It is a well-known belief that highly intelligent people are at a very high risk of developing mental illness, have you ever met any intelligent person with mental illness?
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It is a well-known belief that highly intelligent people are at a very high risk of developing mental illness, have you ever met any intelligent person with mental illness?
Creative people might be judged to be more insane because their thinking is often different than those around them. They think “outside the box”. They are curious, and entertain ideas most people don’t even think about. They question things other people just take for granted. They put things together differently. You can see this clearly in fashion. Most people dress in basic clothing they find in department stores or other clothes-selling outlets. Things that are accepted as currently fashionable. They may look nice and well put-together, but don’t really stand out from anybody else. People who are fashionably creative wear things that stand out from everyone else. They take risks. They pair things that don’t seem to go together. They may wear wild hats or jewelry or accessories. They may wear things that seem shocking or bizarre. You may think, wow, that’s really weird, yet somehow it works. Or you may think the person wearing that outfit is completely bonkers because no one but an insane person would go out in public dressed that way.
I think the more intelligent you are, and the more creative you are, the more you see things differently than other people. You don’t merely accept what you are told without questioning it. You look at the small details of things to study how they work. You watch ants scurrying around and think about how their lives compare to ours. You examine things closely. You don’t see things in black & white. You realize there are all different shades of meaning.
Those with very high IQ, tend to be very passionate people, which could increase anxiety in certain environments. To be smarter, sharper, more aware of your environment and absorb more information, good at problem solving, deep thinking, attention to detail and hyperfocus requires a level of sensitivity that can keep them so passionate. This might explain why those with higher IQs get overwhelmed with too many options or too much input and may be sensitive to some stimuli and burn out easily. Being more sensitive and feeling things deeply, could make someone more predisposed to mental illness if they encounter a stressful or traumatic experience. Being more sensitive may make the illness feel more intense or more difficult to overcome.
Those with higher IQs may also be so aware of what they don’t know and regard themselves as much less intelligent than they actually are and may have lower self-esteem because of this. This is known as the Dunning Kruger effect; where someone with less ability to expand on their knowledge, may feel fulfilled more easily and therefore more confident and satisfied that they know everything they need to know.
Having a higher IQ also makes one absorb more information, meaning that (depending on environmental circumstances), the person may be too aware of the the problems in the world or the consequences or possibility of failure and may fear stepping out of their comfort zone in order to grow. They may be perfectionists and stubborn about trying something that isn’t guaranteed success or the desired outcome. Having a higher IQ may also improve memory, which may increase this reluctancy due to past failures or unpleasant experiences.
Those with higher IQs often have difficulty in social environments due to their out of the box characteristics and may struggle to relate with peers. They may tend to avoid socialising often or have few friends, which may increase feelings of loneliness which may lead to depression.