Hey everyone, and welcome to TopThink.
Today, we are going to learn about 10 surprising downsides of being smart.
Now, let’s begin 1.
Faulty Conclusions Intelligent people are keen observers and
quick studies, but they don’t always make sound judgments.
In fact, smarter people make more faulty assumptions than the rest of the population.
Why?
Because intelligent people don’t always draw accurate conclusions.
You gather evidence.
Look for patterns.
Apply logic, but the world doesn’t always behave the way you expect.
You may misjudge the people you meet because you assume you know more than you do.
In some cases, this bad habit can be self-destructive.
If a smart person thinks something is going poorly, like a date or a job interview, they
assume the worst.
They give up or run away because they think they know what’s about to happen.
But no matter how smart you are, you can’t predict the future.
The more often you try, the more you’ll sabotage your own success.
2.
Sharing Knowledge Intellectual people like intellectual things.
You enjoy thinking, reasoning, creating, and solving problems.
But not everyone shares your passion for difficult subjects.
People may even criticize you for your intellectual curiosity.
This is a problem many intelligent people face.
You want to talk about the subjects you enjoy, but every time you do, people think you’re
showing off.
Maybe you’ve been called a braggart or a know-it-all.
People think you’re rubbing your intelligence in their faces… but you’re not trying
to impress anyone.
All you want to do is talk about things you find exciting, but people are rarely receptive
to the challenging subjects you enjoy.
As a result, you avoid overcomplicated subjects.
You focus on subjects others enjoy, even though, deep down, you couldn’t care less.
This is why intelligent people frequently feel misunderstood.
Even around their friends and family, they don’t feel comfortable talking about their
favorite subjects.
Your loved ones may not openly criticize you, but it’s obvious when someone doesn’t
know what you’re talking about.
In either case, intelligent people feel misunderstood, maybe even lonely, because their interests
are rarely shared by the people in their lives.
3.
Easy Excellence Many intelligent people learn the same bad
habits.
If you’re smarter than most, you may breeze through every problem that comes your way.
Other people work hard to achieve average results, but you can excel without batting
an eye.
Early in life, raw intelligence can carry you a long way, but it also teaches you bad
habits.
No matter how smart you are, there will come a time when you must sit down, work hard,
and struggle just like everyone else.
But what if you’ve never struggled before?
If everything has come easily to you, you may not have the self-discipline to persevere
through failure.
In other words, intelligence is a positive characteristic, but you also need self-control
and a strong work ethic.
Together, these three traits allow smart people to maintain long, successful careers.
But without self-control or a good work ethic, you may never learn how to reach your potential.
4.
Meeting Expectations Expectations can be a blessing and a curse.
People see your potential, and they expect you to do great things.
Their support can give you confidence and empower you to achieve, but it can also create
stress and damage your self-esteem.
Many people don’t realize how difficult it is to meet the expectations of others,
especially if you’re smarter than most.
In their minds, your success is a given.
Everyone assumes you’re climbing to the top of the ladder.
This can be a huge stressor for even the smartest people.
The rest of the world assumes you’re going to succeed, but you may not have the same
faith in yourself.
That’s stressful all on its own.
Add unrealistic expectations into the mix, and you’re looking at a constant stream
of mental and emotional distress.
So yes, intelligent people do attract attention and positivity from the world around them.
But those expectations are a heavy burden, no matter how smart you are.
5.
Fearing Ignorance For many intelligent people, ignorance is
their greatest fear.
They have been the smartest person in the room all their lives.
So, they’re afraid to be anything else.
They want to remain on top because that’s where they are most comfortable.
Unfortunately, that’s where smart people run into trouble.
They stop growing intellectually because they refuse to be ignorant.
They’re impatient to learn new skills, and they tackle more difficult challenges than
they can handle.
In other words, they throw themselves into the deep end without learning how to swim.
Imagine you’re trying to learn a new skill.
You’re a beginner, but you know how smart you are.
So, you skip ten steps ahead.
You ignore the basics.
You never build a proper foundation, and in the end… you fail.
If you’re an intelligent person, remember this: intelligence and skill are very different
things.
Many intelligent people are too afraid of looking stupid to admit how little they know.
But if you’re willing to admit your ignorance, you’ll be surprised how quickly you can
rise to the top.
6.
Attracting Jealousy Some intelligent people attract the wrong
kind of attention.
You want supportive friends and passionate coworkers, but instead you’re surrounded
by people who are jealous of your intellect or success.
For example, someone may pretend to be your friend just to mooch off your achievements.
Or maybe you know someone who wants you to fail – someone who actively sabotages your
success.
In either case, people treat you differently, because you are smarter than most.
That’s why intelligent people are hyper-aware of toxic patterns and unhealthy relationships.
They know how cruel and manipulative people can be, but that knowledge discourages emotional
intimacy.
In other words, intelligent people are afraid of being vulnerable.
They raise their guard and avoid relationships because they don’t know who is on their
side.
7.
Cyclical Disappointment As an intelligent person, you may have lofty
ambitions.
There may be great things you want to accomplish in your life, and you’re unwilling to settle
for anything less.
Sometimes, your ambition is one of your best qualities, but it can also take a heavy toll
on your self-confidence.
Intelligent people rarely give themselves the credit they deserve.
They’re never satisfied with small accomplishments.
They don’t reward steady gains or bits of progress.
Because they’re always aware of how far they have to go.
In other words, intelligent people come down extra hard on themselves, even if they’re
moving in the right direction.
They work harder than most, yet they constantly feel disappointed.
Over time, this toxic cycle can damage their motivation, confidence, and self-esteem.
They never feel like you’ve done enough.
They’re always letting themselves down.
And that can drive many intelligent people into much darker places.
8.
Overactive Thoughts Has someone ever told you that you think too
much?
Intelligent people struggle to rest and relax.
Your mind is always active.
You’re constantly thinking, planning, or problem-solving.
Your brain refuses to turn off, and that can be exhausting
To relieve their overactive minds, many smart people rely on distractors and timewasters.
Anything that will give them a break from their own brains.
Unfortunately, these distractors can worsen the problem, causing more frequent anxiety,
rumination, and cyclical thinking.
With or without distractions, it’s easy for smart people to fall down emotional rabbit
holes.
You can’t always control what direction your thoughts take you, and once you’re
entered a bad place… it can take a long time to think your way out.
If you’ve found yourself in a similar position, you may need to practice cognitive exercises,
designed to relieve your anxiety by engaging your brain.
Instead of turning your brain off, try turning your brain on.
In other words, use activities like reading, drawing, writing, and playing music to engage
your brain and relieve emotional stress.
Everyone needs an outlet for the thoughts and feelings swirling around your head.
But for intelligent people, those outlets provide a much-needed break from their busy
brains.
9.
Emotional Indifference Intelligent people enjoy thinking through
problems and forming opinions, even about things they don’t fully understand.
Smart people tend to be more open-minded and receptive than the average person, but there
is one area where they struggle.
For an intelligent person, indifference isn’t really an option.
Smart people instinctively search for answers and make arguments, but that’s not always
what people want to hear.
While it’s a wonderful characteristic in the workplace, it can be destructive in social
situations.
For instance, imagine you and your friend are having an argument.
Your friend wants to apologize and move forward, but you have strong opinions you just can’t
ignore.
You refuse to move on until you’ve explored all possible answers, but your intelligence
makes that argument worse than it needs to be.
It would be easier if you could forget and move on, but indifference doesn’t come naturally
to intelligent people.
10.
Biased Mistakes We know smart people come down hard on themselves.
They’re prone to anxiety, and they struggle to control their expectations.
But intelligent people also develop a unique bias that distorts their views of the world
and themselves.
Unconsciously, intelligent people exaggerate their own mistakes in relation to the mistakes
of others.
If someone makes a mistake at work, for example, you may be the first person to forgive.
You can understand where they went wrong, so you always cut people slack.
But what happens when you make the exact same mistake?
Intelligent people ruthlessly ruminate on their failures, often exaggerating small mistakes
into much larger problems.
Sometimes, they make broad generalizations about the tiniest issues, leading to unnecessary
disasters and a lot of emotional stress.
This unhealthy bias isn’t accurate or efficient, and many smart people know exactly what they’re
doing wrong.
But that doesn’t prevent intelligent people from catastrophizing their mistakes.
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