Intelligence, like athleticism, is generally considered to be a positive trait, because it increases the options available to you for career, choice of spouse, and perhaps, access to a wider variety of social groups. However, there are significant advantages to having average intelligence.
The world is designed for people who are considered “normal” in height, weight, intelligence, and other mental and physical characteristics. Airplanes and theaters have seat sizes that punish those who are much taller than average. Radio and television programming are designed for people of average interests and tastes in music, art and athletics, because most people orbit close to the center that we call “normal” or “average.” So, if you are within a standard deviation (15 IQ points) of the average, you will be able to relate to more people and you will probably find that radio and television programming as well as movies are more tailored your interests than to the interests of the high-intelligence person.
When we investigate the lives of geniuses in past eras, such as Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, we see people who were isolated, lonely and misunderstood. When we look at the brilliant people of today, including Steve Jobs (founder of Apple and Pixar), Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon) and Elon Musk (founder of Space X, Tesla, and Neuralink) we see people who were bullied as youngsters and misunderstood as adults. (See: What is the most important thing that people of high IQ must understand? – Intelligence and IQ)
People of very high intelligence tend to be interested in different things from those who are closer to “normal.” Consequently, they tend to have more difficulty understanding others and being understood by others. Some highly intelligent people learn the social skills and norms and fit in well in most groups, but many highly intelligent people seek out their own group with whom they can share interests to satisfy their social needs.
If we attempted to determine whether highly intelligent people are “happier” than people of average intelligence, we would probably find little correlation, between IQ and happiness, because there are so many factors that comprise happiness. Having an intelligence that is significantly below average, like having a physical disability, has few advantages, but the good news is that there are many people of low intelligence, or physical handicaps who have extremely happy lives and are able to accomplish things. As I consider t all the people I’ve been able to observe in my life, it appears that each individual has a unique collection of talents and limitations and each of us has to struggle through life to meet our psychological and physiological needs. How well we achieve this derives more from what we do with what we have, than the talents with which we began our lives.
