Ten Reasons Smart People Doubt Themselves (2024)

FAQs

Why do highly intelligent people doubt themselves? ›

Your skepticism isn't just a random trait; it's a byproduct of a mind that's always questioning, analyzing, and seeking the truth. Highly intelligent people are often skeptical because they have the ability to see inconsistencies, loopholes, and vague statements that others might readily accept.

While this dedication to excellence can lead to remarkable achievements, it can also fuel feelings of inadequacy. When you're constantly chasing perfection, anything less can feel like a failure. This can erode self-esteem, leaving even the smartest individuals questioning their worth.

Origin of self-doubt

They may have routinely questioned their abilities or received negative feedback from the adults in their life, to the point that they internalized incompetence. Others develop self-doubt after adverse experiences. This could include traumatic events, toxic relationships, or painful memories.

You may be familiar with the Dunning-Kruger effect. It's a cognitive bias, in which people with lower ability tend to overestimate themselves, whereas people with higher ability tend to underestimate themselves - at least until true mastery is developed.

They work to be more productive, and yet they manage to sabotage their path at every turn. Perhaps it's because they don't know any better. Or maybe they have blind spots where their own behavior is concerned. Many are simply not committed enough to go out of their comfort zone and make success happen.

People with higher intelligence are prone to overthinking and overanalysing situations. You might analyse every situation, imagine negative outcomes and want to make sense of everything you observe. This leads to problems getting magnified, distorted and misinterpreted.

The truth probably is, I think the smarter one is, the more they may realize it's almost pointless to speak to other people: you will neither be understood nor accepted. And there's a fairly good chance you'll be ostracized for being different. So instead, they're simply withdrawn to the point of being reticent.

Sometimes, people even downplay their intelligence. It may be that they don't want to make others feel stupid around them, or they don't like the expectations that come when people know someone is smarter than average.

It really isn't as common as people believe it to be. It depends on the person more than on intelligence. Perhaps it is true that more intelligent people can and do doubt themselves, or perhaps it is due to their brains being able to process more, allowing them to be more acutely aware of their own faults.

Numerous studies have found a connection between steady self-doubt and psychological problems such as mood swings, lower self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. In fact, many of the symptoms used to diagnose depression correspond with patterns of self-doubt.

What mental illness causes self-doubt? ›

Low self-esteem may also be associated with health problems such as depression and anxiety, eating disorders, social phobia, attention deficit disorder and substance abuse.

Self-doubt may stem from previous negative experiences or from attachment style issues. Those with insecure attachments may have experience being criticized, that can contribute to self-doubt later in life.

High-IQ individuals often believe that their intelligence alone can lead them to success. This overconfidence can lead them to take risks and make decisions that are not backed up by evidence or careful analysis. This trait is known as "intellectual arrogance," and it can be a significant impediment to success.

The Intersection of Arrogance and Intelligence

Being smart, bright and clever often leads to business success. But having these intellectual gifts also means that one gets used to being right, being perceived as a good problem-solver and being valued by others. And this leads to arrogance.

It really isn't as common as people believe it to be. It depends on the person more than on intelligence. Perhaps it is true that more intelligent people can and do doubt themselves, or perhaps it is due to their brains being able to process more, allowing them to be more acutely aware of their own faults.

A study revealed that intelligent people prefer to be alone, tend to have fewer friends and they choose to be less social than those who scored less on the intelligence scale. Interestingly, their life satisfaction appears to be unaffected by their more secluded lifestyle.

High-IQ people often experience social isolation, which can lead to depression or make them act more introverted than is their nature. The very intelligent know they're intelligent, so they're prone to setting lofty expectations for themselves that they can't meet.

It's actually more common for high achievers, such as independent business owners, to experience self-doubt than people who work conventional jobs. The bigger and bolder you live your life, the more you will deal with internal challenges like self-doubt, self-criticism, and imposter syndrome.