-- Posted by ForeignFishes at 9:22 pm on Sep. 9, 2008 I've noticed that the smartest people I know hate themselves, and have trouble romantically.   Someone told me that they think only stupid people have fantastic relationships.   And I'm cynical.   Of course there are exceptions. But I do believe that, for the most part, if you're truly an intellectual... happiness is hard to come by. Discuss. -- Posted by acausedelle at 9:28 pm on Sep. 9, 2008 I agree completely. The smartest people that I have talked to are cynical and depressed, yet they are very smart and they give the best advice that anyone has given me. I am quite cynical myself, and have never gotten far in relationships. The ignorant and annoying people have relationships, but they are evanescent. The intellectuals have long-lasting relationships, but it takes them a while to find someone that they really like. This is just my point of view though. -- Posted by the real anti christ at 11:33 pm on Sep. 9, 2008 There is one fortunate thing about your predicament. The club dosen't think you qualify as a member. -- Posted by nikki at 12:27 pm on Sep. 10, 2008 That's a very negative outlook to have on life. I know a lot of extremely intelligent people who are amongst the happiest people I know. Life is what you make it, and I don't believe that being extremely intelligent means you're unlucky in love or unhappy. Some people just don't find love at a young age, others do. That's due to luck and chance, not intelligence. -- Posted by medjai at 4:14 pm on Sep. 10, 2008 The more intelligent you are the more likely you are to be socially apt. -- Posted by DuchessxInsanity at 6:13 pm on Sep. 30, 2008 maybe the most intelligent people you know have problems with romantic inclinations because of just that...they are too smart. they dont fall for the stupid tricks that people pull on one another and it takes them a while, but when they do find someone right for them, they do the smart thing and stick to that person for a while. one of the smarterst guys i know, not necessarily in IQ, but also in street smarts and worldly knowledge, is single. he has been for almost a year. but before that, he was taken by other girls for like 6 years. it just so happens that i like this person. and he likes me. but i think that being more intelligent than most of the population makes you more conscious of the kinds of decisions you make, and that also applies for relationship related ones. maybe they just go along with that info in their heads about what is right or wrong for them. or maybe they just float along with no clue and happen upon love by chance. wither way, i wish i was one of those. -- Posted by Jaxie at 10:04 pm on Sep. 30, 2008 I think that perhaps the reason that the most intellectual are more hesitant in a relationship for the exact reason they're thought of as intelligent: they think about things. In a relationship, one might tend to overanalyze, and rather than simply going along with the sometimes hard-to-justify emotions, one is more likely to think these things through. This, sometimes, can cause one to question their emotions, or even work against them (picking out whatever negative quirks the other might have, rather than falling for the initial blindness and ability to overlook these things that usually comes with more thoughtless infatuation, and then acting upon the fact that there are so many negative aspects about the person). Someone who is intelligent may also be more likely to know what they want, thus being harder to satisfy, and at the same time, will be more likely to need someone who is able to intellectually stimulate them, and engage in intelligent conversation with them. Overall, thought may trump emotion, especially in the earlier stages of relationship, in the case of an intellectual. However, this isn't to say that intellectuals are not able to get into a good and lasting relationship; after all, even the brightest people are still humans, subject to sometimes unexplainable and overpowering emotions, and also may find the people who are just what they were looking for, able to fulfill all their desires, both intellectually, and emotionally. -- Posted by medjai at 10:29 pm on Oct. 7, 2008 The idea that intelligence brings unhappiness is stupid. Society and mistakes bring about unhappiness, not the strength of your mind. Truely intelligent people are capable of adapting to bad situations and overcoming emotional responses to them, they succeed where others fail by the very virtue of their superior mind and ability. Just because you're unhappy and feel like it's because you think on a deeper level and that your cynicism is the natural result of your great intellect doesn't make it true. It's a fairy tale you create for yourself so that you don't have to take responsibility for your own state of mind. "I'm sad and unpopular because I'm smarter than everyone else and they can't relate to me" instead of "I'm sad and unpopular because I'm socially stupid and have personality disorders that I let control my life."