Folks with high IQ are often plagued by a feeling that they’d failed to live up to the expectations of life. It doesn’t matter how much they had otherwise achieved over the years, many held onto a creeping feeling that they could have done better. The feeling of “not living up to their potential”. Smart people are the recipients of all kinds of expectations; Well-meaning parents, teachers, and bosses have all kinds of ideas of what ambition should look like. It can be incredibly difficult for intelligent people to have the psychological space to discern and choose the path that feels right to them. Also, highly intelligent people know that they’re smart and can take this as a burden upon themselves. If they’re not at the top of every problem or there’s an area of struggle, it can be difficult for them to cope. They have high expectations of themselves too. And people often expect them not to make mistakes. What are they? Super humans? Maybe. Lol. Highly intelligent individuals are less likely to see their own flaws, than those of the people around them. The highly intelligent ones have also been shown to be more prone to mental health disorders, especially depression and anxiety.