Be Lazy in the Right Way!

Laziness – one of the most interesting phenomenons in the human condition. Although laziness is associated with negative connotation, and is often observed when parents look at their school aged kids, laziness demonstrates has substantial positive benefits.

Laziness actually has a quite positive influence. Psychologist, teachers and even historians belief that laziness has served as one of the contributing factors in the  scientific and technical progress.  For example when the famous English physicist Isaac Newton idled underneath that proverbial apple tree he came up with the concept of gravity.  Similarly, Archimedes relaxed often in bath houses.  This laziness gave rise to the his understanding of the volume of irregularity shaped objects, such as the king’s crown.

Laziness acts as a defense mechanism against stress.  It is no secret that modern  life can be extremely busy filled with all kinds of activities, constant problems and nuisances. In these situation, we humans developed a natural school defensive reaction to the stress on the body overload: laziness. The nerves calm, the blood pressure falls and after a deep sigh the problems of this world appear to be less daunting.

Our children have to cope with pressure from many sides: the teachers, the piers and, let’s face it, from the parents too.  Isn’t it the desire to idle understandable?  Psychology R. Keith Sawyer, Ph.D. at  Washington University says laziness protects us people from  moral and psychological pressure.

Laziness indirectly helps to improve the quality of work. A person who is rested and grounded typically works has at a higher level of efficiency and precision. This translates into less errors, less accidents and more satisfaction for everyone involved.

There has been ample research in the field of creativity. It unmistakably shows that at state of centered (a.k.a laziness) is an important prerequisite of conceiving creative solutions. “Idle time allows people to think of their problems in new ways,” says Sawyer, author of Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation, a seminal overview of the history of creativity and of research into traits that highly creative people all share. “People talk about the ‘aha’ moment emerging when you are doing something else.”

The message of this article is this: It is better to allocate downtime filled with making paper planes and sleep than pretending we are busy. Much effort and time wasted when we are trying to do something to which we have neither the capacity nor the desire to do.

In summary, laziness is an often misunderstood concept.  Laziness it beneficial to the degree that it resources our body and soul, makes us more productive, creative and satisfied.