Why Don't We Work Harder?

Gladwell
Originally uploaded by jjactive2.

In this email exchange with ESPN.com's Bill Simmons, The New Yorker writer and Hair Club for Men spokesperson Malcolm Gladwell explores why people, including athletes, don't work harder when it's in their best interest to do so:

"The (short) answer is that it's really risky to work hard, because then if you fail you can no longer say that you failed because you didn't work hard. It's a form of self-protection."