Psychologists and the public alike have frequently debated whether exceptional cognitive ability comes with a cost to emotional well-being. A new analysis suggests that we may not be able to answer this question because the standard tools used to diagnose depression and distress may become inaccurate when applied to highly intelligent people. The researchers found that as intelligence scores rise, the questions on common mental health surveys lose their ability to consistently measure the underlying psychological condition. These results were published in the journal Intelligence. The concept of the “tortured genius” is a cultural staple. It suggests that high intelligence is accompanied by social isolation, existential anxiety, or other psychological difficulties. Previous research on this topic has produced conflicting results. Many large-scale studies indicate that intelligence generally correlates with better health and happiness. However, other researchers argue that this relationship might not be a simple straight line. They propose a “nonlinear” relationship. This means intelligence could be protective up to a certain point, but extremely high levels might eventually lead to negative outcomes. This phenomenon …