Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down The Saddest Truths About Smart People

People Break Down The Saddest Truths About Smart People
Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

I love knowledge.

And I've always been envious of those that have it in spades.

I can't watch Jeopardy because it makes me sad.

Yet I love learning about all of the facts.

I've been told that power, much like ultimate wealth, apparently comes with a cost.

Make me believe it...

Redditor GoodDepth wanted to discuss the more somber life details about intelligence. They asked:

"What is the sad truth about smart people?"

I want an IQ of 180. But all the studying in the world won't get me there. Sadly... tell me about being brilliant!

Lost

The One Where Estelle Dies Episode 15 GIF by FriendsGiphy

“Intelligence is like four-wheel drive. It just lets you get lost in more remote places.' — Garrison Keillor"

No-Faithlessness5311

Mastery

"The smarter you get, the more you realise you don't know."

Crafty-Ambassador779

"I've noticed there's something weird with this, though. If someone hits a certain level of mastery in one area, they seem to think they can easily be an expert in all areas."

"As an example I used to be a professional carpenter that did work on mostly high end builds. The amount of Doctors and Engineers that were suddenly master plumbers, finish carpenters and electricians and 'knew' more than me after a few days of research was infuriating."

TheIowan

"facts and logic"

"They have no effect on dumb people's opinions."

theboomboy

"Persuasion (like teaching) is definitely a separate skill from intelligence. You can throw around 'facts and logic' all you want, but humans aren't robots. And what you/they consider factual and logical, may not be so."

ncnotebook

"I’ve found that people don’t like to be persuaded by logic and facts if they don’t have any logical facts to back their stance to begin with. They much rather go off hysteria and what they believe rather than what reasoning led them to that belief."

Vaxtin

Crushing

"Our school system (Australia) isn't built to deal with them. It crushes bright kids down to everyone else's level. The usual solution is just to give them extra work to do on top of the assigned work, when they finish that too fast. But to a kid, that's a punishment. In this way achieving beyond a certain accepted parameter is quietly discouraged."

theexteriorposterior

fools and fanatics

hocus pocus halloween GIFGiphy

"They are full of doubt compared to people who are not smart."

F**k-Reddit-Mods69

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. -B. Russell"

Paddlesons

So brains don't automatically equal brilliance and happiness... Who knew?

I Know what I Know

Think Season 2 GIF by NBCGiphy

"Being smart enough to know you're right while dealing with people too stupid to know they're wrong is soul crushing."

Stryker2279

"smartness"

"There's different levels of 'smartness' and different smart people go about life in different ways. But, I think universally young prodigies are typically isolated. They are at a level far above children their age, but are far younger than the people that match intellectually with (lacking life experience). Either way, a young prodigy can't connect with either group."

Firamaster

Potential

"They don't always find ways of living up to their potential."

Immediate_Aioli342

"To add to this, they're often told they should live up to their potential simply because it exists. The number of times myself and some of my current MSC colleagues have been told we are wasting our potential by not being physicians is soul crushing."

"And demeaning because it implies that pursuing anything other than the hardest, highest paid disciplines is a waste of you, regardless of what makes you happy. Truly sad to see smart people in careers or lives they hate because they did what other people told them they should do."

TinyBabyAlli

I should probably go back to therapy...

"Expectations. Never learning to study until it is too late. Being forced to learn outside of your age related interests. Being terrified of failure. Not being able to balance ambition and said fear of failure. Once again, expectations. My mother put so much pressure on me at such a young age I couldn't handle it. I have done well for myself as an adult, but will never be able to live up to those expectations set by her and others. I should probably go back to therapy."

Putty119

Levels

Praising John Goodman GIF by The Righteous GemstonesGiphy

"There are different types of intelligence. Being good at physics doesn't mean that you should manage people."

oliverismyspiritdog

Well I'm glad to only have average level intelligence. Who needs the stress.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Jerry O'Connell; Rob Reiner
Thomas Skrlj/MLB Photos via Getty Images; Paul Archuleta/Getty Images

'Stand By Me' Star Jerry O'Connell Pays Heartbreaking Tribute After 'Devastating' Death Of Rob Reiner

Amid the devastating death of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, several celebrities have spoken out to pay tribute to the iconic director and actor.

But perhaps none have had quite the emotional weight of actor Jerry O'Connell's, which he gave during an appearance on CBS Mornings and in a statement to People.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mourners for victims of shooting at Bondi Beach at the Bondi Pavillion, in Sydney, Australia
Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

Man Hailed As Hero After Tackling And Disarming Bondi Beach Shooter In Harrowing Viral Video

According to reports from Australia's New South Wales (NSW) Police Force, on the evening of Sunday, December 14, two gunmen opened fire on a crowd gathered at Sydney's Bondi Beach to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah.

Fourteen people died at the scene and two more later succumbed to their injuries, bringing the death toll to 16. An additional 40 people were confirmed injured.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; Screenshot of Dagen McDowell
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Fox News

Gavin Newsom Drags Fox News For Starting 'War On Christmas' With Their Bleak Advice About Christmas Trees

California Governor Gavin Newsom was not impressed by Fox Business host Dagen McDowell, who stunned her colleagues on The Big Money Show when she suggested that people should buy fake Christmas trees to make way for AI data centers.

McDowell's comments came in response to reporting from Gaver Farm in Mount Airy, where a local Christmas tree operation is fighting plans tied to the $424 million Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bruna Caroline Ferreira; Karoline Leavitt
CNN; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Mother Of Karoline Leavitt's Nephew Speaks Out After Her ICE Arrest With Scathing Message For Leavitt

Bruna Caroline Ferreira, the mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's nephew, spoke out in an interview on CNN after ICE arrested her last month, saying Leavitt is "not a good Catholic" for backing the draconian policies that led to her detention.

Ferreira shares her son with her ex-fiancé, Leavitt’s older brother, Michael Leavitt. On November 12, she was arrested and detained while picking up her 11-year-old son from school in Revere, Massachusetts. A judge later ordered that she be released from South Louisiana ICE Processing Center.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jacob Myers-Norys; Khloé Kardashian
@yacobmyers/Instagram; Andreas Rentz/Fragrance Foundation/Getty Images

Teacher Looking For Love Gets More Than He Bargained For After Khloé Kardashian Comments On His Video

You know what they say, "Nothing changes if nothing changes." If you really want your life to improve in some way, you have to do things differently to make room for change.

California teacher Jacob Myers-Norys enjoys teaching and coaching kids' sports full-time, but he's ready for a companion. In Myers-Norys' words, he's ready to have a woman in his life who asks about his school days.

Keep ReadingShow less