Why aren't smart people happier?

> Naturally, people with more of this mental horsepower must live happier lives. When they encounter a problem, they should use their superior problem-solving ability to solve it.

That's not all. Smart people are also more perceptive to problems, they identify more of them, and solving one problem is never enough. Ergo they can't ever be happy as in "content" (which is what all those 'happiness' self-report studies measure), in fact as time goes by they should get increasingly depressed by identifying more problems. Ignorance is often a bliss.

I've never much enjoyed "intelligence" as a way to box groups of people. Everybody knows something I don't, can do things I cannot, solves problems in ways I would not think to. I would not call a math professor who does not know how to fix a car dumb. For me, the line between a lack of skill and a supposed lack of intelligence is too blurry. Of course all of this may be some sort of cognitive dissonance about myself probably not falling particularly high on an intelligence curve.

Either way, if joy and happiness is the goal, than a lot of adults are morons measured against trying to do that. We isolate ourselves, allow stigma and bias to push our choices, and ultimately worry so much about happiness that we do a poor job being happy.

When I used to battle my depression I came across an article/paper that stated that smart people are more prone to depression. Same with "creative" people.

I have overcome depression and I am "satisfied" with my life (I prefer the word "satisfied" to the overinflated one: happiness). And now that depression is in my past I think that was a puff-piece article, and so is this.

One could say that more intelligent people tend to overthink things; then again someone even more intelligent would know better and not overthink things.

Mindfulness is a big component of my new Life.

I’d rather be happy and completely forgotten than unhappy and loved by all for eternity.

Shouldn’t the real question be “why aren’t more people happy”.

Lack of happiness isn’t relegated only to “smart people”.

My observation: managing stress related to ever growing amount of responsibilities (as comes with age), finances, and spouse can have a disproportionate impact on one’s happiness. None of which are tied to intelligence.