Myth of the Lazy Genius

Abstract

Today, I've asked Andrei Cimpian to share his tip of the week. Let's play a game. Close your eyes and think of a young person in your life who has a lot of intellectual potential but hasn't lived up to it because of a lackluster work ethic. Now, think of another young person who maybe isn't as gifted but has accomplished a lot because of sheer determination. Got them picked out? If I were to guess, I'd say you probably came up with a boy for the first example (the “lazy genius”) and a girl for the second (the “striver”). Just think of the Harry Potter series. Harry was born with great magical powers, which enabled him to defeat the villain even though he didn't spend much time studying at wizard school (and had the middling grades to show for it). In contrast, his female friend Hermione was very, very studious—yet, her magic powers were only those of a sidekick.