Who would you prefer to be the master

[dales]

You people can be depressing. Why are you not grateful you have average intelligence?

I'm with you on this.

I'm grateful for each new day of life and a rock solid 100 IQ.

(never had an IQ test so I am ASSuming I possess normal intelligence)

[BoSoxGal]

You people can be depressing. Why are you not grateful you have average intelligence?

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... telligent/

High intelligence and happiness are not often companions, at least in my experience of people over my 50 years of living. Also biographical evidence of many highly accomplished people in the arts and sciences and political realm who struggled with mental health and physiological issues rooted in the stress response. The stereotypes of happy peasant and tortured artist exist for a reason, they arise from experience of life. Ignorance is bliss - perhaps you’ve heard that?

If I had to live over again, I’d prefer to come back as a person of average intelligence. Even below average. Provided a living environment that isn’t abusive or cruel, such persons are generally happier than those who clearly perceive the many wrongs in the world and ruminate on them.

[Sue U]

I dunno, I'm pretty happy, over all. Pretty sure I'm smarter than the average bear, but I get to meet, work and be friends with a lot of people who are a lot smarter than me, and that's a lot of fun (at least for me).

[Big RR]

I agree; and I can also find a lot more ways to entertain myself.

[Gob]

Happiness is a personality trait. As I've often said here, I sometimes think I suffer from whatever the opposite of depression is, I'm invariably happy no matte how dour things get. (Like missing my wife like hell, with the prospect that after 9 months apart, we'll still be be apart for yet another 9 months.)

[dales]

Happiness is a choice.

Why go thru your life choosing to be miserable?

[BoSoxGal]

Happiness is a choice.

Why go thru your life choosing to be miserable?

Where do you fall on that hierarchy of intellectual disability, dales? Or are you just an unfeeling monster who would so casually dismiss the suffering of millions of people who struggle with mental illness? Do you seriously think they CHOOSE to be miserable?

[dales]

You do.

[liberty]

You people can be depressing. Why are you not grateful you have average intelligence?

Because I have above-average intelligence (was reading/comprehending at a HS level in 4th grade; 99th percentile in the Iowa Standard testing of the 1960s and 1970s; 'honors' English and math classes in HS; can't recall my SATs off the top of my head, but suffice it to say that I could probably qualify for MENSA if I actually gave a shit about it).  In fact, even allowing for people like yourself and wesw to skew the data downward, if you were to somehow get an unbiased and accurate appraisal of the intelligence of the members of this board you'd find that most of the posters here are well above what is considered 'average' these days.

-"BB"-

Wow, Bill, I am impressed; with that kind of ability, you must be quite wealthy. You know Bill to those to which much is given much is expected. Please consider helping a very worthy cause; I make a little donation to Saint Jude’s Children Hospital. With your ability to donate you can do a lot more good than my little pitiful donate. Please consider starting a monthly donation you will be saving the lives of innocent children. WHAT DO YOU SAY BILL?

[Joe Guy]

I have an IQ of 32. I'm always happy and I like to throw my poop at things.

[TPFKA@W]

My husband is scary smart. The man can take apart and put back together anything and get it working-it's his super power.( But he cannot parallel park and I CAN, so neener neener husband!) He is one of the happiest people I have ever met in my life. I feel like it must be biochemical or something.

[wesw]

hah!!!!

mine was 33!!!!!

I never throw my poop.

I carry it to the toilet and gently drop it in so it doesn t splash

[Joe Guy]

What a difference an IQ point makes!

I would never had thought of that idea. My head hurts when I try to think about things.

[wesw]

my mommy taught me

[Bicycle Bill]

Please consider starting a monthly donation you will be saving the lives of innocent children. WHAT DO YOU SAY BILL?

I say "Matthew 6: 1-4".

-"BB"-

[dales]

EQ is more important than IQ in happiness and health.

[Big RR]

Personally, I don't think that measurements like IQ and EQ have very much to do with anything, and especially with happiness or the lack thereof. Some of it may be due to biochemistry (as @W suggests) as there are many seriously depressed people who can benefit greatly from treatment, but I think for many who are not in that group happiness is something that is learned--some can find happiness in the tiniest little things, while others cannot find it no matter how greatly fortune smiles on them. My opinion is that it is something learned in childhood, and unlearning these lessons is very difficult. It's pretty amazing to see all the things that parents and others can do to screw up their kids, and this is just another area where they can do just that. It's not that people choose to be unhappy, it's just that they never learned how to be happy.

[Crackpot]

A lot of it is simply learning to recognize and be thankful for what you have. It does wonders for your state of mind. The more you dwell on what you don’t have and don’t like the more miserable you will be

[Crackpot]

[BoSoxGal]

Are you people truly this clueless or callous about mental illness and chronic physiological illness?