People with a Difficult Character Tend to Be More Intelligent, According to a Study

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People with a difficult character tend to be more intelligent

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Are you in a bad mood all day and no one can stand you? Don’t worry. According to a recent study, being in a bad mood makes you smarter

Many people think that the happiness It lasts a lifetime, you have to dress with a smile, optimism and good vibes every day. It is forbidden to get angry or complain, because if you do you are a loser. It is a postmodern maxim that draws on the rise of self-help books and the philosophy of entrepreneurship.

In the world of these people there are no layoffs but transition stages and there are no salary cuts but settings. In today’s world it is not allowed to feel worry, fear or rejection, because you have to surf the wave of goodrollism constantly.

The problems of false optimism

Regarding this very common behavior, psychologist Juan Cruz warns: “False positivism does the same damage as excess negativity. It is the opposite extreme and prevents the individual from connecting with her emotions and problems, which prevents change and improvement.” Therefore, putting a good face on everything is not good, and now, in addition, A study has confirmed that moody and sad people have sharper intelligence

It seems that being constantly happy allows you to live life superficially without deeply examining what is happening. What may at first seem ideal can have a negative effect on intelligence and our abilities to analyze and understand reality.

The relationship between bad mood and intelligence

The study was published in Australasian Science and was conducted at the University of New South Wales in Australia. It was carried out by Joseph Forgas professor of psychology and expert in emotions, and this consisted of a series of experiments in which participants’ moods were manipulated through movies and positive or negative memories

Professor Forgas found that being in a bad mood helps us think more clearly. Unlike what happens with people with excessive optimism, angry people make better decisions and are more disbelieving.

“A bad mood improves the ability to judge others and also increases memory,” says Forgas. The article explains that while a positive mood facilitates creativity, flexibility and cooperation, a bad mood improves attention and facilitates more prudent thinking. Furthermore, he adds: “Grumpy people have a better ability to cope with complicated situations because their brain promotes more adaptive information processing strategies.”

People with a difficult character tend to be more intelligent

The negative state also improves intelligence

Forgas explains that People with a lower mood have a greater ability to argue their opinions in writing Furthermore, it is in serious states when our mind best processes reasoning and common sense. The same study concludes that a moderately negative mood has a positive effect on communication style.

On the other hand, previous research by Forgas himself concluded that time has a similar impact to that of emotional states on intelligence. According to their results, Humid and sad days improve memory, while sunny days promote forgetting

Urban myths and racial and religious prejudices

For this study, Forgas and his team carried out several experiments that began by inducing emotional states in participants through watching movies. In one of the experiments, subjects were asked to judge the truth of urban myths and rumors and found that participants with negative moods believed these statements less

On the other hand, people in bad moods were less likely to make decisions based on racial or religious bias, and made fewer errors when asked to recall events they had witnessed. Finally, people with negative emotional states produce more effective persuasive messages.

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  • This article has been reviewed by our editorial team at PsychologyFor to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to evidence-based research. The content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice. In case of a mental health crisis or emergency, call your local emergency services or contact a licensed professional immediately.