In collaboration with Fresh toast
Social gatherings are gaining momentum. But those who are very smart may prefer to omit post-pandemic parties.
Many of us have had to get used to being alone during the pandemic, but there is a subset of people who probably enjoyed isolation. Researchers have found that highly intelligent people love to be alone. According to research, smart people experience lower satisfaction when they socialize more often with their friends.
A 2016 study published in British Journal of Psychology theorizes that this result is due to evolutionary psychology. Researchers suggest that intelligence was a development that occurred when people were exposed to unique challenges and had to find ways to solve them.
The results are contradictory to the evidence we have accumulated over the years, where many studies and surveys have shown that socializing and having friends and people to trust are key to people’s happiness.
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According to the study, the smarter the person, the more likely they would be to solve problems on their own. The less intelligent the person is, the happier she would be when she was surrounded by friends, feeling better when she was surrounded by people to help her solve problems.
The study looked at more than 15,000 responses from people between the ages of 18 and 28, using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a survey that measured life, satisfaction, health, and intelligence. For most respondents, being surrounded by friends was key to their satisfaction.
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The researchers theorized that, apart from evolutionary reasons, smarter people preferred to be alone for aspirational reasons. The smarter the person, the more likely they are to focus on their long-term goals, that is, staying with other people distracts them from their goals.
However, one study is not enough to make global statements about highly intelligent people and others with a higher IQ. Many people prefer to be alone and are not geniuses.
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