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{{quote|''"Being the smartest kid in class is like being the ''only'' kid in class."''|'''Dr. Spencer Reid''', "Elephant's Memory", ''[[Criminal Minds (TV)|Criminal Minds]]''}}
 
This trope is about characters or people, mostly but not necessarily in college, who are very smart and suffer for it, being [[Friendless Background|unable to relate]] to the mundane worries and shallow personalities of their comrades, as well as being bored out of their skulls by the mandatory classes. Nothing is as depressing as having to correct the teacher, except not doing so for fear of the teacher getting mad. Sometimes they use [[Obfuscating Stupidity]], but if their parents demand grades, and [["Well Done, Son" Guy|get them]], their classmates can get jealous, which can lead to [[Tall Poppy Syndrome|bullying of various sorts]]. Too often [[Truth in Television]].
 
Depending on which neuroscientific theory one subscribes to, the trope name is quite literal: Those with more intelligence have a higher rate of disorders of some kind that can factor heavily in inducing social isolation. This is especially true if they attend a school with separate programs for people with those disorders, such as students within the autism spectrum (regardless of what specific disorders they show), taking tests separately from other students along with extended time. While beneficial, that practically makes this an institutionally-enforced situation!
 
When this intelligence is combined with a talent for manipulation, and possibly some good looks, you get an explosive mixture: add some [[Applied Phlebotinum]] or an [[Artifact of Doom]] and you might get a [[Magnificent Bastard]], with the potential to be a very interesting X-tagonist. If, in addition to that, they are benevolent and feel compelled by their intelligence to improve the world, you might get a very effective [[Well -Intentioned Extremist]] who thinks [[Utopia Justifies the Means]], and who might become a [[Knight Templar]]. If, instead, they are a [[Nietzsche Wannabe]], beware: high intelligence leads to questioning, and, in Morals, when you find out there aren't any readily made answers, you might settle for "there aren't any answers at all, so just do what you want"... With enough [[Motive Decay]], can become an [[Omnicidal Maniac]] and a [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]].
 
Note that this is not just about popularity with others, although that's certainly part of it. There are examples of [[The Ace|smart people who are popular with others]] but [[Broken Ace|still feel that their intelligence isolates them]]. It's pretty difficult to find common ground when your thoughts are too complicated to explain to others<ref>not as in "they cannot comprehend" but as in "they won't sit through the explanation, it'll bore them, etc." and "they can't possibly imagine why that would interest you"</ref>, after all.
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A form of [[Blessed With Suck]]. Compare [[Eating Lunch Alone]] and [[Broken Ace]]. May or may not include elements of [[Loners Are Freaks]]. Often used as a justification for why [[Dumb Is Good]]: dumb people may be made fun of, but they won't be hassled and harassed for it. Contrast with [[Gentleman and A Scholar]], when a smart guy is well-liked and lacks none of the social graces.
 
{{examples|Examples}}
 
== Anime & Manga ==
* Ami Mizuno from ''[[Sailor Moon (Manga)|Sailor Moon]]'' was the smartest girl in all of Japan, but until Usagi recruited her as Sailor Mercury, she didn't have any friends at school. All the kids thought she was [[Insufferable Genius|an arrogant know-it-all]], but she was [[Shy Blue -Haired Girl|just shy and reserved]]. See what her fellow students` say about her:
{{quote| "Ah, Mizuno-san got the first place again! <br />
"She always shows off about her good grades, but she doesn't get that she's getting such a bad rep!" }}
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* Averted by Miyabi "Professor" Oomichi of ''[[GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class]]'' . As her nickname means, she is much more knowledgeable in art theory than an arts-stream high school student and is also highly talented, but she has her share of friends.
** She herself also [[Defied Trope|defied]] this trope in in the chapter about typography accreditation. She is likely to get higher a higher level of typography qualification (Class C or even B, compared to her classmates' D), but decided to just get a Class D instead ''because'' she still wants to be with her friends.
* Hiroki Sawada from ''[[Detective Conan]]'' [[Non Serial Movie]] ''Phantom of Baker Street''. Either his school system couldn't quite deal with the child who would be studying grad school in MIT at ''[[Improbable Age|ten]]'', or he was given a highly accelerated homeschooling. Either way, he is friendless against his will-- which cumulated to his [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]] status in the movies, because [[I Just Want to Have Friends|he just wanted to have friends]].
** Shinichi, before being shrunk, was a milder case. While he wasn't ''openly'' shunned by his peers, it's mentioned sometimes that teachers and classmates found him arrogant and hard to approach, and sometimes are ''amazed'' that Ran ever managed to befriend him. I.e., his former teacher Akiko Yonezawa remembers Shinichi as being unnaturally snarky and full of himself while in elementary school, Ran refers to him as "that mystery [[Otaku]]" when she's very upset with him, and Sonoko openly wonders "[[What Does She See in Him?]]" in regards to Ran herself.
* Mikael from ''[[Tenshi Ni Narumon]]'' is a textbook example of an intelligent loner - in the first season, he is mostly seen alone with his Book of Chaos and only occasionally talking to Noelle. {{spoiler|In the second season, it's slightly subverted, but only because Raphael makes him go out more and actually interact with people (well, in this case, just Noelle's family]. Still, his favourite pastime seems to be... studying. His isolation doesn't do him much good, as evident later in the series}}
* In ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'', Ryou Shirogane experienced this in his childhood. His only friend back then was Keiichiro Akasaka, who worked for Ryou's father, and who befriended him at his boss's suggestion. It doesn't help that Ryou is a [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold]] whose jerk side is more easily seen.
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== Western Animation ==
* Lisa on ''[[The Simpsons]],'' depending on the mood of the writer. In earlier seasons Lisa had a best friend called Janey and had quite a lot of friends, but [[What Happened to The Mouse?|they got pushed aside and forgotten.]] The latest episodes show some of those friends, Janey included, but they tend to push Lisa away whenever she shows her smarts.
** One episode has Homer's I.Q raised to slightly above average levels, and suffers from this, although it allows him to bond with Lisa. He ends up choosing blissful ignorance over the social stigma he'd caused--but was smart enough to write a heartfelt letter to her beforehand, apologizing for taking the easy way out and admiring her strength and courage.
** This trope is played straight to the point that Lisa flat-out made a graph stating the negative correlation between happiness and intelligence.
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* ''[[Daria]].'' This was more prevalent in the first season, after that the show became much less about "Daria vs. the idiots around her"
** Commented on in "Boxing Daria".
* [[The Smurfs|Brainy Smurf]]. (Brainy borders on a [[Know -Nothing Know -It -All]], mind you, which doesn't help.)
** Actually he is shunned not because of his intelligence but due to his overblown ego, contrasting with Papa Smurf, who is both intelligent and easy-going.
* An episode of ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' had the intelligent Jazz telling her fellow classmates that she was struggling on whether she wanted to go to Harvard, Yale, or Stanford. They all walk away with disinterest. It's arguably averted for most of the series since Jazz doesn't care how others perceive her.
** Of course, bragging about all the prestigious universities you've gotten into to people who may not be as naturally gifted as you [[Your Mileage May Vary|could also be seen as]] [[Insufferable Genius|kind of a dick move]]
* Twilight Sparkle was initially like this at the start of ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' in preferring her studies over anything else. Her mentor sets her straight [[Batman Gambit|by sending on a mission specifically to make friends]], setting up the plot of the show. The rest of the series then goes on to avert it, Twilight becoming liked and respected because of, not despite her intelligence and magic skills though she does still remain somewhat socially awkard.
* Gates from ''[[Rollbots]]'' has no friends other than Aria. Justifiable, considering that he's not pleasant to be with.
 
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[[Category:Intelligence Tropes]]
[[Category:Intelligence Equals Isolation]]
[[Category:Trope]][[Category:Pages with comment tags]]
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