Savanna Joy Theory: Better To Be Alone Than In Bad Company

Savanna joy theory comes from the results of a scientific study published by the  British Journal of Psychology . Although not yet widely recognized, it does contain an interesting approach.

It all started when a group of researchers conducted a thorough study of joy. They wanted to find out if happiness is related to the environment people live in. The idea was that the study should show the difference between happiness among people living in the countryside and people living in cities.

The researchers also collected demographic and intelligence data from the respondents. A total of 15,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 28 were surveyed. One of the results was Savanna joy theory.

First conclusion from Savanna joy theory

One of the first conclusions, and at the same time one of the most surprising, deals with the connection between IQ and the preferred environment to live in. According to the study,  more intelligent people prefer to live in urban areas. In contrast, people with lower IQs prefer to live in rural areas.

This is one of the most important aspects of Savanna joy theory. The researchers wondered why people with higher IQs prefer urban areas that are more stressful and complicated.

The answer they got is that our brain has inherited something from our ancestors. It makes us look for rural areas – or a savannah – because they are easier to deal with.

However, our brains have evolved and started adapting to environments with many people, even though they are more stressful. F Olk high IQ can better handle these circumstances.  They actually find many opportunities.

Loneliness is the key

The survey also asked about the quantity and quality of the respondents’ conditions. The results showed another interesting pattern. They showed that  people with higher intelligence are happier with few social interactions. The opposite is true for people with lower intelligence: the more social interactions they have, the happier they are.

The researchers explain this by saying that people with high intelligence use  loneliness as a mechanism to endure the stress that is in urban areas more successfully. One of the ways to reduce stimulus is to limit relationships with others. This helps them avoid stress and gives them more time to invest in long-term projects.

On the other hand,  people with lower intelligence feel happier when they are regularly with other people.  It is actually something that lowers their stress and worry level and they spend a great deal of their productive time on these relationships. Here again we see the influence of the ancestors on the savannah.

The validity of the Savanna joy theory

All in all, as  Savanna Joy Theory puts it, the smartest people are more city-based and lonely.  And those with lower IQ are more social and attracted to rural environments. While the former group prefers to be alone rather than in bad company, the latter group is very little attracted to being alone.

However, we must be careful to rely fully and firmly on this theory.  Although it is based on a thorough study and comes up with new ideas, it needs a stronger base. No solid theory can be based on just one study, no matter how thorough and technical it may be.

The fact that IQ intelligence plays such a big role is also not entirely sustainable.  The truth is that measuring intelligence is always a bit of a controversial topic. Throughout history, for example, we see both examples of “social geniuses” and “lonely geniuses”. Mozart belongs to the first group, and Beethoven to the second group. However, the study is still interesting. We can be sure that it provides fertile ground for many new developments and theories.