Intelligent People Tend To Be More Insecure

Intelligent people tend to be more reflective, careful, doubtful and insecure in their daily lives.

But the most arrogant types are safe by nature because they do not worry about the consequences of their actions or weigh the effect of their words. Also, they are not worried about the harm they may cause to other people.

An expression says that “there is no happiness greater than that which comes from ignorance” . We all agree on that. Because we are all guaranteed to come across the essence that is so characteristic of human stupidity where someone acts with complete emotional and rational negligence. They are never aware of the effect that some of their behaviors have.

But, even though most of us can recognize the “ignorant” person, the one who acts with obvious pride, rudeness and arrogance, we still ask a question. Why do they still have so much power in our lives?

Historian Carlo M. Cipolla said that sometimes we underestimate the enormous amount of stupid people in the world. But we should add something extra to that statement… Why has stupidity reached such high levels of power in our society?

Psychologists and sociologists tell us that there is an interesting aspect associated with this pattern of behavior. The dumbest people tend to show an elevated sense of security. They are more hurried, “loud”, and have the ability to influence others because of these qualities.

However, intelligent people tend to be insecure. They have a high level of personal response, reflection and judgment.

None of these things have an impact. In addition, we live in a world where people still see uncertainty as a negative trait.

Intelligent people tend to underestimate themselves

We still have a somewhat erroneous idea about intelligent people. And this is especially true with people who have a very high IQ.

We see them as competent people, always able to make the best decisions. Or we see them as people who are very efficient in their work, responsibilities and daily obligations.

But there is often something else that comes into the picture. Intelligent people tend to suffer from social anxiety. It is rare that they feel completely integrated in an environment: school, college, work…

Also, as psychiatrist and neuroscience doctor Dean Burnett explains, people with high intelligence tend to constantly underestimate themselves.

This is what we now call “fraudster syndrome”. It is a disorder in which the person minimizes their personal achievements and abilities. Therefore, they gradually undermine their self-esteem and self-confidence.

Admittedly, we should obviously not generalize. There may be people with high IQ who are very confident. There may be people with high IQ who have climbed the ladder to success with mental peace of mind, consistency and efficiency.

But the first pattern is the most common. Intellectually brilliant people tend to have a deeper perception of reality. It is a reality that does not always seem easy, pleasant or even credible.

Is uncertainty really that “negative”?

It is true, a confident person is attractive and inspiring. We like that people are able to make quick decisions. People who are united and react quickly. But is it really right or even desirable to always be so “sure” of ourselves?

The answer to that would be: “yes and no” . The key is in moderation, balance. Back to neuroscience Dean Burnett, let’s talk about one of his famous books: “The Idiot Brain.”

In it, he generally explains how the most naive or “stupid” people tend to show the highest levels of personal security. They are types of people who fail to recognize when something is wrong. Nor can they use analytically reflective thoughts to pre-evaluate the impact of particular decisions, actions, or comments.

But the thing is, the “idiot personality” tends to have more social success. Leaders, officials, or politicians who show recklessness, security, and firmness in their decisions tend to have what many people see as “leadership skills.”

However, that assumption is really dangerous. Sometimes we put our future in the hands of people who are unable to assess the consequences of their actions.

Productive uncertainty

Uncertainty that catches and paralyzes us is not useful. But there is a kind of uncertainty that tells us things like “stop, be careful and think before you act”. This type of uncertainty can be helpful.

But that is only if we use it to help us make a decision. It is not good if we let it hold us back permanently.

Intelligent people tend to have a very difficult time dealing with that uncertainty. This is because, as we have said, they tend to have low self-esteem, on top of some other characteristics:

• They overanalyze all facts, occurrences, sayings, expressions and attitudes.
• They have a thought process that is a kind of “branching type”. That is, they go from one idea to another and another, until they are buried.
• They are very logical people and need everything to “fit”. Everything must make sense. But sometimes life demands that we accept it as it is, with all its irrationality, chaos and ignorance.

So, they need to keep their insecurities from isolating them in the stagnation of their sophisticated minds. They must learn to live with insecurity. They must accept the imperfections of human behavior. Much of what is happening in the world gives no logical explanation.

On top of all this, their intelligence must definitely break its extremely “rational” framework. They have to move towards emotional intelligence, where they stop underestimating themselves or feeling like a stranger.

Even if they do not believe it, this world needs them more than ever to overcome the “virus of human stupidity”.

Photos courtesy of Franzesca Dafne