The Smarter You Are, The Fewer Friends You’re Likely To Have, According To Science

If you’re someone who prefers a quiet night in with a glass of wine and the latest episode of Ghost Adventures over a wild night out, rejoice. A new study shows that intelligent people thrive with less social interaction. That’s right—introverts are smart AF.

1. Satohi Kanagwa and Norman Lie bring us “The Savanna Theory of Happiness.” The duo from the London School of Economics and the Singapore Management University respectively published this theory in the British Journal of Psychology, describing the results of a survey of 15,000 people. They found that people in more densely populated areas (i.e. major cities) had less satisfaction in their lives, and the more social interactions they had with close friends, the happier the respondents reported being.
2. It all goes back to the African Savanna. The Savanna Theory works on the premise that these social instincts evolved from our ancestors who lived in communities that equaled modern suburbia in like Alaska. The hunter-gatherer mindset linked social relationships to survival and even reproduction, so it makes sense that most people thrive in smaller communities with several social connections.
3. Intellectuals were the exception. While the findings proved true for the majority of the group, Kanazawa and Li found that those with high IQs were actually happier with fewer social engagements, and densely populated surroundings had no effect (or less of an effect) on them.
4. Intelligent people prefer to accomplish long-term goals than to socialize. One of the possible explanations for geniuses needing alone-time is that they prefer to pursue a goal that will propel them in their respective fields or will stimulate them mentally. They may not want to throw away a night on drinking and clubbing when they can be working on their novel or finding a cure for cancer. Social responsibilities may only get in the way of these goals.
5. They want to go against the grain. Studies also show that people with higher IQs consider themselves to be outsiders of sorts—and they like it that way. Therefore, if the norm is to want to seek friendships and relationships, they’re more likely to stray from that path.
6. Smarter people are better equipped to solve their own problems. With our societal development taking off at warp speed, keeping up with all of these new technological advancements and the challenges they create can be difficult for many. Whereas in the Savanna you may have needed your neighbors to help you figure out how to keep the crops from dying, more intelligent people have the problem-solving skills to figure it out on their own. In fact, solving the problem is a mind-stimulating activity for them and would prove their intelligence if they could solve it on their own.
7. Intellectuals are more adaptable to advancements. Because people with higher IQs can solve their own problems and go against their ancestors’ grain, it means that they usually have the ability to roll with the punches. While more traditional people may still yearn for the social factor and the smaller populations that our African ancestors desired and needed, brainiacs have evolved enough to meet the demands of modern day life, which includes bigger populations and more solitary work.
8. They just don’t fit in. If you’ve seen an episode of The Big Bang Theory, you can tell from the pilot episode that Sheldon, the genius among the nerds, doesn’t even fit in with “his own kind.” Like other intelligent people, he doesn’t like to waste his time on small talk and doesn’t understand the need for pointless conversations having to do with the lives of other people, unless it is something that he finds stimulating (which isn’t much.) While your average genius may not be as obtuse, they may share some of that same attitude. They aren’t intentionally being rude, they just feel like it’s a waste of their time when they could be doing something more interesting. So, when they’re alone, they can shed that persona and just be themselves.
9. Fewer friends equal less drama. Again, drama to the intellectuals is a waste of time unless Shakespeare (or another brilliant playwright) wrote it. They just don’t have the desire to deal with that high school BS and will be more likely to avoid it for something more productive.
10. However, it’s all just a theory. While there’s some proof and logic behind the findings, they have their flaws. Fellow researcher Carol Graham has pointed out some, saying, ” [It] defines happiness in terms of self-reported life satisfaction (‘How satisfied are you with your life as a whole?’), and doesn’t consider experienced well-being (‘How many times did you laugh yesterday? How many times were you angry?’ etc.).” And, just because you like being social doesn’t mean you aren’t intelligent, but it does provide a sound general explanation of this phenomena and attempts to understand why it occurs.