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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNew research shows that people with lower IQs are more likely to be unhappy
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
A study published in the journal of Psychological Medicine revealed that people in the lowest IQ range of 77-99 reported the lowest levels of happiness compared to those in the highest IQ range of 120 to 129.
Researchers from the University College London analyzed the data of 6,870 participants in a 2007 survey that measured IQ and asked participants to rate their happiness on a three-point scale of very happy, fairly happy and not too happy.
The highest proportion of those who said they were not too happy was in the lowest IQ range, BBC reported. The highest proportion of those who said they were very happy, 43 percent, was in the highest IQ range.
The researchers found that a lower IQ was linked with lower income and poor mental health, both of which contributed to the lower levels of happiness. Because of the results, the studys researchers are pushing for interventions for young children that could help not only increase IQ but also the other factors that ultimately lead to higher levels of happiness.
Read more: http://blog.sfgate.com/chronrx/2012/09/26/new-research-shows-that-people-with-lower-iqs-are-more-likely-to-be-unhappy/
DJ13
(23,671 posts)oh wait
DJ13
(23,671 posts)Speck Tater
(10,618 posts)antigop
(12,778 posts)to figure out how screwed up everything is....
Pbs1914
(147 posts)and the research I've always read seems to show an inverse relationship between high IQ and melancholy. The thin line genius/insanity thing. I would also think, without being overtly judgemental, that a quote on quote "lower IQ person" would also live in a world/perspective that follows the ignorance is bliss paradigm. At least in my experiences the smartest people I've known have almost always struggled with depression.
Bucky
(54,027 posts)LittlestStar
(224 posts)quite possibly into smoking pot or doing other naughty things. So I guess its best to be in the middle.
antigop
(12,778 posts)Not into alcohol or drugs though.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)My first thought was that people with lower IQs probably make less money. Money doesn't make you happy, but a lack of it sure affects happiness.
It could also be the ability to entertain yourself on a higher level. People with higher IQs may read more, do more puzzles, participate in tasks requiring more brain activity, which would stimulate the brain, take your mind off your problems, and the like.
So maybe it's not the IQ itself that matters, but what the IQ means and how it affects other aspects of your life. Just a thought.
Why would the high level be 120-129? I thought a lot of people had higher IQs than that.