Discussion Would you rather have more empathy or more intelligence?(poll)

[moshimoshi]

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[WhenTheyCry]

Empathy is intelligence. High IQ people tend to also have high EQ

 

[Forever Sleep]

I'd say I have reasonable to fairly good empathy as it is. Not sure it does you much good. You end up likely caring about other people more than they do about you. Then, it can hurt as to why they don't seem to care. Relationships surely need to be mutual to work. If only one person is fully invested and comitted, they're just going to suffer from it being unrequited all the time.

Plus, empathy brings with it a lot of pain. You can see it here- people unable to shut off from the suffering in this world. I'm selfish enough to be able to do that but, that also feels like a shitty quality to have. It's not exactly natural. You know you've become cold and self centred in part to protect yourself and survive.

Nah- this world doesn't reward empaths. It exploits and abuses them. If everyone was going to become more empathetic though- that would be different. The world would be different then.

 

[FinalDawn]

I'd say I have reasonable to fairly good empathy as it is. Not sure it does you much good. You end up likely caring about other people more than they do about you. Then, it can hurt as to why they don't seem to care. Relationships surely need to be mutual to work. If only one person is fully invested and comitted, they're just going to suffer from it being unrequited all the time.

Plus, empathy brings with it a lot of pain. You can see it here- people unable to shut off from the suffering in this world. I'm selfish enough to be able to do that but, that also feels like a shitty quality to have. It's not exactly natural. You know you've become cold and self centred in part to protect yourself and survive.

Nah- this world doesn't reward empaths. It exploits and abuses them. If everyone was going to become more empathetic though- that would be different. The world would be different then.

Let's be honest here. If people in general were more empathetic to others, nearly every major world problem would disappear.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

Intelligence is overrated. I'd rather have more empathy and not be an evil shitty person.

 

[Forever Sleep]

Let's be honest here. If people in general were more empathetic to others, nearly every major world problem would disappear.

Definitely but, that's the problem really. Without everyone choosing empathy, those that do are leaving themselves open to being exploited. Empathy would be wonderful if there weren't narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths to prey on them.

 

[FinalDawn]

Definitely but, that's the problem really. Without everyone choosing empathy, those that do are leaving themselves open to being exploited. Empathy would be wonderful if there weren't narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths to prey on them.

You're right. I've lost a lot of trust just within the past couple years after trying to empathetically deal with people, because I realized that many people aren't as good-hearted as they might seem on the outside. As a result I'm far more selective about who I empathize with as a kind of defense mechanism.

 

[Apathy79]

Empathy is a difficult concept. I'm not sure true empathy exists. Even for simple things. How does someone with no suicidal ideation or depression empathise with people here. They're never going to get it. I think the same about everything. How does a male empathise with a female or vice versa? How does a straight person empathise with a gay person? How do whites empathise with blacks? How does a non-schizophrenic empathise with a schizophrenic? There's a million examples that ultimately culminate in how can one person ever truly empathise with another person. You can try. But you don't get it. You can't see life from their viewpoint. So is it really empathy?

 

[sserafim]

I'd rather have more intelligence because empathy can be taught or learnt, but intelligence is innate and inherent.

Empathy is intelligence. High IQ people tend to also have high EQ

Empathy is only emotional intelligence. It's basically social skills, how to get along with and understand people.

Really? That's not the case in Asperger's though. Do high EQ people tend to also have high IQ? I doubt so lol

 

[4am]

i don't see a point in having more empathy, if anything i wish i had less of it, intelligence, on the other hand, is useful

 

[sserafim]

i don't see a point in having more empathy, if anything i wish i had less of it, intelligence, on the other hand, is useful

Same

 

[EyesOfNight]

Neither, I believe I have enough of both. That doesn't mean that I have a large amount of either one of those.

 

[derpyderpins]

There are many different types of intelligence, which makes this a more complicated topic. If we're talking pure IQ, I'd say it's like money where it's probably helpful to a point, but adding more and more won't yield more happiness.

For empathy, let's put aside arguments about it being better for the world and focus on the self. Empathy makes you more easily able to understand others, and thus more able to learn from them, so you'd have higher capacity to improve other types of intelligence beyond IQ. Further, you can have better and stronger relationships, giving you a better support system and allowing you to both perform more optimally in most aspects of life and be happier while doing so.

I've got plenty of IQ (even assuming whisky has knocked a few points off throughout the years), so give me empathy. If I was starting from average in both, it would be an even toss-up imo.

 

[sserafim]

There are many different types of intelligence, which makes this a more complicated topic. If we're talking pure IQ, I'd say it's like money where it's probably helpful to a point, but adding more and more won't yield more happiness.

For empathy, let's put aside arguments about it being better for the world and focus on the self. Empathy makes you more easily able to understand others, and thus more able to learn from them, so you'd have higher capacity to improve other types of intelligence beyond IQ. Further, you can have better and stronger relationships, giving you a better support system and allowing you to both perform more optimally in most aspects of life and be happier while doing so.

I've got plenty of IQ (even assuming whisky has knocked a few points off throughout the years), so give me empathy. If I was starting from average in both, it would be an even toss-up imo.

I agree that empathy is beneficial and conducive to understanding people, so having it would be an asset. Do people need relationships though?

 

[derpyderpins]

I agree that empathy is beneficial and conducive to understanding people, so having it would be an asset. Do people need relationships though?

You know my answer. In the vast majority of cases, relationships are a boon to mental stability and happiness. Even from a skeptical view, you admit that people liking you is beneficial.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

Definitely but, that's the problem really. Without everyone choosing empathy, those that do are leaving themselves open to being exploited. Empathy would be wonderful if there weren't narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths to prey on them.

Man, imagine if everyone who chose intelligence just winds up becoming aware of the fact they should have collectively just chosen empathy instead.

 

[Forever Sleep]

Man, imagine if everyone who chose intelligence just winds up becoming aware of the fact they should have collectively just chosen empathy instead.

I guess that's partly the mess we're in. I wonder just how much of it is innate and how much is learned regardless. I feel like some people do at least have higher potential for empathy and/or intelligence. Maybe it's genetics combined with learned behaviour.

The cynical part of me thinks you have to be a certain sort of person to do really well in this world. Sociopaths, narcissists and the like. I think a CEO of a company that exploited it's workers, pollutes the environmemt and produces unsafe products for profit would find empathy an incumbrance.

Sometimes, I wonder if it's just an extension of nature. Nature rewards ruthlessness. I think it's more about survival of the most ruthless rather than the fittest. But, surely that only works when there are enough 'underdogs' to exploit. I wonder if one day, all those narcissistic/sociopathic/psychopathic genes will be the only ones circulating. Would a true empath even have children in this world to begin with?!! I get this weird sense of satisfaction that one day, they'll only have other equally ruthless or more ruthless people to try and manipulate.

 

[damyon]

Empathy. The benefit from IQ would be marginal at best at this point, and EQ would have a more profound impact on my personal relationships

 

[sserafim]

Man, imagine if everyone who chose intelligence just winds up becoming aware of the fact they should have collectively just chosen empathy instead.

I don't think they would lol

Empathy. The benefit from IQ would be marginal at best at this point, and EQ would have a more profound impact on my personal relationships

Why do you want relationships?

I guess that's partly the mess we're in. I wonder just how much of it is innate and how much is learned regardless. I feel like some people do at least have higher potential for empathy and/or intelligence. Maybe it's genetics combined with learned behaviour.

The cynical part of me thinks you have to be a certain sort of person to do really well in this world. Sociopaths, narcissists and the like. I think a CEO of a company that exploited it's workers, pollutes the environmemt and produces unsafe products for profit would find empathy an incumbrance.

Sometimes, I wonder if it's just an extension of nature. Nature rewards ruthlessness. I think it's more about survival of the most ruthless rather than the fittest. But, surely that only works when there are enough 'underdogs' to exploit. I wonder if one day, all those narcissistic/sociopathic/psychopathic genes will be the only ones circulating. Would a true empath even have children in this world to begin with?!! I get this weird sense of satisfaction that one day, they'll only have other equally ruthless or more ruthless people to try and manipulate.

Life is all about the strong dominating the weak. It's always been like that, and it always will be. Humans are no different from animals. We are animals at the end of the day. The ruthlessness is just manifested in a different form in society versus nature/the animal kingdom

 

[pilotviolin]

intelligence because you can be compassionate by thinking through and learning, thats how i try to do it because not everything elicits an emotional response from me, and then if it does, i would have to translate it. i feel like at least for me and how i see it, empathy really is trying on others shoes but you cant change your own foot size without extreme means, the rest is gathering information about how their foot feels in their shoe, and then acceptance.

 

[ijustwishtodie]

Intelligence. With intelligence, I have a greater chance at dealing with life and its challenges. I don't want to deal with life but, if I have to, I'd rather choose the option that would be the most advantageous to me and so I'd choose intelligence. I don't really see how empathy can help me here... if anything I actually see it as a thing that hinders me. The people who do well on earth are the people who don't really have empathy, not the ones who do.

Oh, also, if I get an enough of an increase of intelligence, maybe I could even plan and design a new ctb method that's peaceful and easily accessible

 

[damyon]

Why do you want relationships?

Why do I want relationships? It seems there might be a misunderstanding. My message doesn't imply that I want them.
However, I believe a higher EQ would benefit both myself and those who are ready to follow me and my ideas.

~~~

There is a need rather than a desire.
You cannot change the world alone no matter how smart you are.
However, leading people who have similar values and beliefs produces a more favorable outcome.

 

[Apathy79]

I posed a half answer earlier but it was kind of a tangent. Answering it more directly, IQ seems more beneficial. Because you can't really develop it. Give me an extra 20 IQ points, and no amount of effort I put in could ever have yielded that result. Empathy seems to me to be different. No-one is truly empathetic in that they can put themselves in the position of others and understand what they are going through. It seems to be mostly effort based. People seen to be empathetic try hard to do those things to the best of their ability. People seen not to be empathetic don't try as hard. It seems to be a matter of intention more than anything innate. So take the IQ points and listen more.

 

[sserafim]

I posed a half answer earlier but it was kind of a tangent. Answering it more directly, IQ seems more beneficial. Because you can't really develop it. Give me an extra 20 IQ points, and no amount of effort I put in could ever have yielded that result. Empathy seems to me to be different. No-one is truly empathetic in that they can put themselves in the position of others and understand what they are going through. It seems to be mostly effort based. People seen to be empathetic try hard to do those things to the best of their ability. People seen not to be empathetic don't try as hard. It seems to be a matter of intention more than anything innate. So take the IQ points and listen more.

I'd also like an extra 20 IQ points, that way I could be genius level. My IQ is 120 and having it be 140 instead would only be a plus. It's advantageous to be smarter and more intelligent. However, I heard that if your IQ 135 or higher, you have trouble connecting with and relating to other people. You basically become too smart for the world lol. This is why EQ is also important; it's necessary for socializing and social interaction. The most successful people have high IQs *and* high EQs

 

[Apathy79]

I'd also like an extra 20 IQ points, that way I could be genius level. My IQ is 120 and having it be 140 instead would only be a plus. However, I heard that if your IQ is higher than 135, you have trouble connecting with and relating to other people. You basically become too smart for the world lol. This is why EQ is also important; it's necessary for socializing and social interaction. The most successful people have high IQs *and* high EQs

Yeah because what interests most of the world no longer interests you, and what really interests you is hard to explain to most people, who also don't get why you're interested in it. It can be a downside. Ignorance is bliss as they say. But personally I'd take the points anyway and bank on the benefits outweighing it.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

I don't think they would lol

Maybe they will, maybe they wouldn't. Having too much intelligence tends to lead to people wanting to dumb themselves down anyway for whatever reason.

I'm basing my opinion of intelligence on Rick and Morty lol. Can't imagine how lonely it must feel to be so smart while everyone around you is so stupid. Most of the time it just leads to people bothering you for help with their stupid little problems.

 

[derpyderpins]

Maybe they will, maybe they wouldn't. Having too much intelligence tends to lead to people wanting to dumb themselves down anyway for whatever reason.

I'm basing my opinion of intelligence on Rick and Morty lol. Can't imagine how lonely it must feel to be so smart while everyone around you is so stupid. Most of the time it just leads to people bothering you for help with their stupid little problems.

Man, Rick gave smart loners such a relatable character but it's just taken to such an extreme. Have to remember that Rick is not just smart, he's damaged and has issues. To me a sign of "smarts," call it wisdom or whatever you want, is realizing that even if you're technically smarter than a good portion of people there's a lot you don't know and you always have more to learn. Basically, it's smart to know you aren't that smart.

 

[leavingthesoultrap]

i don't see a point in having more empathy, if anything i wish i had less of it, intelligence, on the other hand, is useful

The sad truth ^

 

[Alexei_Kirillov]

I'd want more intelligence. Too much empathy leads to this:

 

[derpyderpins]

I'd also like an extra 20 IQ points, that way I could be genius level. My IQ is 120 and having it be 140 instead would only be a plus. It's advantageous to be smarter and more intelligent. However, I heard that if your IQ 135 or higher, you have trouble connecting with and relating to other people. You basically become too smart for the world lol. This is why EQ is also important; it's necessary for socializing and social interaction. The most successful people have high IQs *and* high EQs

EQ is a new thing, so I don't know about that, but I spent a good bit of my high school/college years thinking I was hot shit for my IQ. The fact is IQ is better for studying populations than individuals. I don't think dumping points into IQ would make you feel different day to day unless you were just doing puzzles all the time or something. Then again - as I've said - whisky has probably knocked a point or two off here and there so maybe I'm dum dum now.