To your point, one of the more fascinating details about John Nash from Nassar’s book ‘A Beautiful Mind’ was that this very trait set him apart from a number of his contemporaries. He was capable of focusing on problems for what appeared to be quite a bit longer than most, systematically breaking down the barriers that would’ve turned another person toward some other pursuit.
Often we inadvertently set out to satiate our innate curiosity and need for a sense of purpose only then to attempt to mask it underneath a noble cause. Conversely, there are those that genuinely are plagued with ennui and unhappiness. In the case of the former, however, many allow themselves to be deluded by the allure of "unhappiness" as an excuse to be self-indulgent.