The Number That Was an Average
A popular rule says ten thousand hours make an expert. The study behind it reported an average for one group of violinists, not a threshold for everyone.
Popular writers have concluded that anyone who practises for ten thousand hours will reach the top of any field. Many of them cite a well known study in which the most accomplished student violinists at a Berlin music academy estimated that they had averaged about that much practice by the age of twenty.
Discussion
Sign in to join the discussion.
More in Self-improvement
The Forgotten Third of Our Lives
Why can't we remember our dreams? Discover how REM sleep, memory, and evolution shape the forgotten third of our lives.
What Happens When You Actually Change Your Mind: An RC Inspired by IIM Indore
Most arguments do not change minds. They change voiced positions. Genuine belief revision is neurologically different, phenomenologically distinct and far rarer than it appears.
I Thought Everyone Saw the World This Way
A reflective essay on teenage love, mathematical thinking, and why I instinctively translated people, emotions, and the world into algebra.
The Zipper You Don't Understand
Most people are certain they understand how a zipper works, until asked to explain it. The same gap shows up in political conviction.