Refusing an evening with friends, turning off your phone for several hours, preferring to spend a weekend alone… These habits are sometimes perceived as coldness or selfishness. However, they could tell a completely different story. Several studies in psychology, relayed by the Biba site, the Psychologies site or even the AirZen Radio media, suggest that people who regularly choose to isolate themselves share a common trait: an intelligence quotient higher than the average.
This trait has a name: chosen solitude. This is not an isolation suffered, but a time voluntarily devoted to oneself, far from social and digital demands.
Why people with high IQs enjoy solitude more
The Biba website summarizes this work by explaining that highly intelligent people often perceive their environment with more intensity. They would therefore be less able to tolerate very stimulating or noisy environments. Researchers Norman P. Li and Satoshi Kanazawa observed that these profiles derived less satisfaction from a life rich in social interactions than the population average. Conversely, their well-being tended to increase when these interactions became less frequent.
The media AirZen Radio recalls that these results are part of the “savannah theory”, developed by Satoshi Kanazawa. According to this hypothesis, our brain would always be adapted to life in small groups. People with a high intelligence quotient adapt more easily to the demands of modern life and therefore feel a lesser need for daily social contacts.
As the Biba website summarizes: “Disconnection, in many forms, is undoubtedly indeed a sign of intelligence…” One nuance, however, remains essential: this solitude must be chosen, never suffered.
A need for calm to preserve mental energy
The Biba site also evokes the “inner boiling” often described in people with high intellectual abilities. When ideas are constantly coming together, taking a step back becomes a real necessity. These moments of solitude then allow you to reflect, analyze and put your thoughts in order.
The media AirZen Radio emphasizes that this functioning is frequently observed in certain people with high intellectual potential, without systematically concerning all the profiles concerned.
For their part, the Psychologies site and the Grazia site explain that these people often learn to protect their “mental time”. They limit social networks, plan phone-free times, select their outings more and more easily refuse requests that do not bring them anything. From the outside, this behavior may seem distant. In reality, it mainly responds to a need to preserve their concentration, their creativity and their emotional balance.
Do not confuse chosen solitude with isolation
However, specialists remain cautious. Enjoying spending time alone does not lead to the conclusion that a person has a high intelligence quotient or high intellectual potential. The work of Norman P. Li and Satoshi Kanazawa only highlights a statistical correlation: they do not demonstrate that solitude makes you more intelligent.
The media AirZen Radio also reminds us that there is an important difference between choosing to isolate yourself to recharge your batteries and avoiding others because you are suffering. When loneliness is accompanied by sadness, lasting withdrawal or a loss of social connections, it becomes a warning signal. Conversely, when it allows you to regain energy, clearer ideas and the desire to reconnect with others, it corresponds more to this chosen solitude.