Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?I am not making statements. I am just observing and making personal judgements based on what I have learnt throughout my life and analyse to be right. I may or may not be right, I am not saying that I am right I am explaining what my personal experience of life has led me to think.(Original post by littleshambles)
Well, you are making statements, and you aren't exchanging any information, you're exchanging self-serving prejudices about "intelligent" and "unintelligent" people that are based mostly on hunches you've pulled out of your orifices. I don't have an opinion on it because I haven't researched it, and I have no evidence to suggest that I should believe something either way. Would you rather I had a totally uninformed opinion and stuck to it despite having no idea what I was talking about? Cos that strikes me as the sort of thing people who don't think for themselves do.
I think a person with ideas and opinions of their own, it doesnt have to be right, it doesnt have to have evidence. Something which they have arguments for and against, something which they believe to be right and have come up with a conclusion with an argument. They could be badly wrong. They could have assumed everything. It doesnt matter. The point is that person has analysed and criticised and come to a conclusion accordingly to the information that they were given.
A person who doesnt know what they are talking about is normally a person who just says stuff that they heard. I agree with you on the bolded. hough I also think that a person who doesnt comment doesnt think for themselves.
Anyway, gotta go, have a math exam. I could be wrong I dont know, peace dude. -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?Yeah, I'm not sure there's a link between religious belief and happiness.(Original post by Terranomini)
I don't really see atheism as a depressing perspective. I'm a depressive, high IQ Christian. I would have thought depression is mostly biological whereas religion isn't.
For different types of people, religious belief manifests itself differently and serves different purposes -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?Uh huh.(Original post by Paint-a-Picture)
I am not making statements. I am just observing and making personal judgements based on what I have learnt throughout my life and analyse to be right. I may or may not be right, I am not saying that I am right I am explaining what my personal experience of life has led me to think.
I think a person with ideas and opinions of their own, it doesnt have to be right, it doesnt have to have evidence. Something which they have arguments for and against, something which they believe to be right and have come up with a conclusion with an argument. They could be badly wrong. They could have assumed everything. It doesnt matter. The point is that person has analysed and criticised and come to a conclusion accordingly to the information that they were given.
A person who doesnt know what they are talking about is normally a person who just says stuff that they heard. I agree with you on the bolded. hough I also think that a person who doesnt comment doesnt think for themselves.
Anyway, gotta go, have a math exam. I could be wrong I dont know, peace dude. -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?The only depression I know about is clinical depression, which is a chemical imbalance in the brain. Lack of serotonin and dopamine levels produce all the symptoms that fall under the term "depression". This is a difficult topic for many reasons; one of them being that "depression" is officially an umbrella term under which alot of mental illnesses fall under.
I've never really known what intelligence means. I had my own idea that it was about how well one can take-in, store and recall information, but even that just sounds like a good memory.
I also beleive it is something to do with being interested. Someone who takes no interest in lessons during school, spends all day day-dreaming and putting minimal effort into the work is going to appear less "intelligent" than someone else who does. Since someone who does take an interest is going to be more educated and knowledgable, people might preceive this as that person being "more intelligent". For people who put no effort in, "I'm not that intelligent/clever" can be an excuse for being lazy.
I totally agree with the people who said that the cause could have alot to do with social interactions.
If I spoke to my friends the way I speak to you on here, they would probably start looking at me as though I've got 2 heads. They would say "in English please", lol. A few girls have told me, even interrupted me, mid-sentence and said things such as "can't be doing with these big-words like". By normal standards, the words weren't what you'd call "big".
Sometimes I feel like I'm walking a tight-rope when I'm talking to some people. Coming accross as "too good" can be a problem. -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?but surely making generalised predictions on past information is not very intelligent?(Original post by InfinitelyVixey)
Intelligent people are probably quicker to see the terror and pointlessness of the world. And if they're 'sciency' make connections between the negative events in their lives and make a generalised prediction that this is what always happens.
its the problem of inductive knowledge, the premises of such arguments provide no reason at all to think that the conclusion is true. -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?Ignorance is bliss. Also intelligent people tend to over-analyse their lives too much. Oh I wish I'd done this, what if that had happened, I'am not working to my full potential etc.
Last edited by Inzamam99; 16-06-2011 at 14:53. -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?....So, are you discounting history, economics, biology, geology etc.(Original post by specialk_698)
but surely making generalised predictions on past information is not very intelligent? -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?Whilst I cannot claim to be particularly intelligent, I probably do think too much.
The world and the countless number of unpleasant/idiotic people in it does upset me somewhat.
I'm not really happy with my own performance as a person either, though arguably I ought to be on some fronts. -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?You know there is actually no link, right?(Original post by Inzamam99)
Ignorance if bliss. Also intelligent people tend to over-analyse their lives too much. Oh I wish I'd done this, what if that had happened, I'am not working to my full potential etc. -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?Exactly this. My brother is a perfect example. He's 19, works full time and is in a band, he justs so chilled and laid back. Has a huge group of friends and seems to have a laugh whoever he is with.(Original post by JAR12)
I completely agree. Perhaps when we mean 'intelligent' we simply mean, in this context, those who are rather conceptual, idealistic and abstract. Philosophy, creativity and logic combine to create a world-view which is altogether pessimistic, whether existential or nihilistic in nature.
Perhaps intelligent isn't the right word - how about idealistic? Those who are 'unintelligent' and deemed 'ignorant' are simply down-to-earth and realistic, whose world-view is more localised and concerned with family, friends and happiness as opposed to ideas, humanity and truth. There's no inherent distinction between which is more intelligent, it's simply the outlook on life. -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?If two people have equal academic achievements, and one is severely depressed, then the depressed one is likely to be more intelligent. He might have lost months not wanting to get out of bed, or abusing drugs, or similarly wasting time, while the other studied. Depression can limit performance in big ways.(Original post by ChessMister)
You know there is actually no link, right? -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?This topic is entitled "why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed", not, "why are depressed people more likely to be intelligent". Your hypothetical situation has no relevance to the supported conclusion that intelligence does not cause depression.(Original post by schoolstudent)
If two people have equal academic achievements, and one is severely depressed, then the depressed one is likely to be more intelligent. He might have lost months not wanting to get out of bed, or abusing drugs, or similarly wasting time, while the other studied. Depression can limit performance in big ways. -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?If you lifted the depressed guy's depression, he would have achieved more highly, while the other guy would remain at the same achievement level. In any group of equal achievement, the depressed ones will on average have higher potential, and probably intelligence.(Original post by ChessMister)
This topic is entitled "why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed", not, "why are depressed people more likely to be intelligent". Your hypothetical situation has no relevance to the supported conclusion that intelligence does not cause depression.
This might not have relevance to intelligence not causing depression, but it does support a correlation within groups where achievement is equal. You seemed earlier to be saying that some depressed people are misguided in thinking they are more intelligent.Last edited by schoolstudent; 16-06-2011 at 15:17. -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?I'm a real perfectionist, especially when it comes to my own creative works. It really does get you down(Original post by soutioirsim)
I think a lot of intelligent people are perfectionists.
Perfectionists + Imperfect world =
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?(Original post by schoolstudent)
If you lifted the depressed guy's depression, he would have achieved more highly, while the other guy would remain at the same achievement level. In any group of equal achievement, the depressed ones will on average have higher potential, and probably intelligence. So in any group, the depressed ones will on average have higher intelligence.
This might not have relevance to intelligence not causing depression, but it does support a correlation within groups where achievement is equal. You seemed earlier to be saying that some depressed people are misguided in thinking they are more intelligent.
"This might not have relevance to intelligence not causing depression, but it does support a correlation within groups where achievement is equal."
What correlation? If it is your "equal group" hypothetical situation I don't really care.
"You seemed earlier to be saying that some depressed people are misguided in thinking they are more intelligent."
Where? You've highlighted one, seemingly infrequent situation. Some depressed people are probably more intelligent than some people who are not depressed, yes. This has nothing to do with intelligence causing depression. -
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Re: Why are intelligent people more likely to be depressed?You wrote:(Original post by ChessMister)
"This might not have relevance to intelligence not causing depression, but it does support a correlation within groups where achievement is equal."
What correlation? If it is your "equal group" hypothetical situation I don't really care.
"You seemed earlier to be saying that some depressed people are misguided in thinking they are more intelligent."
Where? You've highlighted one, seemingly infrequent situation. Some depressed people are probably more intelligent than some people who are not depressed, yes. This has nothing to do with intelligence causing depression.
"a lot of people in this thread, eagerly subscribing to a myth which heightens their self image, are not as intelligent as they might imagine."
Well, if they have depression, then they probably are more intelligent on average than other people in their university, since they achieved at the same level as the others in their university while limited by depression. They might well be as intelligent as they imagine, but as you say, maybe not for the reason that they think.Last edited by schoolstudent; 16-06-2011 at 15:31.
