Researchers Reveal Why Intelligent People Are Less Social

Would you rather read a book than go out partying with your friends? Would you prefer living in a countryside cabin instead of a crowded city? Have you ever hidden when someone rang your doorbell unexpectedly?

If this really sounds like you, no need to worry. This doesn’t mean that your anti-social, but rather genius.

According to a study made by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, people who are highly intelligent associate with less people and don’t like to socially interact very frequently.

Satoshi Kanazawa and Norman Li, lead researchers, explain that living an isolated life is the way to go, especially for really intelligent people. These evolutionary psychologists during their research were able to determine that humans are happier living in not very populated areas.

The study also shows that human’s happiness increases when they have social interaction with family and dear ones, as opposed to casual friends and strangers.

The participants in the study reported a greater level of happiness when they had more social interaction except for one group, the group of highly intelligent people. The effect on this group was reversed.

The Researchers Explained, “More Intelligent Individuals Experience Lower Life Satisfaction With More Frequent Socialization With Friends.”

Carol Graham, who studies the economics of happiness, examined this effect in a Washington Post article. “The findings suggest (and it is no surprise) that those with more intelligence and the capacity to use it are less likely to spend so much time socializing because they are focused on some other longer term objective,” explains Carol Graham, student of economics of happiness.

Evolutionary psychologists, in interpreting the results of this study, found relations to the “Savannah Theory”. This theory explains that we find happiness in the same things as our ancestors. On the savannah, there would be less people and interpersonal interaction would have been key for survival.

The results from the study suggest that the most highly intelligent people may be evolving past the need for frequent social interaction.

People are beginning to take on activities that promote advancement in the modern world, a world that tends to be more intellectually based.