Br J Psychol November 2016 PMID 26847844

Country roads, take me home… to my friends: How intelligence, population density, and friendship affect modern happiness.

Norman P Li, Satoshi Kanazawa

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Mentions

291

Peak: 15 in Jun 2021

across 7 sources since Jan 2019

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14,342,384

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376,067

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Jan 2019 – Dec 2025

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AI synopsis

What people are saying

The discussions surrounding the publication highlight the complexities of happiness related to intelligence. Posts express sentiments such as 'more intelligent individuals experience lower life satisfaction with more frequent socialization,' illustrating that many participants find the study's conclusions thought-provoking. Phrases like 'intelligent people prefer to be alone' and critiques of social dynamics contribute to a tone of serious inquiry, reflecting the nuanced way participants relate personal experiences to the research.

AgreementModerate agreement

Many posts resonate with the main findings of the study, indicating some level of consensus about the relationship between intelligence, socialization, and happiness.

InterestHigh interest

The discussions reflect a high level of curiosity about how various factors like intelligence and population density affect well-being.

EngagementHigh engagement

Numerous posts engage deeply with the study's premise, analyzing and referencing it while also sharing personal insights and examples.

ImpactHigh impact

There is a strong belief that the findings could have substantial implications for understanding mental well-being in society.

Abstract in brief

The savanna theory of happiness suggests that both current situations and ancestral experiences shape an individual's life satisfaction, highlighting a link between evolution and well-being.
Two key factors examined are population density, which negatively affects life satisfaction, and socialization frequency with friends, which positively impacts it.
The study finds that intelligence interacts with these factors, where highly intelligent people may experience lower life satisfaction with more frequent socialization, challenging conventional beliefs about social connections and happiness.

Read the full abstract

All mentions

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Rodrigo Vázquez

@rodvaN · X

Investigaciones recientes sugieren que las personas con un coeficiente intelectual elevado a menudo prosperan con menos conexiones sociales.

Aug 3, 2025 · 6,857 followers View post →

Cerebro Digital

@cerebrodigital.net · Bluesky

Investigaciones recientes sugieren que las personas con un coeficiente intelectual elevado a menudo prosperan con menos conexiones sociales.

Aug 3, 2025 · 11 likes · 5 shares View post →

ilknur ☀️

@ontosqualia · X

https://t.co/nRBvLpznp0 "More intelligent individuals experience lower life satisfaction with more frequent socialization with friends."

Jul 24, 2025 · 957 followers View post →

Kari Kolja

@KoljaKari · X

@TuomasEnbuske "Country roads, take me home... to my friends: How intelligence, population density, and friendship affect modern happiness" British Journal of Psychology

Jul 22, 2025 · 460 followers View post →

Tyler

@okty.bsky.social · Bluesky

Country roads Take me home To my yard With the gnome

Jul 4, 2025 · 4 likes View post →

かるみ

@karumi32 · X

https://t.co/148regmt7I ソースもあった

Jul 3, 2025 · 123 followers View post →

مرد تنهای شبانه روز

@alone_acc1 · X

@stx5623 @_pehenism_ من به دو دلیل اولا که دیروز گفتی تو دوبی انقدر سرم شلوغه که وقت پرداختن به این مسائل رو ندارم ثانیا دیروز یه مقاله جالب می خوندم که میگفت افراد باهوش تنهایی رو بیشتر دوست دارن .. وگرنه که تو عمو جانی هستی سعیدحان ما خواجه دربار اینم لینک مقالست https://t.co/m9c62AB9mb

Jun 6, 2025 · 1 like · 724 followers View post →

Soy de canarias

@canario72726443 · X

@mxgueldg @Maxi_mx14 @AntiSimps_10 En realidad lo que hay son estudios que dicen que las personas, h y m, inteligentes suelen ser más solitarios y exigentes y les cuesta tener parejas algo más, para muestra un botón y deja de hablar de lo que no tienes idea, mermado https://t.co/eR7ZBaBsTG

May 6, 2025 · 1 like · 441 followers View post →

Ashwood Therapy | Online Counselling

@AshwoodTherapy · X

https://t.co/BqzUSOLARz #highIQ #intelligence #giftedandtalented #IQ #gifted

Apr 6, 2025 · 1,416 followers View post →

Ashwood Therapy | Online Counselling

@ashwoodtherapy.bsky.social · Bluesky

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26847844/ #highIQ #intelligence #giftedandtalented #IQ #gifted

Apr 6, 2025 View post →

Ashwood Therapy | Online Counselling

@AshwoodTherapy · X

https://t.co/CmGawL3ArG #highIQ #intelligence #giftedandtalented #IQ #gifted

Dec 31, 2024 · 1,416 followers View post →

STR

@notauntstella · X

@kamemiya_sub https://t.co/KNZaJtdWbm ちょっと気になったので原文を探しに行ったら有料だった…

Nov 18, 2024 · 1 like · 36 followers View post →

nooneofgreatimportance

@NoGreatImport · X

@rebekkarnold Here's a study that says the dumber the person, the better and happier their social life is, which would explain them. https://t.co/7fxGi7Ps7h

Nov 10, 2024 · 54 followers View post →

potta

@_potta · X

論文は多分これ "More intelligent individuals experience lower life satisfaction with more frequent socialization with friends." ってアブストに書いてある中身読もうと思ったけどお金必要だったよ～ https://t.co/VR0VXkI05P

Jun 7, 2024 · 1 like · 8,338 followers View post →

jYismo

@C4rMCA · X

Wow! https://t.co/JDLYgwHCBD

Mar 9, 2024 · 74 followers View post →

Ashwood Therapy | Online Counselling

@AshwoodTherapy · X

https://t.co/BqzUSOLARz #highIQ #intelligence #giftedandtalented #IQ #gifted

Mar 4, 2024 · 1,416 followers View post →

unserioso

@unserioso · X

@cremieuxrecueil Intelligent people need less societal support so liberalism personally makes sense, just like they gain less from socializing with friends Doubtful that political choice takes into account that society needs a model where the midwits can function as well https://t.co/5aljo3DHsm

Feb 10, 2024 View post →

Küpçük

@kupcuk · X

@yepisyenitr

Dec 13, 2023 · 297 followers View post →

Ziyad..

@da_vinci70 · X

@SaudiIntellect أيضا دراسة اخرى من علماء نفس تطوريين، ذكروا فيها أن الاشخاص ذو الذكاء المرتفع لديهم شعور أكبر بالرضا عند القيام بالأنشطة الفردية مقارنة بالتواصل والعلاقات الاجتماعية مع الآخرين. فقد يكون أن نيوتن والبقية كان لهم هذه النزعة https://t.co/0LAfnZAxpS

Nov 11, 2023 · 5 likes · 2,622 followers View post →

Maria Robinska

@MariaRobinska · X

More intelligent individuals experience lower life satisfaction with more frequent socialization with friends (Li & Kanazawa, 2016) https://t.co/bXigb2XGnZ mailto:S.Kanazawa@lse.ac.uk

Sep 22, 2023 · 327 followers View post →

Lalo ❤️ Memecoin

@eshc78 · X

@InformaCosmos Prefiero el dinero. Mientas mas inteligente seas mas solitario te vuelves. Simplemente porque no podras soportar a los menos inteligente. https://t.co/CwsAKOgNxQ En cambio ser millonario, y no muy inteligente, te permite ser mas feliz y no pensar en algun problemas.

Sep 11, 2023 · 67 followers View post →

Ashwood Therapy | Online Counselling

@AshwoodTherapy · X

https://t.co/CmGawL32C8 #highiq #intelligence #giftedandtalented #iq #gifted

Aug 25, 2023 · 1,416 followers View post →

cagsei

@cagsei · X

Savanna Mutluluk Teorisi, düşük IQ'ya sahip insanların rutin kırsal yaşamı tercih ettiğini, daha zeki insanların ise şehirlerde yaşamayı tercih ettiğini öne sürmektedir. Yapılan bir araştırmada bu tezin doğru olup olmadığı araştırılmış https://t.co/mgdOiWcO1P https://t.co/2o622bGeio

Jul 7, 2023 · 57 followers View post →

Dwight Mannsburden

@DwightMansburdn · X

@phl43 @ElonBachman https://t.co/aPyJtM8Dz9

Jun 11, 2023 · 727 followers View post →

KMS

@StrategyisLove · X

A study published by Li & Kanazawa (2016) explored the "savanna theory" of happiness, which posits that humans evolved psychologically based on the needs of their ancestors who lived on the savanna (1/2) https://t.co/zgSdaPlnYZ

Apr 28, 2023 · 1 like · 430 followers View post →

err.tetris

@_libr3 · X

This further validates the need for a solitary existence. "More intelligent individuals experience lower life satisfaction with more frequent socialization with friends" https://t.co/pJNBlvdJyq https://t.co/Bg6El8ekUE

Mar 28, 2023 · 16 followers View post →

xZ – die überletzte Generation!

@MaiOnLinie · X

@Geeta42815912 @xDine09x Weniger intelligente Menschen haben lt. einer Studie mehr Freude…

Mar 22, 2023 · 126 followers View post →

Ad_p.paper

@worldekon101 · X

https://t.co/cy49VO1Xba

Mar 17, 2023 · 39 followers View post →

Shura.

@Synthesis_0 · X

@Jeiux لول ذكرتني بهذا، الظاهر انها ظاهرة *يب يحب عبط الكلمات شكرن*. https://t.co/opS1nz6KMY https://t.co/V2xsN1hOVT

Dec 4, 2022 · 340 followers View post →

Rodrigo Soto Moreno

@rodsotomoreno · X

Country roads, take me home… to my friends: How intelligence, population density, and friendship affect modern happiness https://t.co/7kjHLOE6CX

Nov 16, 2022 · 1,114 followers View post →

markgreville

@markgreville · X

I saw this thread yesterday and was struck by the answer from @dvassallo . We are social creatures, and being alone may solve some problems, but it can leave us isolated. Intelligent people can prefer to be alone, (see Thai paper https://t.co/OnCzej1tog) https://t.co/CoODnTJ26K

Aug 22, 2022 · 1,632 followers View post →

Rod Silva

@huachaca · X

Intelligence and (lack of) socialization: more than a correlation? https://t.co/URADNUMJXZ

Apr 8, 2022 · 28 followers View post →

Si lo se no vengo

@si_vengo · X

@facha_hours Y, cuanto menos inteligente eres, más feliz. Si quieres ser feliz, es tan fácil como ser tonto del culo. Lo dice una investigación publicada en el British Journal, y María Elisa es la mejor prueba. https://t.co/AmMXsxzgCD

Mar 18, 2022 · 240 followers View post →

Julio Rodríguez, PhD | Genética Clínica

@bitacorabeagle · X

RT @bitacorabeagle: Los individuos con un cociente intelectual alto -más inteligencia general- experimentan mayor satisfacción vital cuando…

Jan 9, 2022 · 2 shares · 28,767 followers View post →

Genn

@lmfsrc · X

RT @bitacorabeagle: Los individuos con un cociente intelectual alto -más inteligencia general- experimentan mayor satisfacción vital cuando…

Jan 9, 2022 · 2 shares · 1,099 followers View post →

Julio Rodríguez, PhD | Genética Clínica

@bitacorabeagle · X

Los individuos con un cociente intelectual alto -más inteligencia general- experimentan mayor satisfacción vital cuando la frecuencia de contacto con sus amigos es baja. https://t.co/wdwkheHHmT https://t.co/TANRjRl27G

Jan 9, 2022 · 7 likes · 2 shares · 28,767 followers View post →

シュピー@壁打ちブロ解勢

@syupii · X

RT @Cocologyinfo: 参考研究と補足だよ

Dec 19, 2021 · 22 shares View post →

シュピー@RT専用サブアカ

@Syupii2 · X

RT @Cocologyinfo: 参考研究と補足だよ

Dec 15, 2021 · 22 shares · 6 followers View post →

piaizm

@piaizquierdomi · X