A lot of us are on a constant journey to improve our minds. We read books, watch films, study and otherwise educate and better ourselves so that we can become more intelligent in various ways. However, some people are just born smart and talented in some ways, requiring less effort to achieve certain things that others might struggle with. Contrary to what some might believe, being smart is not always a blessing.
Someone created a thread on the r/AskReddit subreddit, asking about the hardships smart people have to live with, exactly because of their high intelligence, and folks delivered plenty of observations, most of which are quite heavy. Scroll down to see the whole list of things people online shared and consider upvoting the entries you relate to the most, as well as leaving a comment.
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#1
Being smart enough to know you're right while dealing with people too stupid to know they're wrong is soul crushing.
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325points
#2
There are different types of intelligence. Being good at physics doesn't mean that you should manage people.
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267points
#3
They are full of doubt compared to people who are not smart
232points
#4
Our school system (Australia) isn't built to deal with them. It crushes bright kids down to everyone else's level.
The usual solution is just to give them extra work to do on top of the assigned work, when they finish that too fast. But to a kid, that's a punishment. In this way achieving beyond a certain accepted parameter is quietly discouraged.
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200points
#5
Sad_But_Realistic said:
Expectations...
Sownd_Rum replied:
This is the killer. If you are "gifted", having an average life is seen as a failure.
199points
#6
Common sense is not a gift, it is a punishment. Because you have to deal with everyone who doesn’t have it.
188points
#9
YourFatherHere1 said:
Intelligence doesn’t always mean wisdom.
Therandomfox replied:
Intelligence is knowing how to bring back dinosaurs from the dead.
Wisdom is knowing that that's a bad idea.
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170points
#10
They are often miserable, and able to thoroughly understand their misery and failures.
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155points
#11
All the “smart kids” that turned into smart adults are severely burnt out and need a break for everything
153points
#12
Hard to find other people who think and/or feel as deeply as you do.
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147points
#13
Not being inherently competitive but able to be crushed instantly by failure.
141points
#15
Expectations
Never learning to study until it is too late
Being forced to learn outside of your age related interests
Being terrified of failure
Not being able to balance ambition and said fear of failure
Once again, expectations. My mother put so much pressure on me at such a young age I couldn't handle it. I have done well for myself as an adult, but will never be able to live up to those expectations set by her and others. I should probably go back to therapy.
111points
#16
The sad truth is that being smart isn't even a particuarly good indicator in living a happy and fulfilling life. You could be extremely smart and intelectually capable, but if you got beat up as a kid, your parents died, you developed some personality disorder etc., you're way worse off than someone well adjusted with a below average intelligence
101points
#17
There's different levels of "smartness" and different smart people go about life in different ways. But, i think universally young prodigies are typically isolated. They are at a level far above children their age, but are far younger than the people that match intellectually with (lacking life experience). Either way, a young prodigy can't connect with either group.
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95points
#18
Many very intelligent young people are poorly stimulated and challenged. Without the proper mental exercise they're unlikely to live up to their potential.
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91points
#19
It's sad to see dumb people making a dumb decision in front of your eyes and not be able to do anything but only give them advice. Most helpful advice are a waste.
Most dumb people argue a lot instead of reflecting as well using critical thinking. So you will never win an arguement against a dump or bias person. So just walk away and tell them they are right.
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85points
#20
They don't always find ways of living up to their potential.
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78points