241–250 of 515 posts
Most smart people are smart enough to know they're getting screwed, but they're not smart enough (or connected enough, or rich enough) to do anything about it. "I'm getting hustled only knowing half the game." "Fat Cats, Bigga Fish" by The Coup
That's why posts like this gets voted up all the time.
Bad news: Most HNers and programmers have only average intelligence.
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Presumably because happiness somewhat follows from material circumstances, and smarter people are more effective at obtaining better material circumstances. There is no such association with tallness.
Yeah, i mean it's a false premise, in my opinion.
The smarter people see the truth of the world and the universe. If the truth was good, that we lived in a wonderful society with wonderful people in a universe that cares about us, smart people would be so happy. But being smart just means you know the awful reality of things. Congrats, you learned about all these awful things you can’t do much to fix, and the reward is you get to experience existential dread. Congra…
I was expecting the OP to say that smarter people were less likely to be happy, because that is the sense a lot of us who believe ourselves to be "smart" have. But that's not what OP is about, and it suggests that's not really what the research says either, there's maybe a bit of hint of a small negative correlation like that, but mostly it says: no correlation. Rather than making the argument you are making, which I…
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Could it be that 'smart' people have accomplishment or material gain later in life they are satisfied with?
Unsolicited advice from some random guy on the internet: Don't start down that road. Material success will always be just over the next hill, regardless of how much you already have. Happiness and satisfaction can't come from accomplishment or material gain.
Yeah, material gain has certainly made me a thousand times happier. I haven't had to worry about an Electric bill in years. I used to have to navigate and memorize the electric company shutoff routine so I could pay as late as possible while selectively mitigating late fees and disconnect fees in relation to payday.
I can afford to go on vacations now. Take PTO when I want to. When my AC dies I don't have to just suffer until my landlord decides to do something; I can just pay the repair guy $700 to fix it and have AC in a couple hours. Eating healthier is easier; I don't have to stress in social situations about how run down or holey my clothes are. I have the luxury of being able to eat and survive if I am fired allowing me to be more confident in how I carry myself at work. (Meaning I don't have to kiss-ass when I am being mistreated). I have the money to travel if god-forbid my wife needs an abortion, or I can move away from bad neighborhoods very quickly.
The pursuit of wealth in and of itself as a measure of personal worth will not bring happiness, but let's not all pretend that money doesn't bring happiness insofar as it provides individual autonomy over their lives.
I agree with the OPs point that some older people may have just reached a level of material success that grants them the luxury of 1. Processing their existential dread through things like therapy; and 2. Live a less stressful life that comes with a certain level of wealth
Now, this sounds mean, but my Dad was a psychological genius.
This was exactly what I, personally, needed to hear in order to trigger the thought, "Wait a minute.. these are social SKILLS... I should be able to learn them"
And I could, and I did.
A few years after that I asked myself, "If you're so smart, why aren't you happy?"
I got working on that... and I succeeded again
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Pleasure is not the right goal. Homeostasis, balance, equanimity, peace are much better. Learn to appreciate beauty. Learn to create beauty. Learn how to get better at both.
> Pleasure is not the right goal. Homeostasis, balance, equanimity, peace are much better. Along with these, sustainability. Imagine finding balance and peace, but seeing clearly that the tools and techniques used to get and stay there are temporary. Pretty unsettling. We have to get there in ways that are long lasting and unlikely to change radically.
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I was expecting the OP to say that smarter people were less likely to be happy, because that is the sense a lot of us who believe ourselves to be "smart" have. But that's not what OP is about, and it suggests that's not really what the research says either, there's maybe a bit of hint of a small negative correlation like that, but mostly it says: no correlation. Rather than making the argument you are making, which I…
Problem is there is no real evidence provide to back the assertion. Is the ability to solve well-defined problems really different from the ability to solve poorly-defined problems? "One way to spot people who are good at solving poorly defined problems is to look for people who feel good about their lives" seems like a circular definition. So people that feel good do so because they are better at solving poorly defi…
In my early teens my Dad said something to the effect of, "If you're so smart... how come nobody likes you?" Now, this sounds mean, but my Dad was a psychological genius. This was exactly what I, personally, needed to hear in order to trigger the thought, "Wait a minute.. these are social SKILLS... I should be able to learn them" And I could, and I did. A few years after that I asked myself, "If you're so smart, why…
Can you elaborate on how being happy is a skill?
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Short term happiness is the wrong goal. The hedonic treadmill is one reason why. Long term life satisfaction is the correct goal. For example, having children decreases the former yet increases the latter.
> For example, having children decreases the former yet increases the latter. For you, maybe. This is not true for everbody.
(fwiw, I'm not saying you're wrong)