Are stupid people happier in life?

Publish date: 2024-05-06

This morning I listened to two old fraus on the bus talking about nothing but salad dressing recipes for 40 minutes straight. I sometimes wish my mind was simple enough to find joy in such trivial matters.

by Anonymousreply 52February 4, 2019 10:55 PM

When they become the President of the United States, sure!

by Anonymousreply 1February 4, 2019 3:05 PM

Yes, they are much happier... ignorance is bliss rings true!!

by Anonymousreply 2February 4, 2019 3:05 PM

My father isn't particularly smart, and I'd say he's a deeply unhappy person.

So, no, not necessarily.

by Anonymousreply 3February 4, 2019 3:06 PM

The secret of happiness is low expectations

by Anonymousreply 4February 4, 2019 3:13 PM

Ignorance is bliss, as they say..

by Anonymousreply 5February 4, 2019 3:18 PM

Thanks R5, had not heard that one...

by Anonymousreply 6February 4, 2019 3:19 PM

I would have to say unhappy. I had a relative like that. When she was around her fellow fraus they exchanged coupons and talked about how this product made your floor shine, how the recipe on this can of Campbells soup was really good, etc.

When she was alone with me all she would do is complain about her husband. And not regular, everyday complaints; I'm talking about stuff she held on to since they first started dating. She was just seething with rage and resentment.

by Anonymousreply 7February 4, 2019 3:24 PM

[quote]I sometimes wish my mind was simple enough to find joy in such trivial matters.

Maybe you're not as smart as you think –- there are plenty of intelligent people who are able to find joy in the mundane.

by Anonymousreply 8February 4, 2019 3:29 PM

Simple people do not get weighed down with concerns about the state of the world or existential despair, but I think they are also more likely to get involved in petty disputes and not know how to pick their battles. They aren't able to settle conflicts with intelligent communication, so they resort to violence and childish bullying. Think Jerry Springer. And yes, Dump and his toddler tantrums - I don't believe for a minute that he is happy. Maybe just for a fleeting second when he gets his second scoop of ice cream, or sucks down another Big Mac. That's it.

by Anonymousreply 9February 4, 2019 3:41 PM

Nothing stupid about vinaigrette, you bitch.

by Anonymousreply 10February 4, 2019 3:43 PM

They are talking about something that they know about - and passing the time on the bus with what they consider pleasant and polite conversation. I don't think it means they are stupid. My MIL was very bright but conversations usually were about how dinner was prepared and what was on sale at the local Piggly Wiggly that week.

by Anonymousreply 11February 4, 2019 3:45 PM

Keep in mind that these were WOMEN, who can keep talking and talking and talking for extended periods of time without actually saying much, if anything. Kathy Griffin is like this. A whole lot of empty yabbering.

by Anonymousreply 12February 4, 2019 3:54 PM

Lol, R7. Sounds like the topics of every non-pron/theater thread on DL to me!

'My roommate put the toilet paper on backwards, can I commit a justifiable homicide?'

'Which brand of relish us the best and why? Cited your sources and bring references, you whores!'

'Twenty years after high school, who do you still HATE?'

'My ex husband has a new boyfriend and I can't handle it! I want to build a dirty bomb and blow up their entire town. Can someone point me to the dark web for purchasing options?' - Bipolar/BPD DL'er

by Anonymousreply 13February 4, 2019 3:54 PM

Spot on, R13!

Don't forget, "Am I too Old to Wear Jeans?"

by Anonymousreply 14February 4, 2019 3:56 PM

Haha, YES! Can't believe I skipped that one!

by Anonymousreply 15February 4, 2019 3:58 PM

Yes, I think uncomplicated people tend to be happier in life. Their smaller scope of life blocks out things that probably bother other people.

by Anonymousreply 16February 4, 2019 4:03 PM

I was recently in the dentist office and two friends were talking about what the tabloids were saying about Jennifer Aniston. They went on and on as if what the tabloids says are completely true.

From my point of view, it was one of the most inane conversations I've ever heard. I wanted to yell out, "Who the fuck cares?!"

by Anonymousreply 17February 4, 2019 4:06 PM

Oh, please, r12! Men are the same way, whether about sports or Broadway gossip, or both!

by Anonymousreply 18February 4, 2019 4:11 PM

Indeed, r18, little in this world is stupider than men talking sports.

by Anonymousreply 19February 4, 2019 4:16 PM

Happiness is a byproduct of living a full life. Intelligence has little to do with it and is actually counter productive,

by Anonymousreply 20February 4, 2019 4:25 PM

I love r10, and yes, I think people who are stupid are marginally more happy, but still dumb.

by Anonymousreply 21February 4, 2019 4:38 PM

I'm not sure how "intelligent" and "smart" it is to forever be focused on everything bad that is happening in the world - particularly things you cannot control in this moment. Sounds like the kind of "intelligence" that has suicide, drug addiction and depression running rampant. Real smart.

by Anonymousreply 22February 4, 2019 4:57 PM

Happiness is when you're too dumb to know how dumb you are.

by Anonymousreply 23February 4, 2019 4:58 PM

This is tricky. They are definitely more surface happy. However, they don't know what real happiness is. I always wondered what would happen if these people just woke up one day amd snapped out of it. How depressing it would be realizing what a dumb, basic bitch you've been all your life.

by Anonymousreply 24February 4, 2019 5:21 PM

I come down on the side that smarter people are happier. Barring any mental illness issues, I think their lives are more colorful and more enjoyable because they have a wider spectrum of choices to entertain themselves and create inner joy. Like studying philosophy or taking up Buddhism or getting interested in global politics or other issues and becoming knowledgeable about them - so following BBC News or whatever is an added interest each day (just as an example - it could be anything - birdwatching, coin collecting, French cooking, craft brewing, playing chess, even playing video games - smart people are better at it, feel better playing games because they often win and are complimented for their skill...

I could go on and on. I also think intelligent people live more rationally and are more likely to abstain from arguing too much with friends and family - just find a peaceful compromise or get out of stupid relationships. They're less likely to get in financial and legal trouble because of being rational about life decisions. They are more likely to have good jobs - or to be able to get another one if they don't like their jobs. They're better able to be frugal in the first place, because they plan well, so they can construct a life where they don't need as much money as a person who wasn't able to cleverly figure out how to live on less.... I need to stop there. More reasons keep popping up in my mind.

But yeah - definitely imo - smarter is better, when it comes to happiness.

by Anonymousreply 25February 4, 2019 5:42 PM

Co-worker A about Co-worker B: "Look at him. He is to dumb to know he shouldn't be happy."

by Anonymousreply 27February 4, 2019 6:13 PM

[quote]I could go on and on. I also think intelligent people live more rationally and are more likely to abstain from arguing too much with friends and family - just find a peaceful compromise or get out of stupid relationships.

You've clearly never known an academic or a lawyer.

by Anonymousreply 28February 4, 2019 6:20 PM

True, R22, you've described some DL posters who are never happy, always negative, hunting for things to be offended by and are the first to judge others.

by Anonymousreply 30February 4, 2019 7:09 PM

[quote] You've clearly never known an academic or a lawyer.

Well, there's emotional intellilgence (or wisdom) which is also the reverse of "stupid." But yes, I've been an academic (professor) and a very happy one. I think it's the best job there is -- well, if you get tenure. I've even seen surveys where they had the happiest lives. The 3 months off in summer and 1 month off at Christmas, not to mention sabbaticals, doesn't hurt.

And I've worked for lawyers. Not always the nicest but I'd have to say a fairly happy lot - the ones I worked for anyway, while going to uni. It's a small sample size - but they use to meet, en masse, at a local diner in the mornings for coffee and seemed quite a self-satisfied, connected lot. This wasn't Washington DC or NYC though - maybe big city lawyering is more miserable. But small/medium cities? I think they're a pretty jolly group - or they were in the 1980s, of which I speak.

by Anonymousreply 31February 4, 2019 7:27 PM

* sorry to be stupid in my spelling - yikes - I mean "intelligence"

by Anonymousreply 32February 4, 2019 7:28 PM

R14 - It's quite simple, if you're over 40 it's time to ditch the jeans.

by Anonymousreply 33February 4, 2019 7:30 PM

Bum thread since intelligence is a western, colonial concept used to put down POC.

by Anonymousreply 34February 4, 2019 7:43 PM

Well, I think it has a few more uses than that R34. Like Obama is more intelligent than Trump, which affected how he behaved in office. I don't think I used the "western" concept to put down a POC.

Do "POC" never consider who is the smartest or wisest person in a group in order to assign tasks, or whatever any other ethnic group might do with that perception?

by Anonymousreply 35February 4, 2019 7:47 PM

As Socrates and/or Plato said: An unexamined life is not worth living.

by Anonymousreply 36February 4, 2019 8:48 PM

Thinking about all the people I know fairly well I think organised people are the happiest. The type that tend to have 5/10 year goals and know how to achieve them. Their homes, minds and lives are less cluttered and they seem not to feel inadequate (not obviously anyway). I'm always a bit jealous because I struggle somewhat with executive function.

by Anonymousreply 37February 4, 2019 9:46 PM

based on current state of affairs, I think the adage "ignorant is bliss" can be junked

the deporable MAGAts are dumb as rocks but are seething with rage, full of vile and hatred, and never seem to be happy unless they are "owning the libs". or "hurting the right people"...strike me as ignorant and miserable

by Anonymousreply 38February 4, 2019 9:52 PM

Yes, R22, similarly : torment to be cursed with sekf-knowledge.

by Anonymousreply 39February 4, 2019 10:06 PM

[quote]I think they're a pretty jolly group - or they were in the 1980s, of which I speak.

They were probably drunk.

by Anonymousreply 40February 4, 2019 10:06 PM

That’s rare op. Most stupid people I. 2019 discuss Facebook and pics on their phone as their entire lives revolve around it.

by Anonymousreply 41February 4, 2019 10:08 PM

Yes and it sucks. Sometimes I wish I had a less nuanced view of the world.

by Anonymousreply 42February 4, 2019 10:21 PM

R42 ur just a big ol bitch!

by Anonymousreply 43February 4, 2019 10:24 PM

In my nuanced view I know you are MORE than a hideous gum-jawed cunt.

by Anonymousreply 44February 4, 2019 10:27 PM

We were all happier when we were young and dumb.

I didn't have a clue about the world when I was in my 20s and I was as happy as a clam. Now that I'm older and wiser, I'm plagued by anxiety and depression.

And money doesn't bring happiness. It might bring more peace of mind, but I was much happier when I didn't have two pennies to rub together.

by Anonymousreply 45February 4, 2019 10:30 PM

In college I worked in a factory where the worst job in the plant was the stacker. You stood between 2 conveyor lines for 8 hours lifting 40 pound pieces from one line to the other. It was horrible, and it was usually given to the person they wanted to quit.

They gave it to a new guy once, and after a few days the foreman spotted him in the break room and almost as a joke asked him how he liked the job. The guy's answer was., "I love it, Best job I've ever had. I haven't had to think all week,"

by Anonymousreply 46February 4, 2019 10:32 PM

Can you rub your legs together for warmth?

by Anonymousreply 47February 4, 2019 10:32 PM

They believe a lot of lies but they don't seem happier for it.

by Anonymousreply 48February 4, 2019 10:32 PM

OK, here's at least a little "data" to try to answer the question. This study (published in Forbes) purports to name the ten "happiest" countries -- and all of them have very high literacy and educational attainment. They also have very low religiosity, whether it's church attendance or belief in God. Yet, they're the happiest, according to this study. So I think it's a piece of evidence that refutes "stupid people are happier"

Happiest 10: Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, Australia.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 49February 4, 2019 10:39 PM

My BIL used to be like this. Easy going, nothing bothered him, talk about unimportant things that didn't matter.

Then he started a new job and got involved with a guy who's obsessed with politics. Then my BIL became obsessed with politics. Now he's a miserable prick who's always looking for an argument and is generally unpleasant to be around.

I think when his conversations revolved around potato chips and wrestling he was much happier, before he started looking around the world and saw how shitty it is.

by Anonymousreply 50February 4, 2019 10:50 PM

But he wasn't any stupider when he didn't follow politics, was he? I think the question in the case you're talking about would be, "Are uninformed people happier in life?"

by Anonymousreply 51February 4, 2019 10:52 PM

I don't think that's true, OP. Look at deplorables. They're not a particularly happy bunch.

Maybe having simpler ambitions is better in life. Maybe it's easier to find contentment when you don't set your sights too high.

by Anonymousreply 52February 4, 2019 10:55 PM

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