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Does Working Hard Really Make You a Good Person? | Azim Shariff | TED

Around the world, people who work hard are often seen as morally good — even if they produce little to no results. Social psychologist Azim Shariff analyzes the roots of this belief and suggests a shift towards a more meaningful way to think about effort, rather than admiring work for work’s sake. If you love…

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Around the world, people who work hard are often seen as morally good — even if they produce little to no results. Social psychologist Azim Shariff analyzes the roots of this belief and suggests a shift towards a more meaningful way to think about effort, rather than admiring work for work’s sake.

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68 Comments

68 Comments

  1. Tim White

    May 16, 2023 at 2:20 pm

    There are way more than enough people in the world to do what needs to be done. If we destigmatized leisure and distributed proceeds more equitably, we could have necessary functions staffed 24-7 while not requiring any individual to work more than 8 hours a day, 3-4 days a week.

    • DuckieMcduck

      May 16, 2023 at 7:58 pm

      no there is not. people are retiring/dying and we do not have a work force capable of sustaining the complexity and throughput of current jobs.
      work isn’t just brawn, this is not middle ages; most people are literally unable to fill most roles which allow society to maintain itself.
      the individualism in current generations makes people unable to see need of learning things, they just want cash fast for whatever diversion.

    • Tim White

      May 16, 2023 at 8:32 pm

      @DuckieMcduck so kill the slackers? Sounds like a training problem, not a shortage of people overall. We need a value shift anyway if our species is going to survive.

  2. Alex 3000

    May 16, 2023 at 2:25 pm

    It makes you an idiot..

  3. LucaFinn99LP

    May 16, 2023 at 3:04 pm

    Yes it does 😎 keep up the grind 🫵💪💰

  4. Winston L

    May 16, 2023 at 3:21 pm

    In my early career after graduating, I was the only one who knocks off on time. >90% chose to work overtime. I didn’t care about what people think of me, neither do I play office politics. I just delivered results and focused on productivity.

  5. anto cdt

    May 16, 2023 at 3:26 pm

    excellent, a huge thank you

  6. B Whittaker

    May 16, 2023 at 3:36 pm

    I want this shared everywhere. He’s articulating what I think is a deep rooted problem with the values of modern society.

  7. Miguel Lopes

    May 16, 2023 at 3:37 pm

    Bravo, he is absolutly right

  8. Pocketz

    May 16, 2023 at 3:40 pm

    Lmao the meaning of this video just wooshed over peoples heads, haha. I’m more curious about that you stop at suffering being an indicator of effort. I think you could deconstruct that more. But yeah it would be nice if society could re program its lessons so we can unmask

  9. Global Village

    May 16, 2023 at 3:41 pm

    Supposedly if you don’t work, then you are a parasite.

  10. R' Mendel Jacobs

    May 16, 2023 at 4:51 pm

    Great talk!

  11. LastbutNotFirst

    May 16, 2023 at 5:04 pm

    basically hes saying talented people get the shaft. lol

  12. Mr. Simplicity And The Simplicity Lifestyle

    May 16, 2023 at 5:25 pm

    I would automate but then do something else of value with my free time.

  13. Kenza B.

    May 16, 2023 at 6:13 pm

    Consistency is very soothing to our neurological system

    • Lighty

      May 16, 2023 at 6:46 pm

      to your habits sure, not the meaning of the work though

  14. ahtan2000

    May 16, 2023 at 6:36 pm

    I indulged in, and believed in, effort morality in my 20’s. Now in my thirties, i still believe in effort, but i believe in productive effort. Bullshit effort not only wasted my own time, but my life. Because the time i spent working just to get one more thing done that could hv waited, was time not spent building my personal life. Glad i only wasted my twenties doing it.

    I still work hard now, but only when i need to. When things are slow, i’ll just go get some exercise, do that laundry, or, in today’s case, all of the above, plus come listen to ted talk.

    p/s i’ve been running for 7 weeks now and have seen my vo2 max go up 12%. Not only do the numbers look better, i actually FEEL fitter while running without getting tired or winded. If i can do it, so can you!

  15. John Abrams

    May 16, 2023 at 6:41 pm

    But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”

  16. funpinkgnome

    May 16, 2023 at 6:53 pm

    Wonderfully well-spoken

  17. Jimmy Burton

    May 16, 2023 at 7:17 pm

    In a society full of ppl who feel they deserve something for nothing we value those who work, ESPECIALLY when it’s difficult. It speaks to someone’s personality that is willing to persevere through difficult times and difficult people.those who add to society vs. subtract from society.

    Also, speak for yourself, Adam Shariz. Shame on TED for pushing this woke propaganda

  18. Mark Morozov

    May 16, 2023 at 7:19 pm

    No

  19. Mr Da Vinci

    May 16, 2023 at 7:26 pm

    No

  20. Home Wall

    May 16, 2023 at 7:39 pm

    There’s no value in hard work. The value is in useful productivity. If working hard was the ideal we’d give up all modernity.

  21. Home Wall

    May 16, 2023 at 7:42 pm

    No please make this clear why there’s no such sense as a minimum wage since labor isn’t of any value unless it produces something someone wants.
    A capitalist only keeps a non-productive worker is likely due to fear of lawsuits or trying to hit some quota to pretend government edicts are being followed. They would never pay more for unnecessary labor otherwise, unless of course it’s a family member.

  22. Human driver 5280

    May 16, 2023 at 7:51 pm

    Old protestant work ethic bullshit. People should stop confusing effort with results. The French merely know their worth and are willing to fight for it.

  23. David Boson

    May 16, 2023 at 8:33 pm

    working hard makes a good hard worker.

  24. Michael Kennedy

    May 16, 2023 at 9:18 pm

    There is a correlation between effort and results though. It’s definitely not a casualty but I’d definitely rather work with people who are going to hustle than the opposite. I work in a bar not an office though.

  25. Ethan's adventures

    May 16, 2023 at 11:13 pm

    I am still waiting to see when Ted is gonna talk…

  26. Wendy Smith

    May 16, 2023 at 11:23 pm

    very insightful. I needed this.

  27. O M

    May 16, 2023 at 11:45 pm

    Did Jesus increase revenue for carpentry suppliers? If that was his goal, he nailed it.

  28. turbor4d

    May 17, 2023 at 12:34 am

    This has to be the most complicated way to say “work smarter, not harder” I’ve heard

  29. DEM4RCO

    May 17, 2023 at 1:23 am

    No one on his deathbed said “I wish I worked more”

  30. Skyeberry jam

    May 17, 2023 at 2:05 am

    The broader explanation of why we should work smart and not hard, but with actual meaningful results. Thank you for this! 🙂

  31. Toni

    May 17, 2023 at 2:51 am

    Imagine? That my job was made redundant by an advanced piece of software? This is happening ever five minutes.
    That would depend: Were they using a shovel, or a medical degree.

  32. azad wolf

    May 17, 2023 at 3:04 am

    In a real world, no employer would give away free pay cheques to anyone. It is a case of Schadenfreude. People like to see others suffer. They think if somebody is not working hard and suffering they do not deserve to live. Reminds me of Ashwitz where Nazis forced the captives to move a pile of rocks from one end of the prison to the other just to see them suffer in a meaningless task.

  33. home in my galaxy

    May 17, 2023 at 3:12 am

    Not if you ignore your family/loved ones..a strong work ethic is a good thing but workaholics are not easy to live with..workaholics are always working but not always finishing

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    May 17, 2023 at 3:32 am

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      May 17, 2023 at 3:41 am

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    • Joshua Stapleton

      May 17, 2023 at 6:33 am

      XD what in the bot swarm

  35. mousekale

    May 17, 2023 at 4:34 am

    On the one hand, in school and at uni, it was validated to be able to do your homework faster than other people, to be smart without effort.

    As a kid, we used to go to a ski club cabin and keep the place running. It used to be gamified work, installing electricity with solar panels, cutting wood, replacing broken furnitures.

    People had fun being part of this community. I don’t know if nostalgia muddles my perspective but I don’t think so.

    There was not the competitive and judgmental streak that I see in people my age. If I had to keep the place running now. I feel that I would always feel judged by my peers. I have mental illnesses symptoms entitling me to invalidity. They would make me feel that I m lesser than them, not fast enough, to much of a slacker even if I m helping for free.

    Now, you have to be on top of the competition to consume more than other people. You’re always in a hurry, close doors and appliances with pent up violence, destroy your flat, replace everything with diy that will last ten years.

    Just for the instagram aesthetic that fades in enthropy.

    We should value results that last and redefine the notion of parasite.

    Objects are vampirising us.

    I m as guilty of that as anyone else.

    But work geared toward producing unnecessary goods or even harmful products should not have the legitimation it has.

  36. David

    May 17, 2023 at 6:19 am

    Really good talk! I think the important part is that we need to learn to reflect and to be truthfull with ourselve and otherd. I dont want to just signal that I can sit 8 hours a day at my work place and look laborous. I want to create value and i want to create a cooperative working Environment where we produce meaningful products. Yet, it seems that there is this strong underlying heuristic used that “working less than 8 hours is just lazyiness”. I think that people using such a heuristic should engage in more truthfull self reflection. 😅

  37. I was the walrus

    May 17, 2023 at 6:53 am

    The answer is clearly NO

  38. Fido

    May 17, 2023 at 7:15 am

    friggen amazingly articulated series of questions and arguments

  39. WitherBossBros11

    May 17, 2023 at 7:46 am

    It’s valued, but that doesn’t make it “moral.” Moral notions reduce suffering – that’s why not murdering, committing sexual assault, slavery, false witness, equal rights for people, etc. are moral. With the definition used by the speaker, a person who strives and excels to make no errors in a task is a “moral” person.

    • 👉 mr_knighttalk

      May 17, 2023 at 10:16 am

      👆👆👆ʟᴇᴛ’ꜱ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴏɴ ᴛᴇʟᴇɢʀᴀᴍ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ🎁🎁🎁…

  40. mrskerfufflewhiskers

    May 17, 2023 at 7:58 am

    The fact is that not everyone is going to launch a startup or create a revolutionary app or pioneer something. But we can all decide for ourselves the things that give meaning in our lives. Those things can be big or small. So by all means, work enough to pay the bills (and spend wisely). But also make time for doing what brings meaning to your life. These two don’t always have to intersect though, and that’s perfectly OK.

  41. koro55

    May 17, 2023 at 8:19 am

    I was reluctant to watch at first, thinking he was gonna discredit hardwork. But it turns out he talks about how we need to redirect hardwork towards something meaningful

    • 👉 mr_knighttalk

      May 17, 2023 at 10:15 am

      👆👆👆ʟᴇᴛ’ꜱ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴏɴ ᴛᴇʟᴇɢʀᴀᴍ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ🎁🎁🎁..

  42. Mandrake

    May 17, 2023 at 9:00 am

    For me, this subject is central to creating an automated future society. It’s amazing how many people can’t see beyond a world where we work, and define ourselves by our job. Sooner or later we’ll have to let go of the concept of working for a living and let the technology take over, at which point we can let our interests and hobbies define us, as hard as that might be for some people.

  43. Helen Nguyen

    May 17, 2023 at 9:40 am

    😮

    • 👉 mr_knighttalk

      May 17, 2023 at 10:14 am

      👆👆👆ʟᴇᴛ’ꜱ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴏɴ ᴛᴇʟᴇɢʀᴀᴍ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ🎁🎁🎁.

  44. Zurek Zurawski

    May 17, 2023 at 12:08 pm

    Yeah im 30. Very good, very hard worker, very mindfull, always giving valuable feedback and suggestions of problem solving.l, im specialized in many spheres inside and outside the job.
    And i tried to prove myself that with hard work you can earn some better life.
    Guess what… I was wrong. Oh how much i was and ak wrong in that

  45. Marley Momo

    May 17, 2023 at 1:30 pm

    I made 155th commend.

  46. Shway

    May 17, 2023 at 1:52 pm

    I find myself agreeing with him in theory but disagreeing in every example. (watched up to 5:30)

  47. Александр

    May 17, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    That is one of a few recent Ted talk that actually holds some interesting idea worth spreading. Thank You, I wish more videos would be like this

  48. Justin Reiss

    May 17, 2023 at 7:56 pm

    Striking a balance between effort and results is important. The amount of effort is often related to the complexity of a challenge. And to show you can put the effort in and achieve a result demonstrates grit which is a highly desireable trait.

  49. NEWSMAN SUPER

    May 18, 2023 at 2:23 am

    seen as more moral is just a market failure to undertand context

  50. NEWSMAN SUPER

    May 18, 2023 at 2:26 am

    wait what I want partners who have zero counter party risk.

  51. NEWSMAN SUPER

    May 18, 2023 at 2:29 am

    “bullshit” jobs only continue to exist becuase of taxation and state money printing exclusivley.

  52. KK

    May 18, 2023 at 12:47 pm

    He works with ethics of AI. Of course, he advocates for AI.

    Manufacturing consent?: welcome technology to replace other people jobs.

    Lie: you can stay home and get paid the same?

    I am not against technology. I love it. But we can’t forget about humans in the process. Usually, capitalism forgets about humanity.

  53. bubacheese1

    May 18, 2023 at 3:28 pm

    Your scenarios are missing the broad majority of people who do the bare minimum. There are fewer individuals who will struggle and continue to try to accomplish the goal. Then there are even fewer individuals who are able to achieve the goal with less effort and time. Struggle is what allows individuals to grow and without a struggle the growth will be less. Meaning the individual putting in more time through the greater level of struggle will eventually surpass the individual putting in less time to complete the same task. It’s a long game not a short one. All three individuals exist but at different quantities and it is key to understand different aspects. There is a reason why effort has value and I just think you missed key aspects of it.

  54. Marshall Brunson

    May 18, 2023 at 3:52 pm

    If we ask each other, to produce something meaningful… 🙏

  55. Cherryontop10

    May 18, 2023 at 5:49 pm

    It is also why rich vs poor falls in the same category

  56. Cherryontop10

    May 18, 2023 at 5:53 pm

    Nope…no employer rewards hard workers, only slackers.

  57. MrJeffrey938

    May 18, 2023 at 7:28 pm

    Favoring those who appear moral is creating a society of politicians. It gets worse every generation.

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