Who is Joe Flom, and what three lessons does Malcolm Gladwell teach about him in Outliers? Learn the secrets to Joe Flom’s success.
The Three Lessons of Joe Flom (Outliers)
Why Is Christopher Langan So Unsuccessful? (Outliers)
Christopher Langan is the smartest man alive, with an IQ of 195 (for comparison, Einstein’s was 150). But he has spent most of his life as a bouncer in a bar.
Robert Oppenheimer was also a genius. The theoretical physicist and father of the atomic bomb was one of the most important figures of the 20th century.
Why are the career trajectories of these two geniuses so dramatically different?
Concerted Cultivation: How to Best Raise Your Kids
What is concerted cultivation? Described by sociologist Annette Lareau, this parenting style involves active engagement of parents in their children’s lives and activities. Is Concerted Cultivation good, and are there limits? Learn more in this excerpt from Outliers.
Bill Joy: How This Outlier Enjoyed the Luck of Timing
In Outliers, Bill Joy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, is used as an example of the luck of timing. What made Bill Joy such an outlier, even among very talented Silicon Valley people?
Cultural Legacy: Meaning and Examples (Outliers)
What is a cultural legacy, in Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers? Why does our culture from centuries ago leave a legacy that continues to affect us today? Learn the foundations of cultural legacy here.
The Surprising Truth About Lewis Terman’s Termites
In the early 20th century, Lewis Terman studied a group of child geniuses (his ‘Termites’) and followed them into adulthood. He expected them to be incredibly high achievers – Nobel laureates, CEOs, and heads of state. But what really happened?
Learn the truth about Lewis Terman’s termites here.
10,000 Hours of Practice, Explained (Malcolm Gladwell)
It may seem obvious that we need to work hard to succeed, but too often we attribute success solely to talent and forget that the hours we put in matter just as much as, if not significantly more than, the natural gifts we start with.
You need a certain level of natural talent to get your foot in the door in a particular field. But after you are “good enough,” practice becomes the determining factor in how successful you are. According to Malcolm Gladwell, 10,000 hours of practice is how long it takes to become an expert in something.
The Limitations of Intelligence/IQ Testing
A lot of people obsess about intelligence testing and IQ tests. But why does intelligence matter? And what are the limitations of what intelligence testing can tell you?
Accumulative Advantage: Why Some People Succeed (Outliers)
at is accumulative advantage? Why does it make such a difference in a person’s success? Learn about the opportunities of accumulative advantage in this excerpt from Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.
The Roseto Effect, Explained (Outliers)
The Roseto effect – what is it? How did a little town named Roseto show the unusual determinants of health?
Doctors tell us that individual actions, such as eating well, drinking less, exercising, and quitting smoking, have a huge impact on our health. For decades, the emphasis of preventative care was on individual choices. A study on the Pennsylvania town of Roseto turned that thinking on its head. Our communities affect our health as much as our individual choices do.