Why do intelligent people seem to have such high serotonin?

[liam183]

Seriously. As someone who grew up in gifted classes/at gifted schools, I gotta say that intelligent people tend to be much more high serotonin than the average person. Very OCD-like symptoms as well as autism symptoms. All sorts of high serotonin signs, really.

Is there any science behind this?

 

[FocusedOnHealth]

Define intelligent. That’s relative.

 

[Hugh Johnson]

Because those schools and classes also select for obedience, not just intelligence.

 

[Grouptose]

Seriously. As someone who grew up in gifted classes/at gifted schools, I gotta say that intelligent people tend to be much more high serotonin than the average person. Very OCD-like symptoms as well as autism symptoms. All sorts of high serotonin signs, really.

Is there any science behind this?

OCD is not a sign of high serotonin, it's a sign of high dopamine usually. But that's one of the only negative traits linked to high dopamine, apart from panic disorders and phobias

 

[FocusedOnHealth]

Because those schools and classes also select for obedience, not just intelligence.

Very true.

 

[Grouptose]

Because those schools and classes also select for obedience, not just intelligence.

There were many people in my school who were very high serotonin, they didn't misbehave, they were all good obedient kids, but their grades were horrible and they kept failing at everything.

 

[Hugh Johnson]

There were many people in my school who were very high serotonin, they didn't misbehave, they were all good obedient kids, but their grades were horrible and they kept failing at everything.

Your point being?

 

[Drareg]

It could be relative to tissue levels, certain areas may have more or less, for example the prefrontal cortex may be low but other areas may have higher levels, this effects glucose utilisation in differing tissues.

 

[I'm.No.One]

As a person who is gifted (although, please know being gifted doesn't mean someone's good at academics or that someone good at academics is gifted.) I can tell you why.

We live in a world (depending on where we land in the scale) where no one mirrors us, understands us, we're too intense, too much, & our minds (again, depends where on the scale they land) do things like matrix think i.e 15+ trains of thought that are running at the same time.

Stress = serotonin.

Living in a world that isn't built around your neurodiversities,having to hold yourself back/pretend to be "normal", & have basically an entire population assuming that gifted means "good at school" is all stress.

Fun fact, people in the EG/PG range statically don't do well in school, end up addicted, or homeless, or chasing anything that lets us shut our mind up/seem normal & always take it too far.

Sincerely a PG person who dropped out in the 8th grade.

 

[Grouptose]

Your point being?

serotonin can create obedience without success, obviously that was my point

 

[PaRa]

OCD is not a sign of high serotonin, it's a sign of high dopamine usually. But that's one of the only negative traits linked to high dopamine, apart from panic disorders and phobias

Moreso high histamine symptoms

(And histamine promotes dopamines)

and histamine is anti serotonin yup


you guys Need to learn a little More about neurotransmitters ?

 

[Beastmode]

Brain stimulation from high histamines, estrogren, etc are common. It doesn't mean they're healthy. Peat even mentioned how women who get off estrogen might not feel as sharp and drinking coffee can help get the desired stimulation they desire without the negatives.

@PaRa I've seen the histamine symptom in many of my "intelligent" friends. I think the movies with the smart kids always having some kind of congestion elucidates the public's subconscious link to being "smart."

 

[Grouptose]

Moreso high histamine symptoms

(And histamine promotes dopamines)

and histamine is anti serotonin yup


you guys Need to learn a little More about neurotransmitters ?

the problem with the ray peat forum is that every negative trait is tied to high serotonin and every positive trait is tied to high dopamine. For the most part it's true, but they struggle to accept that high dopamine has it's downsides aswell

 

[youngsinatra]

High achievers often have a histadelic phenotype with higher histamine levels and lower dopamine and serotonin levels.

It leads to low inhibition (low serotonin), high alertness/wakefulness (high histamine) and perfectionistic/OCD traits (low dopamine) which all seem good for career purposes.

OCD is also a low dopamine phenotype, as it leads to unsatisfactory completion of tasks due to blunted reward sensation.

 

[liam183]

As a person who is gifted (although, please know being gifted doesn't mean someone's good at academics or that someone good at academics is gifted.) I can tell you why.

We live in a world (depending on where we land in the scale) where no one mirrors us, understands us, we're too intense, too much, & our minds (again, depends where on the scale they land) do things like matrix think i.e 15+ trains of thought that are running at the same time.

Stress = serotonin.

Living in a world that isn't built around your neurodiversities,having to hold yourself back/pretend to be "normal", & have basically an entire population assuming that gifted means "good at school" is all stress.

Fun fact, people in the EG/PG range statically don't do well in school, end up addicted, or homeless, or chasing anything that lets us shut our mind up/seem normal & always take it too far.

Sincerely a PG person who dropped out in the 8th grade.

This is probably the closest answer to my experience/experiences I witnessed

 

[jaype]

High achievers often have a histadelic phenotype with higher histamine levels and lower dopamine and serotonin levels.

It leads to low inhibition (low serotonin), high alertness/wakefulness (high histamine) and perfectionistic/OCD traits (low dopamine) which all seem good for career purposes.

OCD is also a low dopamine phenotype, as it leads to unsatisfactory completion of tasks due to blunted reward sensation.

This correlates with my experience. I don't know if I'm considered a high achiever but I work as an engineer and have OCD, my last neurotransmitter test showed low serotonin and dopamine, I don't know about my histamine but based on other symptoms I think it is higher.

 

[youngsinatra]

This correlates with my experience. I don't know if I'm considered a high achiever but I work as an engineer and have OCD, my last neurotransmitter test showed low serotonin and dopamine, I don't know about my histamine but based on other symptoms I think it is higher.

Thanks for sharing with us!

 

[Explorer]

It may not be the cause but the result of higher brain energy expenditure combined with not enough replenishment by nutrition + more stress/anxiety/depression from harder to integrate, higher awareness and being stuck in more analytical mode thus seen as odd, more likely to have been bullied and experienced stressors in other ways

 

[Explorer]

the problem with the ray peat forum is that every negative trait is tied to high serotonin and every positive trait is tied to high dopamine. For the most part it's true, but they struggle to accept that high dopamine has it's downsides aswell

Yeah, also neurotypicality is thought of as a sign of good metabolism/low serotonin and any too extreme difference from it is seen as a sign of bad metabolism/high serotonin here

 

[AlbertScent5G]

I suspect that serotonin under normal circumstances plays a defensive role.
In the GI tract for instance, it has a well-known role in diarrhea (expelling irritating things).

When it comes to the central nervous system, I suspect that its role is to limit or restrict consciousness/awareness. Perhaps this ties into its vasoconstrictive properties, or its effects on cellular metabolism.

This may also have a beneficial role under certain circumstances, especially if a stress response may result from becoming aware of certain things, and that this response may be more detrimental than a preceding increase in serotonin.