This is hidden brain.
I'm Shankar Vedanta.
You've heard the old joke.
A pedestrian in New York is looking for directions to the city's most famous musical performance venue.
He sees a musician get out of a cab and asks, how do you get to Carnegie hall?
The musician answers, practice, practice, practice.
I'm guessing you didn't even crack a smile.
That joke stopped being funny a long time ago.
And not just because it's familiar.
It's become something of a truism.
We all know that practice, grit, and determination are keys to success.
If you want to be better than everyone else at something, you have to outwork everyone else.
There is much truth to the story of grit and drive.
Weve explored research on the show that says that conscientiousness is one of the best predictors of academic and professional success.
But today, in this episode and in a companion story on our subscription feed, Hidden Brain plus, we explore a paradox.
There are many domains in life where practice and effort fail to work their usual magic.
In these areas, it's effortlessness that triumphs over effort.
Trying your best or trying too hard can produce worse results.
Understanding why effort and grit can sometimes backfire, and the underappreciated skill of letting go.
This week on hidden brain.