[cambraceres]

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I've just been skimming this thread, but the argument that smart people are inherently better able to feel pain or dispair or whatever really, really irks me. I don't see how being intelligent has any real impact on your outlook on life or your ability to feel pain, and honestly it always sounds like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo thrown around by "smart" people to make themselves feel better when they get depressed or something. "I'm depressed because I'm smart" just sounds like more lame excuses for not fixing your life or taking charge of a situation.

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You're right and wrong here; correct in your assertion that all people feel sadness the same, and the only variant is the degree. That said, despondence is just as painful to a less intelligent individual as a smart one. My elation at a new lover will probably feel just like anyone else's, and vice versa. The euphoria we all feel is euphoria, the characteristic is delerious joy. The horrible life shattering pain of significant personal loss would leave a genius in despair just as much as a retarded person. In this point you have a meritorious argument, but I sense your understanding stops there. Perhaps we can better avail you of the knowledge of this concept.

It seems that a risk averse nature, if not the rule, is then at least quite prevalent for those of extreme intelligence. The reason for this is nuanced; by being possessive of greater powers of apprehension and extrapolation, the intelligent can better sense the impending disadvantages in every course of action. That said, consider also that another prevalent characteristic in the pathology of the aware is that they are often very insecure. The template for this is the eccentric math professor who stares at his shoes and reads the book aloud in lieu of actually teaching. The intersection of these two qualities produces a situation wich is conducive to the dimunition of initiative that a prosaic man simply can not relate to.
The uncertainty contained in a certain situation will affect one's mind in a way that can be understood by simple analysis in terms of the two aforementioned qualities. In a situation where there is a large amount of uncertainty, an intelligent person may well grasp the nature of the situation, but as a result of being risk averse and insecure, action is arrested. Plato's republic can largely be explained by one quote. "The better part of human wisdon is what we do with our uncertainty, not with our knowledge."

Smart individuals, due to idiosyncratic aspects of their personality can not, on the average, deal with these situations as well, that is, they cannot deal with uncertainty. I must cut this off in order to return to work, but consider how what I have said "levels the field".

Often much is made of a person's apparent transcendent understanding, but this is not always as valuable in utility as most individuals within normal parameters of intelligence would surmise.

My apologies for the rambling incoherency of this post, hopefully this helps.

Cam