Perfection is easier if you are never bored…
Kahneman set out to “Continue to improve the ability to identify & understand errors of judgement & choice in others & eventually in ourselves by providing a richer & more precise language to discuss them.” (1) That ultimately led to him wining a Nobel peace prize in economics. The first Nobel Peace prize organization started in 1900, however the first prizes were not awarded until 1901. The will of Alfred Nobel specifically noted that the award should be given in the subjects physics, chemistry, medicine or physiology, literature and peace. “According to the will the Nobel Peace Prize was to be awarded “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses.” (2) It actually wasn’t until 1969 where the first award for economics was given. (3)
Back to the book: it is divided into 5 parts.
1. Two Systems
2. Hueristics and Biases
3. Overconfidence
4. Choices
5. Two Shelves
Part 1- Discusses the basics of a two system approach based on years of research between Daniel and Amos. It breaks down system one in which he calls automatic operations (intuitive) and system two in which he calls controlled operations (conscious activities or decisions). One of the key points here showed how laziness alters your intelligence through errors.
He gave the example: A bat and ball cost $1.10. The bat costs one dollar more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? (1) This particular puzzle clouded my ability to solve it. I have never been great at riddles. But why is that? According to Kahneman its not natural for me to manage my intuition mathematically. He also said that people who say .10 to answer the riddle (that was my answer) follow the law of least effort. I understand that he is an award winning economist but he made a false accusation as well as assumption. Is it possible that people who said .10 are just simply lacking a foundation in mathematics? While I am lacking in mathematical intuitiveness (it’s embarrassing how many times I have taken a remedial mathematics course) I excel in statistics. Are they same? I don’t believe they are in the slightest. While it is not natural for that side of my brain to solve equations, that doesn’t make me lazy. It makes me lacking a skillset of number sense. I purposely asked my husband who does have that skill set and he immediately answered correctly. Just a thought and lesson in reframing….
Part 2- Breaks down heuristic judgements and why it is so hard for the human kind to think statistically. Heuristics is simply how the mind makes quick decisions using shortcuts.
Part 3- Discusses excessive confidence in what humans think that they know as well as what they believe that they know.
Part 4- Discusses key attributes of prospect theory. How does human choices are altered from rational as well as our habit of resolving issues individually.
Part 5- How the identification of 2 selves.
One thing that Kahneman stated in the beginning of his book was that: “It is much easier to strive for perfection when you are never bored.” (1) This reminded me of a conversation that I had with my daughter the other day. She was upset because she didn’t like the hours that I had selected for our new bistro/coffee shop. The new hours meant that she was only able to work at it for 30 minutes before we closed due to her being in school. I expressed to her that she will have plenty of opportunities on Saturday’s. I also explained to her that she is going to be so tired of working by the time she gets older. My sweet eight year old explained to me that day in the car that she wouldn’t ever get tired of helping people. This statement coupled with my daughters statement triggered a thought to me that if you are doing something you love you will never be unhappy or unsettled. Therefore you will produce a higher quality work due to your overall well being.
(1)Kahneman, D. (2015). In Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
(2) History. Nobel Peace Prize. (2021, August 26).
(3) Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, November 21). List of Nobel memorial prize laureates in economics. Wikipedia.
About the Author
Alana Hayes
Alana is a mother to four beautiful children and wife to a farmer in Texas. She is an avid world traveler with a heart for both the world and education. She is the president of the nonprofit Against the Grain Texas where they focus on providing education to children overseas and at risk adults in the states. To date the nonprofit has given almost $100,000 to individuals around the world. In her free time she loves spending meaningful time with people and reading to further her personal education.6 responses to “Perfection is easier if you are never bored…”
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Alana,
Your daughter is so sweet! She is obviously excited about Fred’s Garage! The coffee shop might present a wonderful opportunity for her to serve others! Even if this is strictly on Saturdays! 🙂
My prayer is that it teaches my boys to work! Those silly dudes need help in that aspect! Finn so far has proven that she will work herself to exhaustion!
Alana,
I’m with you. I’m not lazy when it comes to certain types of math – I tend to have to work harder and if I don’t use it – I do lose it.
I pray your daughter continues to pursue her passion for helping people and that she never grows tired.
Goodness… I realized so many spelling errors after re-reading to answer the comments. I have noticed this semester that my eyes are tired and missing things I normally would catch easily.
Thank you for your prayers. She is truly one of a kind and I am so proud of her!
Great post, Alayna. I can relate to your entrepreneurship lifestyle. I love that your family is involved and I believe it creates solid discipline and endurance. The quote, “It is much easier to strive for perfection when you are never bored” is one that hit home for me too when reading Kahneman’s book. I see a lot of bored children and a lot of undisciplined youth? How did you create that desire in your children? Is it something that our youth leaders could emulate? Is it intuitive or intentional?
Thank you!
I wish that I could say that all of them possess this! However, only my daughter does. All four of my children were raised the same – therefore it must be intuitive.