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Article created by: Monika Pašukonytė

A lot of us are on a constant journey to improve our minds. We read books, watch films, study and otherwise educate and better ourselves so that we can become more intelligent in various ways. However, some people are just born smart and talented in some ways, requiring less effort to achieve certain things that others might struggle with. Contrary to what some might believe, being smart is not always a blessing. 

Someone created a thread on the r/AskReddit subreddit, asking about the hardships smart people have to live with, exactly because of their high intelligence, and folks delivered plenty of observations, most of which are quite heavy. Scroll down to see the whole list of things people online shared and consider upvoting the entries you relate to the most, as well as leaving a comment.

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#1

Stressed man at office desk covering face with hands, illustrating challenges very smart people have to live with. Being smart enough to know you're right while dealing with people too stupid to know they're wrong is soul crushing.

Stryker2279 , Allan Rotgers Report

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    #2

    Two smart engineers in protective gear working on complex machinery in a high-tech laboratory setting There are different types of intelligence. Being good at physics doesn't mean that you should manage people.

    oliverismyspiritdog , NASA Kennedy Report

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    #3

    Students in school uniforms holding papers outdoors, illustrating challenges very smart people have to live with. Sad_But_Realistic said: Expectations... Sownd_Rum replied: This is the killer. If you are "gifted", having an average life is seen as a failure.

    Sad_But_Realistic , Scottish Government Report

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    #4

    Two women exchanging wrapped gifts indoors, illustrating challenges very smart people face in social situations. Common sense is not a gift, it is a punishment. Because you have to deal with everyone who doesn’t have it.

    Dangerous_Mobile9188 , Frederick Dennstedt Report

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    #5

    Two people having a serious conversation outdoors, illustrating unpleasant things very smart people have to live with. They have no effect on dumb people's opinions

    theboomboy , Craig Loftus Report

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    #6

    Person experiencing stress while using a laptop at home, illustrating unpleasant things very smart people face online. A lot of them are depressed

    LillFluffPotato , Nenad Stojkovic Report

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    #7

    Stone statue of an elderly man reading a book, symbolizing the challenges very smart people have to live with. YourFatherHere1 said: Intelligence doesn’t always mean wisdom. Therandomfox replied: Intelligence is knowing how to bring back dinosaurs from the dead. Wisdom is knowing that that's a bad idea.

    YourFatherHere1 , Rob Oo Report

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    #8

    Person in forest appearing stressed, illustrating challenges very smart people face in everyday life and social situations. They are often miserable, and able to thoroughly understand their misery and failures.

    Charming_Cash Report

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    #9

    Two women embracing outdoors on a sunny day, illustrating emotional moments smart people often experience. Hard to find other people who think and/or feel as deeply as you do.

    Firm-Abies-781 , Ricardo Moraleida Report

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    #10

    Three young athletes standing on a podium wearing medals, representing challenges very smart people live with. Not being inherently competitive but able to be crushed instantly by failure.

    Enough_Biscotti377 , Red CreaDeporte Report

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    #11

    A thoughtful young man walking alone on a quiet beach at sunset reflecting on unpleasant things smart people endure. It can be very lonely

    DanTheTerrible , Bert Kaufmann Report

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    #12

    Man sitting alone on a bench in a public space, illustrating some unpleasant things very smart people have to live with. The sad truth is that being smart isn't even a particuarly good indicator in living a happy and fulfilling life. You could be extremely smart and intelectually capable, but if you got beat up as a kid, your parents died, you developed some personality disorder etc., you're way worse off than someone well adjusted with a below average intelligence

    External-Lab1103 , Jorge Franganillo Report

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    #13

    Young girl playing grand piano on stage in front of an audience, illustrating challenges very smart people have to live with. There's different levels of "smartness" and different smart people go about life in different ways. But, i think universally young prodigies are typically isolated. They are at a level far above children their age, but are far younger than the people that match intellectually with (lacking life experience). Either way, a young prodigy can't connect with either group.

    Firamaster , woodleywonderworks Report

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    #14

    Person’s hands holding a pencil solving complex crossword puzzles, illustrating challenges very smart people face daily. Many very intelligent young people are poorly stimulated and challenged. Without the proper mental exercise they're unlikely to live up to their potential.

    Angel_OfSolitude , Glenn Fleishman Report

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    #15

    Man in suit leaning out of car window, expressing frustration, illustrating unpleasant things very smart people face. It's sad to see dumb people making a dumb decision in front of your eyes and not be able to do anything but only give them advice. Most helpful advice are a waste. Most dumb people argue a lot instead of reflecting as well using critical thinking. So you will never win an arguement against a dump or bias person. So just walk away and tell them they are right.

    JimboTheArtist , John Greenfield Report

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    #16

    Scrabble tiles spelling mental health on a wooden surface, highlighting challenges very smart people face. Mental illness rates are dramatically higher -_-

    Mihawk9999 , Kevin Simmons Report

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    #17

    Office workspace with multiple chairs, computers, and printed pages on cabinets representing smart people challenges. We waste them. Our entirely social structure from schools to mortgages are design for people with very average intellectually abilities. Smart people have to deal with the daily stress of living in a system that isn’t built for them and loose a lot of their productivity and take a real hit to their mental health as a result. If we stopped subjecting them to standardised systems designed against them just imagine how much further we would have advanced as a species. EDIT: Just a small edit to clear up some confusion. I’m not advocating for redesigning our social structure to suit only the smartest x percent of our population. For those who aren’t familiar with inclusive design (mostly talked about when talking about designing digital systems but the principle is cross applicable) the basic idea is to design systems that provide room for different people to be able to use/fit into the system equally well despite their differences. There is absolutely no reason why we all have to live the same way or why we should be forcing people to live in a world that doesn’t have room for people like them.

    Extension_Drummer_85 , Dan Taylor-Watt Report

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    #18

    Two people in close conversation, highlighting challenges very smart people face in social interactions. Lots of people will be jealous of them and resent them, including family members.

    SuvenPan , Edward Kimmel Report

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    #19

    Two very smart people sitting on a blanket outdoors, reading and enjoying a sunny day, representing intelligence challenges. I think truly smart people, those genuinely rare geniuses, are so smart that the rest of us can’t even comprehend it. It must be a very strange feeling going through life knowing that most people just can’t see and understand the things you do.

    Single-Incident5066 , Valerie Everett Report

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    #20

    Children playing indoors holding colorful balloons illustrating challenges very smart people face in social settings. Feel they cant have fun because they analyze everything

    Aluminumboxinshorts , Andrew Skudder Report

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    #21

    Two older people sitting at a diner counter, illustrating challenges very smart people often face in everyday life. Plenty of smart people will live their whole lives never realizing they're smart.

    SquilliamFancySon95 , Tom Hart Report

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    #22

    Man with beard sitting alone against a tree outdoors, illustrating challenges very smart people have to live with. They are full of doubt compared to people who are not smart

    F**k-Reddit-Mods69 , Cristian Ungureanu Report

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    #23

    Person in a red jacket and black hat sitting on rocky terrain, reflecting on the unpleasant things very smart people face. All the “smart kids” that turned into smart adults are severely burnt out and need a break for everything

    Collardile , Akban Martial arts academy Report

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    #24

    Two children in a lab setting exploring science experiments, illustrating challenges very smart people face in learning environments. Expectations Never learning to study until it is too late Being forced to learn outside of your age related interests Being terrified of failure Not being able to balance ambition and said fear of failure Once again, expectations. My mother put so much pressure on me at such a young age I couldn't handle it. I have done well for myself as an adult, but will never be able to live up to those expectations set by her and others. I should probably go back to therapy.

    Putty119 , Liz Henry Report

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    #25

    Man wearing white shirt with stethoscope, smiling while seated on dark leather couch, representing smart people challenges They don't always find ways of living up to their potential.

    Immediate_Aioli342 , Vicchi Report

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    #26

    Study area with open textbook, notebook, laptop, and calculator illustrating challenges very smart people face daily Many are just suffering from the Dunning Kruger effect and don’t know it

    moxeto , Sean Report

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    #27

    Two middle-aged people sitting outdoors, representing smart people dealing with unpleasant things in life. A lot of the “smart kids” in high school are being forced by their parents to succeed. When they become adults they have all the academic skills but little life skills and they struggle to succeed.

    BigCap2666 , Lorna Mitchell Report

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