Misconceptions About High IQ Individuals

While there are some benefits to having a high IQ, there are also traits associated with a high intelligence that might be less than desirable, such as depression and anxiety. Given the tendencies that the highly intelligent have for over-thinking and overanalyzing personal encounters, they might read into situations far more than necessary and see body language and meanings that aren’t there, causing extra emotional distress to please everyone they come into contact with as to avoid an unpleasant engagement.

Also, one common pitfall that arises from being able to pick up new skills and understandings quickly is that it makes it hard for someone to really exert the effort needed to succeed when they grow used to being naturally gifted at everything. For many, this might happen in college, when someone who graduated with honors in high school with little effort find themselves falling behind in the fast-paced environment of university. Such experiences can cause someone to recede and become less sociable, anxious, and potentially depressed at what they might see as mounting failure.

Personality traits of those with high IQs

With regards to personality, the highly intelligent have stereotypically been seen as geeky, nerdy, quiet, and introverted, most likely hunched before a glowing computer screen in a dark room, communicating with the world through emoji and shortened text. To the contrary, if intelligence is partly a reflection of someone’s ability to express themselves, then having a higher IQ would mean that one has a greater variety with regards to their self-expression. The truth of the matter is that as much as there might be people with high intelligence that are nerdy and introverted, there are also many people with high IQ who are extroverted, outgoing, talkative, colorful, brightly expressive, and brilliantly adept at more than just secretive technological undertakings in dark rooms, or gatherings in online universes. Lastly, as much as we might all equate having a high IQ with being mathematically brilliant, there are many ways for a high IQ to manifest itself; one might be a sculptor or painter who can visualize their entire work in their mind before crafting their masterpiece, another might be a programmer who thinks more fluidly in syntax other than that of the English language. Intelligence is only one minor facet of what it takes to be a successful, thriving individual, and while it might help in some aspects of life, relying on IQ alone as a measure of someone’s future accomplishments will never yield a completely clear picture of the trajectory their life will take.