Danger in the Comfort Zone

Introduction

A New Look at a Familiar Problem

America no longer strides across the economic landscape as though she owned it. Our dominance is declining. We know it and we dislike it. All kinds of experts explain it: Politicians point to unfair trade practices, economists talk about the high cost of money, and engineers cite inefficient production techniques. But since this is a book by a psychologist, we’re going to look at psychological causes.

Why is our productivity sagging? One reason rarely mentioned is that for many people the work ethic no longer shines as brightly as it used to. Too many Americans no longer work as hard or as well as they should. Even when people put in a lot of time, they don’t accomplish much. They don’t add value. ...