because ignorance is bliss

Because the brightest among us and also certain more rare personality types feel alienated from the mainstream. Many are persecuted for being different and often feel the need to conceal their true selves from others for lack of understanding and acceptance. Many isolate due to lack of genuine companionship with like minded others. Being different, thinking differently, being a high;ly creative type is never easy and some can walk alone better than others.

There’s a downside to spending a lot of time in your head.

Research seems to point to a link between “self-generated thought” and neuroticism. Along with that neuroticism can come great creativity, but there’s also a darker component of self-obsessive ideation, which is a recipe for depression.

It isn’t that these depressive geniuses so clearly see the awful way things are and suffer accordingly. It’s that they mine their creativity in a place haunted by the demons of self and suffer accordingly.

Because the vast majority of people are complete fuckwits and if you’re a genius being surrounded by fuckwits is probably depressing.

@Lightlyseared
That is exactly how I feel every day.

@Lightlyseared Yeah, that’s it.
It’s terrible. (movie quote)

I think it has more to do with introspection than genius.

It’s frustrating and disappointing to be surrounded by people who can’t understand what’s in your head. I’m not a genius, but there are times when I can see some things so clearly, and having no one understand me is isolating. I would guess almost everyone experience this at times, because we all have things we are expert in even with very average intelligence.

It’s not just about IQ, it’s about feeling accepted, understood, and supported. Add in feeling optimistic about the future. Having a positive future outlook, and simply things to look forward to, is a big part of what influences our mood to feeling good. Feeling helpless, hopeless, and lonely are huge parts of depression.

That genius facet can be the high times of bi-polar disorder. Some people have tremendous energy and creativity during those up-swings.

Well I certainly relate to several of the posts here about feeling alienated in superficial company and anti-intellectual culture, and so on. And people definitely seem to have defensive thought habits that have them avoid uncomfortable thoughts, so there are surely relationships between being “depressed” about things and thinking about them, as opposed to being upbeat but not thinking about depressing things.

However I think “genius” is used to mean different things, as is depression, so I think connecting the two terms accurately doesn’t work except for specific meanings, each of which would be a different topic.

One counter-example would be a meaning of genius that is not “high IQ” but about the inherent brilliance we all have but may not have found nor fully expressed. I would say that the reverse is true about depression and that type of genius. That is, people who don’t find and live their genius will be missing a great deal, and those who do find and get to live and express it tend to feel joy rather than depression. Of course it’s still possible to express genius AND be depressed and experience other severe issues. In fact, I think being in touch with our true selves does bring up our true shadows as well because we are being more authentic. That may look less happy, but unexpressed shadow is generally far more destructive in the long run than expressed shadow.

Check this out if you are interested in genius.

Also I’m not sure he mentioned it in that clip, but this one about 80 seconds in suggests that ”we are most happy when we make the genius within us happy”.

Mmm, and here is a bit (at 2:07 as linked) which mentions the connection between gifts and wounds, though he doesn’t elaborate because he’s summarizing a book he wrote.

There is a saying, not sure who claims authorship but….it goes something like this.

Loneliness is the lack of companionship but true aloneness is being devoid of anyone that can relate with you in a way that is meaningful to who you are.

@Zaku Totally agree. I have lived my “genius”, meaning a fulfilling and contented life with lots of creative expression and creative work I loved. Now, this past few years have been ultra challenging and I miss my genius joy. haha
I am also at an all time low for compatible company and am surrounded by hardcore conservative religious types. I have to stay locked in my closet. lol

I stifle my true nature a lot to get along in my work and living situation and after living in congruence with my true self for so long the oppression is palpable. Luckily I am also quite content to keep to myself and enjoy my own company, which is always preferable to others that are not a blend. haha

Because they know the truth regarding life on earth,

I wonder if this is true of all geniuses or mostly those in certain fields. A person can be a military, political or financial genius. Are such people more susceptible to depression? I recall reading that Lincoln battled with depression. The stereotype is that artists are prone to depression. Is that true? What about great scientists and mathematicians? I know from studying mathematics that some great mathematicians had mental illnesses, but not necessarily depression. Georg Cantor, who created set theory, had depression, but John Nash and Kurt Godel had paranoid schizophrenia.

Certainly not all genius nor even the majority of gifted people can be said to be tormented by chronic depression. I just notice that those words jump out so frequently in biographical comments on people of achievement.

I should have expressed myself better. What I meant to ask was if geniuses in certain areas are more prone to depression than others.

Mental illness coupled by genius or the opposite?
Interesting points of the societal romanticized genius and depression, when it may be broken down into more serious problems and the definition of some labels.
And then there is the question of ego.

Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/02/creativity-mental-illness-health_n_5695887.html

http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/27/genius-innovation-oreilly-technology-breakthroughs_genius.html

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/22/world/the-dark-side-of-creativity-vincent-van-gogh

because no one understands them.

IF you want to be great in life you have to think differently.

IF everyone came up with the same idea, business would be quite boring no.

You have to be eccentric. Your brain just has to be wired differently

Unfortunately as a result of that you face being isolated because you don’t connect with most people because most people are followers not leaders.

Such is life. It is lonely at the top

MOst successful people die lonely. They might have alot of people around them but most say they can count their true friends on one hand.

LIfe is unfair for lots of people no matter how rich or smart or poor you are . We all have our own cross to bear in life.

LIfe sucks LOL

The last line above probably sums it up. I suppose the “genius” comes in recognizing the truth in it.

I’m reading a book on the subject. It is Aaron Clarey “The Curse of the High I.Q.”. I got it from Amazon.

If you’re happy, you’re probably not looking too intently at what’s wrong with the world and how it can be fixed.