Why Aren't Smart People Happier?

Re:Why Aren't Smart People Happier? by mmorriso on Thursday August 20, 2026 @07:01PM (#49381445)

I find it interesting that there's an expectation that smart people would be happier.

Being smart is essentially "having a strong brain". Would we expect people with a strong back or legs to be happier? I wouldn't expect someone good a maths or puzzles to be any happier than someone good at carrying heavy things.

There's a difference between smart and wise. Some smart people become wise people, and I find them to be happy.

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Re:Why Aren't Smart People Happier? by bittercynic on Thursday August 20, 2026 @09:23PM (#49382525)

I kinda would expect a person with a strong back or legs to be happier. I think there's a strong correlation between health and fitness and happiness.

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Re:Why Aren't Smart People Happier? by esseph on Friday August 21, 2026 @01:21AM (#49384120)

> I think there's a strong correlation between health and fitness and happiness

Most depressed people don't have the energy to exercise, and people with executive function disorders have problems with procrastination and often can't form the routine needed for increases in fitness.

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Re:Why Aren't Smart People Happier? by bharatsuthar on Friday August 21, 2026 @11:01AM (#49389190)

Yup! Depression can cause psychomotor retardation, which can make even basic physical activities like sitting or walking painful because it feels physically heavy to carry all that weight.

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Re:Why Aren't Smart People Happier? by amelius on Friday August 21, 2026 @06:29AM (#49386128)

Smart people are more likely to be able to choose the work they do (on the basis of what makes them happy).

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