Hemingway and happiness

I have never read anything by Ernest Hemingway, but that doesn't stop me from appreciating him. Most of that is from his excellent portrayal in Midnight in Paris by Corey Stoll:

Way I see it, if an actor could make him look that true and brave then his books and stories must be great! Recently I came across this quote from Ernest Hemingway which I did manage to read:

Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

Sad considering this comes from a man who in the end took his own life, but could he be right? He is not the only one to express this. Lisa Simpson brought this same theory to my attention during the 12th season of The Simpsons and she did it in graph form:

Even today's greatest contemporary philosopher, The Matrix, offers the same observation via the Cypher character while he eats a "fake" steak and claims that "ignorance is bliss".

Whether it is true or not, it remains a provocative idea and I like thinking about this. Now any time I meet someone happier than me, I can assume that perhaps I am smarter than him. Or conversely, any time I am feeling down, I can reflect on the amazing intellect I must possess! Unfortunately if this is true, neither of these realizations should actually result in a lasting improvement to my condition, but still, they outta be good for some momentary satisfaction. Of course this calls into question whether one should want to be very bright. Sure intelligence brings opportunity and accomplishment (things traditionally associated with well being), but are these worth it if the ultimate state of the brilliant is being down? After all, I work in a field that presumably is filled with very knowledgeable people and I wouldn't consider us a jovial bunch. On the other hand it is a golden age for the geeks, what with all their favorite heroes commanding the box office and TV airwaves. So what gives? Of course Hemingway was smart enough, or perhaps unhappy enough to realize that these two states are not mutually exclusive. While there may be some truth to his observation, it does not specify that the two cannot exist simultaneously. So for every miserable scientist you encounter, remember that there is an ecstatic nerd out there somewhere.