Why Aren't Smart People Happier?

A UK study reported that individuals with the lowest IQ scores experience slightly lower happiness than the general population. A 50-year General Social Survey of 30,346 respondents found a small negative correlation (r = –0.06, p < .001) between vocabulary-based IQ and self-rated happiness. The article notes that Spearman’s 1904 theory of a general mental ability explains why intelligence predicts academic and occupational success but not overall life satisfaction.