Is Diligence Useless? Research: Lazy People Are Smarter and Easier to be Successful

Is Diligence Useless?

Proactive people were considered as a symbol of success. However, now, there is finally an opportunity for lazy people to break through.

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积极的人一直被认为是成功的象征,不过现在懒人终于有出头天的机会了,因为有项科学调查指出,懒惰可能是聪明才智的象征,甚至懒惰的人可能会是公司中的好员工。

美国健康心理学期刊(Journal of Health Psychology)的调查指出,平均来说,懒得动的人比爱活动的人聪明。具有这种特质的人渴望以有条理及合逻辑的方式看待这个世界,他们通常会追求强烈刺激脑力的活动,例如猜谜游戏或辩论。

在这项调查中,研究人员透过问卷调查60名受试者「认知需求」的程度。研究者根据问卷结果把受试者分成「思考型」和「非思考型」两个小组,所有参与者会穿戴活动追踪器七日,并深入研究他们的活动习惯。

调查显示,「高智商」这组受试者不容易感到无聊,导致他们更少动,然后投入更多时间思考。 「活动力高」这组的实验参与者若一直坐着不动,或要求他们思考抽象事物,他们很容易就感到无聊,但偏好透过需要消耗体力的活动来刺激大脑,例如运动或其他体力活动。

许多善于批判的思想家,或被认为有高度「认知需求」的人,总是想要减少不必要的行动,但会选择有效率的步骤。如此说来懒惰的人真的比较聪明,且更容易成功吗?不尽然。问题在于我们如何定义「懒惰」,我们很可能认为做某些事就等于懒惰,但其实这跟懒惰并没有直接关联。

因此,雇用一名懒人绝非最糟糕的事。这些懒人很可能是策略型思想家,他们总能提出聪明的方式或捷径解决问题来节省时间,且为公司贡献全新、具有创意的概念。

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積極的人一直被認為是成功的象徵,不過現在懶人終於有出頭天的機會了,因為有項科學調查指出,懶惰可能是聰明才智的象徵,甚至懶惰的人可能會是公司中的好員工。

美國健康心理學期刊(Journal of Health Psychology)的調查指出,平均來說,懶得動的人比愛活動的人聰明。具有這種特質的人渴望以有條理及合邏輯的方式看待這個世界,他們通常會追求強烈刺激腦力的活動,例如猜謎遊戲或辯論。

在這項調查中,研究人員透過問卷調查60名受試者「認知需求」的程度。研究者根據問卷結果把受試者分成「思考型」和「非思考型」兩個小組,所有參與者會穿戴活動追蹤器七日,並深入研究他們的活動習慣。

調查顯示,「高智商」這組受試者不容易感到無聊,導致他們更少動,然後投入更多時間思考。「活動力高」這組的實驗參與者若一直坐著不動,或要求他們思考抽象事物,他們很容易就感到無聊,但偏好透過需要消耗體力的活動來刺激大腦,例如運動或其他體力活動。

許多善於批判的思想家,或被認為有高度「認知需求」的人,總是想要減少不必要的行動,但會選擇有效率的步驟。如此說來懶惰的人真的比較聰明,且更容易成功嗎?不盡然。問題在於我們如何定義「懶惰」,我們很可能認為做某些事就等於懶惰,但其實這跟懶惰並沒有直接關聯。

因此,僱用一名懶人絕非最糟糕的事。這些懶人很可能是策略型思想家,他們總能提出聰明的方式或捷徑解決問題來節省時間,且為公司貢獻全新、具有創意的概念。

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English translation:

Proactive people were considered as a symbol of success. However, now, there is finally an opportunity for lazy people to break through. A scientific survey pointed out that laziness may be the symbol of intelligence and lazy people can even be good employees in companies.

According to a study published in the Journal of Health Psychology, on average, people who are physically less active tend to be smarter than physically active people. People who have this trait crave structured and logic ways of looking at the world, and they often pursue activities that strongly stimulate their brains, such as riddle games or debates.

In the study, researchers assessed the level of “need for cognition” from 60 subjects by using a questionnaire. They separated the subjects into two groups (“thinkers” and “non-thinkers”) based on their survey responses. All participants wore activity trackers for seven days for the deep insight into their habits.

The data showed that those with a high IQ got bored less easily, leading them to be less active and spend more time in thinking. The “highly active” group easily got bored when they were asked to sit still and think about abstract things. Instead, they preferred to stimulate their minds with physical tasks, like sports and other physical activities.

Many critical thinkers, or people with a high degree of “need for cognition” are always want to reduce wasteful actions, and choose efficient steps. So is it true that lazy people are smarter and succeed more easily? Not really. It depends on how we define “laziness”. We possibly associate things with laziness. However, those things actually have nothing to do with laziness at all.

So perhaps hiring a lazy person isn’t the worst idea after all. They’re likely to be strategic thinkers who can come up with ways to solve problems or smart shortcuts to save time and contribute new and innovative ideas to companies.


The article is adopted from here, with several revision to suit the level of the reader. Photo is taken from here.  

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