Quote · TED Talks Daily
Does working hard really make you a good person? | Azim Shariff (re-release)
Where this was said
Why We Value Effort: The Evolutionary Logic of Partner Choice
At 7:46 · chapter starts 7:30
At the individual level, effort moralization makes perfect sense. Evolutionary psychologists describe 'partner choice' — the constant human evaluation of who will make the best ally, collaborator, or companion. Someone willing to wake up every morning for a grueling run they clearly despise is signaling something important: they won't slack off. Shariff illustrates this through his colleague Paul, a man of impeccable taste who runs every morning in what Shariff describes as an 'inelegant hobble' of apparent agony. [1] — Azim Shariff "The drive to find the best cooperation partners is as old as humanity itself. A person willing to suffer through a painful morning run ever…" 07:30 Seeing Paul struggle, rather than stride, was what cemented Shariff's trust in him. Paul became not just a friend but a research collaborator. The heuristic is simple and potent: hard workers are good people. And it explains why you'd donate to a friend running a marathon for charity before you'd give to one watching a TV marathon for the same cause.
The drive to find the best cooperation partners is as old as humanity itself. A person willing to suffer through a painful morning run every day signals they won't slack off when you need them — and that's exactly why effort reads as morality.
Evolutionary psychologists describe 'partner choice' — the drive to select and be the best cooperation partner — as the evolutionary root of why effort signals moral worth.
People are more likely to donate to a friend pledging to run a marathon for charity than one pledging to watch a TV marathon for the same cause, illustrating effort moralization in action.
