Intelligent people should be intelligent enough not to be loners.There are quite a few colleagues i know who are from IITs of india but are not lonely at all.

In some of the nonacademic blue-collar jobs I had in my youth, I noticed that people with certain intellectual interests were often mocked and in effect shunned by other employees. For example, in one of my nighttime jobs there was a fellow that I occasionally had lunch with whose hobby was reading history. I was not able to meet with him very often and he was not able to make other friends on the job because they had no interests in common; generational differences and the fact that he was not physically appealing to women also played a role. Because it was a nighttime job (11pm to 8am), our working hours made regular social and family life difficult enough, but his was worse in that he had no buddies on the job other than myself -- he was basically the "odd man out", an intelligent man without a significant peer group. If he had been interested in bowling, football, and pubcrawling instead of history and philosophy his life would have been much less lonely.

Jaspreet Kaur IIT students/colleagues are in a different category because they exist in groups of peers. As a philosophy grad student, many students in other fields couldn't relate to my "impractical" interests but I was never lonely because I was a member of a group of like-minded "misfits" who hung out together.

It may be more challenging to define loneliness in the current Era of social media "interactive society".

Do you mean the physical loneliness or also becoming isolated from the whole world?

Mohamad-Hani Temsah You raise a good question about defining loneliness for the online "interactive society". Certainly online anonymous contacts or contacts with strangers can serve as proxies for in-person contacts; for some people that may be enough to stave off loneliness; others may only have their loneliness migitated but not disspelled. Some people can be physically isolated and not feel lonely.

Intelligent people are not acceptable to society so they feel frustrated and become lonely

https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/are-intelligent-people-more-lonely/

I am alone a great deal, but certainly not lonely. It is a state I do not necessarily recognise.

Following

Karl hello,

I have noticed that, in general, intellectuals do not feel as lonely as other people, due to the fact that they have numerous interests to engage in.

Intellectuals do not need someone else to amuse them and make their life interesting. They do it themselves.

The only thing they miss sometimes, perhaps, is the avenue to discuss their interests with others.

There is no reason why such interaction may not exist within the family. Intellectuals often have intellectual relatives.

Non-intellectuals, on the other hand, are more used to social interaction, as other people's news/ experiences distract and entertain them; they get something to think about beyond their existence.

Loneliness does not necessarily mean a lack of understanding or interaction with like-minded people.

An intellectual friend once confided in me, that she did not want to be understood so much, as to be respected, loved and appreciated by those closest to her.

A question of priorities, I guess...

Yet, the targeted acceptance usually means proof of superior skill or accomplishment to be admired for by others.

It appears to me that intellectuals are individualistic rather than lonely. A feature that makes them to be taken as arrogant and aloof by non intellectuals.

I would say that this is more apparent in communities that don't sufficiently encourage team spirit and team work.

Muthana Makki Mohammedali RE: "intellectuals are individualistic rather than lonely. A feature that makes them to be taken as arrogant and aloof by non intellectuals."

Interesting observation. I was recently discussing with someone the phenomenon of some high-school girl-boy interactions in which girls tend to misinterpret a boy's shyness as arrogance. There could also be such a misinterpretation at play in the case I previously mentioned of someone with intellectual interests being mocked or shunned in the workplace. Someone with such interests may be shy about opening up for fear of being disparaged which in turn may be misconstrued as arrogance and aloofness, thus turning one into an outsider. Wanting to belong but not being able to can give rise to feelings of loneliness.

If your competence of "to choose between" (inter between and legare to choose) is high enough and your competence to decide without prediction grows, than you are automatically not part of too many social media, TV, until politics and religions because they only repeat and express fear(s) in different ways… including all the people who are part of these games. Because the most people are part of the drama(s) you become more 'lonely' but nevertheless more full of content. More quality (in relationships) and less quantity seems to be a quite good deal...

I think that at least creative people like to spend time by themselves. They are then in good company (with their ideas).

Smart people work not to waste their time and this behavior is interpreted by the rest of the people as inclined to loneliness.

The definition of emotional intelligence used by the speaker in the video does not really correspond to the standard understanding of the term as we find it in the literature. Originally, it was understood as the capacity to postpone immediate gratification in order to achieve a long-term goal. Goleman (Emotional Intelligence, 1995) then defined it as the array of skills and characteristics that drive leadership performance, and identified 5 essential elements: self-awareness; self-regulation; motivation; empathy; and social skills.

The speaker's definition -- as the capacity for self-honesty and self-observation -- could perhaps be linked to the first of Goleman's criteria, self-awareness. But some of Goleman's other criteria - e.g. self-regulation and social skills -- appear to run counter to the speaker's understanding, since the speaker's concern is with the expression of feelings and thoughts that are socially unacceptable. And indeed, if you express things that are socially unacceptable, then, almost by definition, you are bound to be a social outcast, and loneliness will result. His "solution" is that you can express yourself through art.

But most of the discussion on this thread ignores both the speaker's definition and Goleman's, and resorts to equating it with either "general intelligence" or "possessing intellectual interests," neither of which has anything to do with emotional intelligence. The former is simply IQ. And the latter are just preferences or inclinations; they are not necessarily socially unacceptable; furthermore, it's easy to find others with similar interests if so desired. Intellectuals may tend to be introverted and avoid large social gatherings, but that is not an indicator of loneliness either.

I do not think that intelligence, on its own, makes a person more or less lonely than others. What counts is whether the person can establish such contacts with other persons as will satisfy her or him, according to the person's emotional need. It's not as though intelligent people are "on their own": they can if they wish make contact with similarly intelligent people in a whole variety of ways, particularly in today's world. Most intelligent people do need some contact with some intelligent person or persons, I would think, but they can also gain great benefit and love from others with a lower IQ - a fact that intellectuals often don't sufficiently admit, to their own disadvantage.

Yes, they are. May be they prefer to be lonely to have time to work and create and they are not involving enough in social activities. Or they are lonely as many people cant cope with their intelligence feeling and prefer to leave them alone

I see this point differently. I consider that the intelligence also has to do with the adaptation and the solution of problems in the social world. We are social so the concept of loneliness must be nuanced. Part of the challenge of the new generations will be to achieve emotional intelligence. Education has a fundamental role in this process.

Much to the point.

Good arguments, so far; many interesting viewpoints.

Isolation and loneliness are a greater (pathological) problem of the modern society.

This psycho-mental type of human alienation (from men to men and nature) can not be restricted to 'intelligent' people, e.g. human community, empathy and over-competition are not in the same basket.

https://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/winnett2.html

https://www.improveyoursocialskills.com/empathy

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/EmpathyatWork.htm

Intelligent people often clash with other people. Their perspectives are different from other people who make up the majority. Therefore, they are more internally oriented. But I don't think that means they're alone. Perhaps it is more accurate to express that it as a reflection of not being able to live itself.

Most of the time, yes, smart people are more lonely

Most of them are self-centred and remain busy with their activities within their world. Most of the time the are introvert and have less friends. All of these indicates they are lonely but actually not, they deeply in love with their passions.

It could be a generalization that is not true, even though there may be a representative number of people who consider themselves intelligent and alone, as well as people who are valued as intelligent and have no company. But there are an equal or greater number of cases in which the intelligent person is surrounded by people and has company

Intelligent persons are more adaptive than any one. No question of being lonely.

My answer to this discussion thread question is no, intelligent people are definitely not more lonely because they do not have much time to be lonely in that there are so many demands made upon them by human society. Intelligent people are recognized to have God-given gifts, and therefore, they are expected to be able to contribute a great deal for the benefit of those who are less intellectually gifted. For example, they are consulted whenever decisions have to made for their communities, sometimes their opinions are sought in matters of much intricacy and complexity. Intelligent people are able to think more clearly and comprehensively when a massive amount of data, especially information about ideas and things are involved. Because of their clarity of thought and ability to be objective, clear-headed, and without partisanship, bias, or emotional distractions, they are kept busy in fulfilling their duties and obligations to share the fruits of their labors with other people. Intelligent people are often to be found in positions of leadership, which means that they are able to be decisive and fair-minded, yet firm in the face of uncertainty and opposition.

Nancy Ann Watanabe I knew a man who had all the virtues of intelligence that you mention, perhaps not with respect to society at large, but certainly with respect to the academic community of which he was a part and in which he played a number of important roles. But at the end of the day, when others were at home with their families for the evening meal, he could be seen at a table-for-one in some modestly appointed restaurant.

I don't think that intelligence alone makes for loneliness or the opposite. Surely this is a matter of the emotional make-up and general character of a person rather than primarily her or his intellectual ability.

I don’t know, Karl … Being alone is not the same as being lonely, at least not if you happen to be an introvert. Introverts love to be alone. I remember that, before I retired, I often had to go out-of-town for my job. And there was nothing I liked better in the evening than going out to a nice restaurant alone (though I could have joined my colleagues), with a magazine or book in hand, sit at a table for one, order a glass of wine and a meal, and leisurely eat, read and occasionally eavesdrop on the conversation at the next table (without wanting to participate in the least). And in the summertime, I really enjoy going out to a coffee shop alone and sitting at a table on the outdoor terrace with my cappuccino and newspaper, watching the people stroll by.

I am not saying I’m intelligent! I’m just saying that being alone can be as much a source of joy and peace for some people as it is a source of depression and isolation for others.

Another RG member has raised a similar question here:

https://www.researchgate.net/project/The-opinion-of-intellectuals-questions-and-answers/update/5f9956ea7600090001f16fcf

Loneliness arises in the absence/loss or lack of some of the following qualities in a person:::::::::

Authority or Power.

Knowledge, Health & Wealth.

Practical Skills to attract others and transfer some benefits in some form via transparent help.

Beneficial to other by whatever means according to the needy requirements.

Kindness, trustworthiness, truthfulness, sacrificing, humanity, helpfulness, leadership qualities via hard works and sacrifices....etc.,....................

Consequently, loneliness may be the destiny for those who do not share the benefits of their intelligence or fruitfulness with others.

Karl Pfeifer

Dear professor,

Its a very interesting topic of discussion that you have raised.

"Intelligence", by which ever way you define, involves a lot of thoughts. Intelligent people are usually thoughtful people. To encourage thoughts, one requires silence. That silence can be created by creating less sounds. So it is natural that intelligent people would try to keep themselves away from a crowd. That's why it is true that intelligent people are more prone to be lonely. Being with too many people, disturbs the flow of their thoughts and so they prefer to remain alone, they choose to remain alone.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Anamitra.

Nope. They like to engage with others frequently. Also they prefer calm and quiet environment. That's why some people think they like loneliness.😊

I agree with N. S. Abegunasekara

Smart people are more lonely than others, not because they want that, but rather that those around them are sometimes afraid to approach them, imagining that they may not agree to their friendship, and other times jealousy plays its role in moving people away from them, so the more brilliant and successful a person increases his lonlinity.

I do agree with Dr. Manal Hadi Kanaan that the more brilliant and successful a person increases his lonlinity.

I agree with the comments of Manal Hadi Kanaan.

100% true with Manal, but these things came due to social media and mobile.

Almost it was seen that more talented and intelligent people are lonely and rude and are not social, it happens because they are always busy in their work, to achieve goals and to set their own ways on other hand less talented people are social and have many friends because they get their response by doing this.

I suggest all that take some time for others. Enjoy your life.

Maybe... Lonely people always have more time to reflect, to read, to write. Yes, a very good question.

It depends on the definition of loneliness. They are likely to share less in common with unconscious people. However, they create their new worlds with a good company. The question is the following: Is it intelligent for intelligent people to behave as intelligent?

Intelligent people seek other intelligent people to befriend. When intelligent people meet someone new, they ask clever, seemingly innocent questions that help them identify whether the person is someone worthy of their friendship. Even if a potential friend has much to offer or similar interests, an intelligent person may be quick to blow him or her off if the person doesn’t display a level of insight into the world that matches theirs.

This means intelligent people tend to be lonely. They become used to being alone and find solace in their work. While this means they dedicate more time to making breakthroughs in their field, they are at risk of developing depression.

https://www.lifehack.org/312573/5-struggles-only-highly-intelligent-people-suffer-from

Dear all, I would say they have special temper, behavior and hobbies, that aren't understood by the other 'ordinary' people. My Regards

I think intelligent people seems to be lonely because others can't understanding them. May be their brain activity let them more active and and avoiding stupidity of others. Also, their behavior let them isolated from society.

What do you think ?

Refer to the link below

https://www.suesusnik.com/intelligent-but-lonely/

Intelligent people are introvert. They think before profering suggestion and are always observing things in their surroundings. They may not be that quiet both some are boring.

Intelligent people are always in their own world.

I think this is a great question and one I have thought about a lot. There definitely is a correlation between high levels of intelligence and solitude, sadness/depression, and difficulty connecting with other people. I think there are various factors that could explain different cases of intelligent people being lonely, but most of them boil down to the types of personalities and disposition that go along with a person of exceptional intelligence. In a lot of ways, people who are highly intelligent can live inside their own bubbles, basically needing their own insular space carved out for them to devote themselves to mental activities/intellectual pursuits. Whether it’s a scientific or mathematical person trying to work out a certain hypothesis or experimenting and trying to figure out complex problems, a musician composing a symphony, a writer creating a novel, or someone philosophically inclined who enjoys constant mental stimulation and focusing on complex metaphysical conundra, there is just something about the persona of really smart people that is inherently solitary or that requires solitude to suit their needs or interests.

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-it-that-intelligent-people-tend-to-feel-lonely-most-of-the-time

ok

Not lonely but very often in solitude..

I agree Chuck A Arize with reply. I equally look at loneliness as a sort of solitude which is Aadil Ayaz 's opinion. Here I could recall what Octavio Paz in "The Labyrinth of Solitude" said: Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition. Man is the only being who knows he is alone.

Best regards!

Lonely or Solitude. Very often people surrounding them mis-understand them. There is lack of proper communication with others. I would also like to add that it is difficult to identify who is an intelligent person? what are the criteria to select One? Many people can have feeling that they are intelligent but in reality they may not be so.

I know many intelligent people who are good conversationalists. They are not lonely. In fact many people like to be in their company. So one cannot generalize...

If a man is intelligent he will surely find a way to not be lonely!