Turns out, if you’re happy with a small circle of friends, it might mean you’re smarter than most. A new study published in the British Journal of Psychology shows that intelligent people tend to thrive with fewer social connections. Yeah, that would’ve been nice to know in middle school.
The study links this finding to something called the “savanna theory of happiness,” which suggests our brains are still wired for the hunter-gatherer lifestyle of our ancient ancestors. Back then, we found happiness in smaller, close-knit social groups, and that holds true today. The research found that people are happier with more social interactions, but only up to a point—once we’re surrounded by too many people, life satisfaction drops.
But here’s the kicker: highly intelligent people don’t follow this trend. The study found that the more intelligent a person is, the less satisfied they become with frequent socializing. In fact, they’re often happier with fewer interactions.