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The link between personality and success (2021)

economist.com

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Re: The link between personality and success (2021)

#11

Post by sammalloy »

withinboredom wrote: post #4
lifeisstillgood wrote: post #3

If we put together every study and opinion piece on what makes success and combined them into one genetically modified ideal human it would be like watching a twitching, drooling maniac trying to do everything all at once. I don't think there is success formula for an individual - just that if the termites nest of humanity throws enough bodies at the wall, one will bounce through. It's not purely luck. But I think th…

The only thing that really works is being at the right place, at the right time, knowing the right people… and/or sheer luck.

> The only thing that really works is being at the right place, at the right time, knowing the right people… and/or sheer luck.

I really think it’s this. There’s an almost measurable synergy that occurs when you put yourself out there.

Re: The link between personality and success (2021)

#12

Post by Cthulhu_ »

withinboredom wrote: post #4
lifeisstillgood wrote: post #3

If we put together every study and opinion piece on what makes success and combined them into one genetically modified ideal human it would be like watching a twitching, drooling maniac trying to do everything all at once. I don't think there is success formula for an individual - just that if the termites nest of humanity throws enough bodies at the wall, one will bounce through. It's not purely luck. But I think th…

The only thing that really works is being at the right place, at the right time, knowing the right people… and/or sheer luck.

I mean all the high-ranking politicians and businesspeople grew up under entirely different circumstances than the average joe.

A bunch of the new tech billionaires had a different path, going through certain US universities at the right time for example.

But nowadays there's also this new community of startups that happen to live in the right location and get the right amount of access to investors.

Re: The link between personality and success (2021)

#13

Post by closedloop129 »

>[extrovert] children who grow up in more prosperous homes are less likely to face the kind of stressful events that undermine self-confidence.

Is extrovert synonymous with confident or that strongly correlated? Why should an introvert not be confident in themselves and their abilities?

>Extraversion [...] is the state of primarily obtaining gratification from outside oneself.

>Introversion is the state of being predominantly interested in one's own mental self

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversion_and_introversion

Re: The link between personality and success (2021)

#14

Post by imtringued »

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #3

If we put together every study and opinion piece on what makes success and combined them into one genetically modified ideal human it would be like watching a twitching, drooling maniac trying to do everything all at once. I don't think there is success formula for an individual - just that if the termites nest of humanity throws enough bodies at the wall, one will bounce through. It's not purely luck. But I think th…

The problem is attributing success to a single individual. Tesla and Amazon have thousands of employees but people only remember Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

Re: The link between personality and success (2021)

#15

Post by sergiosgc »

cseleborg wrote: post #5

Interesting but not entirely convincing link between being introverted or extroverted and self confidence. That probably deserves a little more nuance. Confidence in which ability? I'd like to read more on that.

I really dislike that link in the article. People lacking self-confidence may be more prone to introversion, but the reverse is false. Introversion is not mostly caused by lack of self-confidence, and it's not something you should "fix", as the article implies.

Of course, extreme cases of introversion (or extroversion) are pathological, but not on the normal scale of things.

Re: The link between personality and success (2021)

#16

Post by Schroedingers2c »

imtringued wrote: post #14
lifeisstillgood wrote: post #3

If we put together every study and opinion piece on what makes success and combined them into one genetically modified ideal human it would be like watching a twitching, drooling maniac trying to do everything all at once. I don't think there is success formula for an individual - just that if the termites nest of humanity throws enough bodies at the wall, one will bounce through. It's not purely luck. But I think th…

The problem is attributing success to a single individual. Tesla and Amazon have thousands of employees but people only remember Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

Reminds me of "A Worker Reads History" by Bertolt Brecht:

------------------------------------------------------

"Who built the seven gates of Thebes? The books are filled with names of kings. Was it the kings who hauled the craggy blocks of stone? And Babylon, so many times destroyed. Who built the city up each time? In which of Lima's houses, That city glittering with gold, lived those who built it? In the evening when the Chinese wall was finished Where did the masons go? Imperial Rome Is full of arcs of triumph. Who reared them up? Over whom Did the Caesars triumph? Byzantium lives in song. Were all her dwellings palaces? And even in Atlantis of the legend The night the seas rushed in, The drowning men still bellowed for their slaves.

Young Alexander conquered India. He alone? Caesar beat the Gauls. Was there not even a cook in his army? Phillip of Spain wept as his fleet was sunk and destroyed. Were there no other tears? Frederick the Great triumphed in the Seven Years War. Who triumphed with him?

Each page a victory At whose expense the victory ball? Every ten years a great man, Who paid the piper?

So many particulars. So many questions."

Re: The link between personality and success (2021)

#17

Post by lifeisstillgood »

imtringued wrote: post #14
lifeisstillgood wrote: post #3

If we put together every study and opinion piece on what makes success and combined them into one genetically modified ideal human it would be like watching a twitching, drooling maniac trying to do everything all at once. I don't think there is success formula for an individual - just that if the termites nest of humanity throws enough bodies at the wall, one will bounce through. It's not purely luck. But I think th…

The problem is attributing success to a single individual. Tesla and Amazon have thousands of employees but people only remember Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

Yes. Plus the capital structure massively over emphasises this.

I am definitely not for throwing out the industrial revolution baby with the Victorian capital structure bath water, but looking at the robber barons that crop up with each generation I wonder if there is a different way of allocating capital, decentralised decision making that can more properly / equally reward effort and contribution. Giving almost all the wealth to the financiers does not seem the right approach.

Then again, I wish Warren Buffet ran my pension fund.

Re: The link between personality and success (2021)

#18

Post by Helmut10001 »

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #3

If we put together every study and opinion piece on what makes success and combined them into one genetically modified ideal human it would be like watching a twitching, drooling maniac trying to do everything all at once. I don't think there is success formula for an individual - just that if the termites nest of humanity throws enough bodies at the wall, one will bounce through. It's not purely luck. But I think th…

I agree and I think it would be more important to focus on maintaining a baseline of productivity, by helping people to get through life _at all_. We are loosing too many humans on their way through life, more than we loose by not everyone being 100% productive all the time.

Re: The link between personality and success (2021)

#19

Post by lifeisstillgood »

pigtailgirl wrote: post #7
lifeisstillgood wrote: post #3

If we put together every study and opinion piece on what makes success and combined them into one genetically modified ideal human it would be like watching a twitching, drooling maniac trying to do everything all at once. I don't think there is success formula for an individual - just that if the termites nest of humanity throws enough bodies at the wall, one will bounce through. It's not purely luck. But I think th…

-- comment reminds me of Roosevelt: It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but w…

I did think of saying "in the arena". And Teddy was definitely someone who jumped in the game.

Re: The link between personality and success (2021)

#20

Post by going_ham »

One of the most mind blowing thing I learnt recently is that there is not introvert, extrovert and these kind of traits present within a person. They are equivalent to the typing we use in Computer Science/Mathematics defined by psychologist to study behaviors. As certain objects can fall under multiple type, each individual do not have a type but exhibit certain behavior of so defined type. As a result, it allows psychologist to refine/narrow/evaluate things based on these behaviors. But as a person, we are constantly evolving. Once you dissociate the personality from behavior, it shows how colorful we as individuals are!
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