Daily theory!

[RonYells]

Theory:

Smarter people are more prone to depression and anxiety

I am confused on three things.

First, what is smarter people? How do we define intelligence in this context? IQ, is usually a preferred measure for intelligence as it integrates many fundamental skills that show signs of complex reasoning into one comparable measure. However, it also does not take into account a lot of other complex traits. To name a few, as some may have pointed out, the ability to how much external environmental information one can instantly perceive, and the measure for one's ability to reflect the said information. If intelligence in this context refers to that, then this will lead us to:

Second, Does the ability to reflect correspond to depression? I think the ability to reflect does not solely cause depression. We need to factor in the scope of the reflection (what is being reflected about?), and it's limitations (one's reflection is only limited to the logical connections one can make. Someone who perceives life as generally miserable does so because it makes sense to them. Similarly, someone who perceives it positively, opted to choose it the other way around).

If this is the case, then someone who can easily make sense of internal and external scenarios in its environment, will also be likely to make more logical connections surrounding it. The more logical connections are made, the more complex one's belief system becomes. You consider many variables and past experiences in your reflections.
However, since real life offers many scenarios that does not make sense when compared toe-to-toe, internal conflict will also be more likely (i.e. People who are young, attractive, and have a great personality gets laid a lot. I am young, attractive and have a great personality, but my hand is my lover. Therefore, something must be wrong with me). Things that previously make sense to you, tend to be overwritten quickly, and a lot. If this is the case, then the original statement should be more like this:

One sign of Intelligence is the ability to perceive information at a faster rate than everyone else. This may cause a greater amount of time and effort reflecting to rationalize said information, in order to make sense of it. However, an unstable ground of belief systems may also cause reflecting to cause confusion and conflict of beliefs. To reject one's own internal conflicts is to be delusional. To accept it, is to be depressed.

Third, is where I have gotten really confused. I don't know the exact nature of depression. I mean, we all know what it does, that it's a mental condition, and that it is curable. Heck, we have pills for that. Which makes me ask: Is depression just a bio-chemical malfunction in the brain? If so, then... nothing I've said above makes sense. Now I'm depressed

 

[perfanoff]

Intelligence (IQ) requires some specific styles of thinking such as critical thinking.
Resembling the scientific method, you need to be "assertively"-minded, by considering all claims and putting them to scrutiny, wherever they come from.

This kind of thinking can be called abrasive or negative constructivism, by pushing away ideas that are bad, and let's face it, most of the ideas out there are just...

This kind of thinking can creep in the personality of (or the personality is the cause of the IQ) of high-IQ people and with some social feedback - "you don't like my ridiculous idea or you question my questionable actions? I don't like YOU!... You seem different from other people somehow.. I don't like you!". Well, this type of personality can make such people more isolated and so more prone to depression.

Then there's the rarity of intelligence. If you take INTP personalities, that's about 2% of the population, and we are pretty much too different from the other personalities. If you take people say 130 IQ and higher, that's 3 people among a hundred, it doesn't come extremely easy to find a common language with most other people and the burden is on those smart people to find it. Let alone for 150 IQ etc.. You can again get socially isolated, and suffer depression because of it.

Let me go off a limb and say that: if a smart person is depressed, it's very likely to be due to social isolation.

 

[RonYells]

Resembling the scientific method, you need to be "assertively"-minded, by considering all claims and putting them to scrutiny, wherever they come from.

This kind of thinking can be called abrasive or negative constructivism, by pushing away ideas that are bad, and let's face it, most of the ideas out there are just...

That got me into wondering. I believe that intelligent people are also more prone to be biased towards their own line of thinking. That is, one's assertion of a critique should also be put under scrutiny. A popular idea does not necessarily mean it is a good idea, but so is an unpopular one.

Let me go off a limb and say that: if a smart person is depressed, it's very likely to be due to social isolation.

I'm not trying to disagree with you here, but let me try to connect that statement with what I was thinking. What is it about social isolation that causes depression? It seems fairly obvious that human beings need other human beings to thrive socially. However, isolation from other people also causes one to be isolated with its own thoughts. With no one to second-guess or to simply share with its thoughts, one is more prone to be, well, intellectually biased. Having the ability to think critically does not guarantee being correct all the time.

My point is, I'm trying to deduce why depressed people think the way they do (and I also realized that was what I was trying to do in the previous post as well). What are the things common in almost all depressed people? Irrational feelings of extreme sadness and hopelessness? Thoughts of impending doom? I think social isolation causes an intelligent person's reasoning to go haywire. Without focus and guidance, an intelligent person can easily either become a nut, or a nihilistic social *******.

[edit]: after a quick google, there really is such a thing as intelligence bias
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_bias

 

[perfanoff]

All true points.

Am I not a poster case for that? "Nihilistic social *******" describes well one side of me - that grows in power when I haven't had healthy communication in a while.

 

[ardour]

Got to say I find it a bit obnoxious when those with very high IQs claim to be isolated, as if everyone else resents them for it.

If they’re intelligent they can easily understand social norms and know how to put their opinions across without sounding arrogant. Maybe their critical thinking abilities are offset by a lack a emotional intelligence.

 

[perfanoff]

It's more like feeling the demand to shape yourself to some kind of social norm and be agreeable to ideas and concepts that do not merit agreement.

It's also appearing to speak like a snob and that you're actively trying to appear smarter than others. It's as if the burden is on me to dumb myself down to this world sometimes.

Then there's all about the hobbies and interests than other people simply aren't interested in.

Although the emotional intelligence thing definitely is a factor.

 

[Rosebolt]

"Love is the most powerful force known to man."

 

[BrokenInside]

"Love is the most powerful force known to man."

I thought it was Gravity

 

[Rosebolt]

"Love and hate are different manifestations of the same thing."

 

[ladyforsaken]

It may or may not be. Kinda depends on what that thing is doesn't it. But love and hate are different yes.. two opposite feelings.

 

[*Sammy*]

"Love and hate are different manifestations of the same thing."

yes and also no

example 1: there is one person i really really hate/dislike to the point of almost wishing to see harm come to them... now most poele who have met me on here know i am not like this i wish harm upon no one but this one person betrayed me so deeply i can never forgive or forget.

Example 2: my husband i both hate him with everything in me right now but love him at the same time.

 

[Rosebolt]

"Love and hate are different manifestations of the same thing."

yes and also no

example 1: there is one person i really really hate/dislike to the point of almost wishing to see harm come to them... now most poele who have met me on here know i am not like this i wish harm upon no one but this one person betrayed me so deeply i can never forgive or forget.

Example 2: my husband i both hate him with everything in me right now but love him at the same time.

I don't see the no part. I never said that hate and love go hand in hand. All i said is that love and hate are both two insanely strong powers, both on the other side of the spectrum.

 

[*Sammy*]

Iin my head i was going off the theory that many people (i know of anyway) believe to Hate someone you must Love stuff or have loved something about them in the first place. I find that untrue i have been able to hate without love involved.
I guess i miss understood your meaning Rose.

 

[user 139760]

I have a theory that we're actually all one cell of a giant superorganism called Mr.Universe.

Then again, I also have a theory that my neighbhor's dog is spying on me on behalf of the Russian governement, so I guess you can only believe it so far.

"Temba, his arms wide"