We often hear that communication and close connections save us from depression and make life better. It turned out that people with a high level of intelligence do not need to have a wide circle of friends in order to feel happy.
Once upon a time, our ancestors lived in communities to survive. Today, a person copes with this task and alone. These reflections prompted evolutionary psychologists Satoshi Kanazawa and Norman Lee to work together to find out how population density affects our lives. And thus test the «savannah theory».
This theory suggests that millions of years ago, faced with a lack of food in the African jungle, primates moved to the grassy savannah. Although the population density of the savannah was low — only 1 person per 1 sq. km. km, our ancestors lived in close clans of 150 people. “Under such conditions, constant contact with friends and allies was essential for survival and procreation,” explain Satoshi Kanazawa and Norman Lee.
People with high intelligence are less likely to spend a lot of time socializing
Using data from a survey of 15 Americans aged 18-28, the authors of the study analyzed how population density in the area where we live affects our emotional well-being and whether friends are needed for happiness.
At the same time, indicators of the intellectual development of the respondents were taken into account. Residents of densely populated megacities noted a lower level of life satisfaction compared to residents of sparsely populated regions. The more contacts a person maintained with acquaintances and friends, the higher his personal “happiness index” was. Here everything coincided with the «savannah theory».
But this theory did not work with those whose IQ was above average. Respondents with low IQs suffered from crowding twice as much as intellectuals. But while living in big cities didn’t scare high-IQs, socializing didn’t make them happier. People with high IQs tend to spend less time socializing because they are focused on other, long-term goals.
“Technological progress and the Internet have changed our lives, but people continue to secretly dream of gatherings around the fire. People with high IQs are an exception, say Satoshi Kanazawa and Norman Lee. “They are better adapted to solving evolutionarily new tasks, orient themselves faster in new circumstances and environments. That is why it is easier to endure the stress of big cities and do not need friends so much. They are quite self-sufficient and happy on their own.”