The weirdest thing, my girlfriend of the time was more upset about our smart friend not getting in, and that I must have just got lucky. Always a pleasure having definitive proof of your problem solving abilities (which is all intelligence really seems to be) outright denied to your face. Reminds me of how many people in high-school used to bully me for being dumb (Though they were more likely to call me retarded, which as mentioned, being an undiagnosed Autistic at the time, stung especially) and how utterly floored they all were when I passed every single exam at above the C grade. in other words, even if it leads to others calling you egotistical or conceited, you have to ignore those who discredit you, and not be afraid to fight off those who would stand in your way, since they're usually just doing it out of fear that you can threaten their position socially.
Well that's my take at least- hope this helps someone else out there :)

[vexvesper]

You just described myself. Asperger's. I truly feel that it is a genetic aspect in terms of evolution.

[nunkel]

I go to a large school, and couldn't find any people who interested me or were like me, so I just started acting dumb and tried out small talk and eventually got some friends. It is exhausting to change my whole personality every morning, the people I hang out with don't share any of my interests and I really don't like small talk, but I'd rather have it that way then be a social outcast. That's why I just wanna get high school over with and go to a university with more like-minded people and get my first real friend.

[trailerparkguy]

Not forgetful, just easily distracted by new ideas and projects, time just keeps going. where they were focused on one thing, then moved to another without finishing the first