Or the old question, if you're so smart, how come you ain't rich? Smarts often don't correlate with savvy (or IQ != EQ or however you want to express it). I'd happily trade some of the former for more of the latter. For reason and other, I've never been able to exploit my IQ to the extent that I'd like.
Perhaps someone not able to navigate the waters of social pressure isn't that bright to begin with. After all, IQ is only one metric, and it's not like there is a dearth of literature on the subject of living in a social world. What use is a high IQ if it's not applied to the problem at hand, anyway?
As an aside: I get the feeling this is about you personally feeling you are capable of something more than you are currently doing with your career, is that the case?
I have a high IQ, and I've worked quite a few jobs that others would consider beneath me. I enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed 'better' jobs and as far as I'm concerned, as long as I'm enjoying what I'm doing I'm not wasting a thing.
Another example: I've had an awesome idea for a start-up kicking around in my head for the best part of 10 years now... People think it's a good idea (I only ask those who are brutally honest about other things); there's a definite untapped market for it; I'd enjoy it; and I've got everything I need to be able to get it going by myself, without any significant cost. I'm convinced it would be a respectable success - so why am I still doing my day job? I'm too busy making music with two bands (at a cost, too), which I enjoy more. How's that a waste?
As for peer pressure - I care very little what other people think about my life, and besides which, I tend to hang around with people who feel the same way (regardless of their IQ, FWIW), so there's not that much peer pressure for me to disregard in the first place.
You're going to have hard time cruising at 100 mph if everyone around you is doing 50. And to stick with the road metaphor, while you could go find some isolated piece of highway and scream down it at maximum speed, you won't necessarily find many people interested in following you (or in academic terms, appreciating your result).
Perhaps having a high IQ slows down some kinds of learning because the holder tends to discount advice that is not presented in an intellectually compelling fashion. Telling a high-IQ child to behave a certain way 'because I said so' isn't terribly convincing. Even though the advice itself may be valuable, an inability to articulate why will hinder its delivery.
What is it that a high IQ prevents me from doing that a lower IQ would allow?