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

Trump Is Weirding Everyone Out With His Bizarre Comments About Whole Milk

Trump Is Weirding Everyone Out With His Bizarre Comments About Whole Milk

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after he made a clarification about "hole" vs. "whole" milk—yes, really—during a press conference about bringing whole milk back to schools.

Trump signed legislation on Wednesday restoring whole milk to school cafeteria menus, a move that reverses a 2012 Obama-era policy that restricted schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to serving only skim or low-fat milk, an effort aimed at curbing childhood obesity.

Keep ReadingShow less
Person behind bars
Photo by Ye Jinghan on Unsplash

Prison Guards Describe Times They've Seen Former Inmates After They Got Released

We all make mistakes, but there are certain mistakes and bad decisions that might lead us to believe that there's no way to have a good life after making such a wrong turn.

But according to some Redditors, there can be a great life ahead, even in the chapter after jail or prison.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from Redditor dreamthorp's video
u/dreamthorp/Reddit

Firefighter Dubbed A Hero For Trying To Kick Down Gamer Neighbor's Door After Hearing His Cries For Help

Not many of us genuinely have a story that ends with a laugh and, "It was all just a big misunderstanding!"

But Redditor dreamthorp had quite the story of misunderstanding to share, based on his post in the "ARC_Raiders" subReddit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Pattinson (left) and Timothée Chalamet (right)
Lionel Hahn/Getty Images; A24

'Marty Supreme' Director Reveals That Robert Pattinson Played Key Role In Film—And Fans Are Stunned

Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Supreme has become both an awards-season darling and a box office juggernaut, delivering A24 its second-biggest opening ever and cementing its status as one of the year’s most buzzed-about films.

But amid the Golden Globe wins, Critics' Choice buzz, and widespread praise for Chalamet’s performance, one delightful detail slipped past even the most attentive fans.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dad playing with his child
MoMo Productions/Getty Images

Dad Sparks Backlash After Admitting He Can't Stand Spending More Than 10 Minutes With His Kids

Most people who have chosen to have kids and become parents love their children.

That said, we generally can only spend so much time with people, whether they're our loved ones or coworkers, before we need a little break. It's okay that parents might like an occasional break from their children, like having a nice dinner out.

Keep ReadingShow less