This is a common myth. A spurious correlation at best. There are plenty of highly intelligent people who are not or may never be depressed. While higher IQ people may score higher on tests for depression- studies show on the whole, less intelligent people are more depressed in greater numbers. General happiness is higher with higher Intelligence- given that those with a higher intelligence are more likely to be able to achieve career and personal goals, less likely to be confused in daily life or feel things are unfair because they can’t understand the “rules.” As it relates to happiness and depression- more intelligent people are also more likely to be able to find resources and have the means to get help....
.... there’s also a huge debate about “intelligence.” Not only are there many types of “intelligence” such as a person who is relatively ignorant but “good with people” so possess emotional or social intelligence, but even something like “IQ” is very contentious. In fact a high IQ has less to do with how much a person knows or how “smart” they are and simply more to do with how adaptable they are. That’s why any IQ test done after a very young age loses most of the credibility it might arguably have- when testing the very young there is less opportunity that they could be acting on experience or memorization, and any puzzle they face is more a measure of untrained ability and problem solving. However intuition and luck factor in to any test as well- making the results will debatable.
This misconception is a classic that comes up a lot especially amongst those who are self diagnosed as “more intelligent than their peers.” An idea that those “special few” have the intelligence to see how terrible things really are by nature and the angst of the human condition that others can’t conceive or their simple minds are distracted by “shiny things.” The truth is many great artists and thinkers have had mental illness. We know about them because they are greats. That ignores all the average or below average folks with mental illnesses because- history books don’t teach you about people who excel at life but don’t do anything ground breaking. There are far more people making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year or running successful businesses or making obscure breakthroughs we take for granted than there are legendary artists.
So it’s a triple trick of perception. We see many smart people are depressed. We see many prominent figures were depressed. Some of us have depression or nihilistic views or negative outlooks and believe we are smarter than our peers- and so people conclude that intelligence and depression go hand in hand. To be fair- there is evidence there MAY be a link between bi-polar disorder and extreme talent. But by its nature bipolar is a disorder of extremes- not just downs but extreme ups. So not the same as depression.
looking at the likes of your stuff is always interesting cause it shows that like half the people that like the first unfinished 1/4th dont bother reading the rest of it
Also, if you can objectively view something you might be able to have normal functiom despite being severely depressed, whilst someone who cannot rationalise everything may underperform.
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Remove depression from both these parties, and they may perform equal and great, or excel above the other, or still be averagely good.
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Depression and intelligence is not a causative or direct correlation - just like the increase of global warming is correlated to the reduction of traditional pirates, they actually do not have a direct influence.
Things that happens together but have nothing to do with each other directly are called spurious correlations, by the way. There is also a website where you can explore trends that are correlated and see if they actually are causative.
@bethorien- or they get sick of it. Lol.
@catfluff- I do in fact reference spurious correlations in the opening of my post. And I love the website. And I agree on all your points. Depression isn’t merely “being down” but is quite literally not being able to view things with what would be considered “average” objectivity for a person. So an intelligent but depressed person who sees the world negatively isn’t by default making those connections out of intelligence, but out of a depression which would cause a person of any intelligence to tend to see negatives.
Let's also not forget that correlation can NEVER be assumed to mean causation!!!!
If women who ride horses tend to live longer, don't all sign up for horseback riding lessons!
A more likely reason is that women who ride horses will come from a different social class, a wealthier one, where they have better access to medicine and medical interventions if they are needed. Or perhaps that women who ride horses tend to do more sports in general which increases their overall health. Or a combination of these two and some other unmeasured variable.
So again, let not forget that correlation can NEVER be assumed to mean causation!!!!!!!
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.
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Remove depression from both these parties, and they may perform equal and great, or excel above the other, or still be averagely good.
,
Depression and intelligence is not a causative or direct correlation - just like the increase of global warming is correlated to the reduction of traditional pirates, they actually do not have a direct influence.
@catfluff- I do in fact reference spurious correlations in the opening of my post. And I love the website. And I agree on all your points. Depression isn’t merely “being down” but is quite literally not being able to view things with what would be considered “average” objectivity for a person. So an intelligent but depressed person who sees the world negatively isn’t by default making those connections out of intelligence, but out of a depression which would cause a person of any intelligence to tend to see negatives.
If women who ride horses tend to live longer, don't all sign up for horseback riding lessons!
A more likely reason is that women who ride horses will come from a different social class, a wealthier one, where they have better access to medicine and medical interventions if they are needed. Or perhaps that women who ride horses tend to do more sports in general which increases their overall health. Or a combination of these two and some other unmeasured variable.
So again, let not forget that correlation can NEVER be assumed to mean causation!!!!!!!