当我们看到成功人士的时候，往往会将他们的名誉、财富或成功单纯归因于天赋。无论是奥运奖牌得主，打造颠覆性科技的STEM天才，还是能够预测重大事件的经济学家，他们的天赋毋庸置疑。但宾夕法尼亚大学（University of Pennsylvania）心理学家安吉拉·达克沃斯经过多年研究后发现，天赋并不是决定成功的唯一因素。
达克沃斯在《梅尔·罗宾斯》（The Mel Robbins）播客中表示：“我认为努力的价值是天赋的两倍。天赋固然重要，但我认为努力更有价值。在我看来，空有技能却不付诸实践，技能终究只能荒废。”
达克沃斯是美国知名心理学家、学者与作家，以对“坚毅”（即对长期目标的激情与毅力）的研究而闻名。她目前是宾大心理学系Rosa Lee与Egbert Chang讲席教授，并共同创立了非营利组织品格实验室（Character Lab），致力于为家长和教师提供科学教育建议。
在进入学术界之前，达克沃斯曾在麦肯锡（McKinsey & Co.）担任管理咨询顾问，也曾在纽约、旧金山和费城的公立学校教授数学和科学。2013年，她因在“成功人格特质”研究方面的突出贡献，获得了麦克阿瑟天才奖（MacArthur Genius Grant）。该奖项旨在表彰具备“卓越创造力”和“未来重大突破潜力”的学者，奖金高达80万美元。
“很多时候，无论在体育界、艺术界、音乐界还是商界，我们会夸赞别人：‘他们真是天赋异禀。’然后我们会耸耸肩，心想：‘嗯，他们天生如此。’”
达克沃斯重新定义“天赋”
传统意义上的“天赋”通常被视为一种与生俱来的才能或技能，但达克沃斯的定义与此完全不同。
她认为：“天赋其实是你在某件事情上的进步速度。如果你很有天赋，每练习一小时就能取得显著进步。”
相反，如果天赋不足，每小时的练习可能“收效甚微”。她以自身为例，坦言在心理学方面很有天赋，但在历史、政治和时事等领域却“毫无天赋”。
达克沃斯表示：“承认自己在某些方面更有天赋，并不值得羞愧或害怕。”
他人对天赋与成功关系的看法
佛罗里达大学（University of Florida）传奇运动员之一蒂姆·提博同样认为，努力比天赋更重要。
这位海斯曼奖得主、前丹佛野马队（Denver Broncos）四分卫表示：“当有天赋者不够努力时，努力者就能后来居上。我一直坚信这一点，因为它激励着我——无论是在橄榄球场、棒球场，还是在课堂，我都知道自己未必是最有天赋的那一个。”
他继续说道：“大多数时候我确实不够出众。但如果给我足够的时间和机会，凭借自己的努力，我终将战胜那些天赋出众却不够努力的人。”提博后来还曾投身职业棒球小联盟，并在SEC Network和ESPN担任电视评论员，2023年入选了大学橄榄球名人堂。
传奇足球巨星克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多也持相同观点。
罗纳尔多表示：“没有努力，天赋一文不值。”他曾获多个个人与球队奖项，曾五度荣膺金球奖，是公认的足坛巨星。
在体育界之外，多产作家斯蒂芬·金也表达过类似观点，其代表作包括《闪灵》（The Shining）、《它》（It）、《魔女嘉莉》（Carrie）等畅销小说。
他表示：“天赋比食盐还廉价。真正将‘有天赋者’与‘成功者’区分开来的，正是艰苦卓绝的努力。”（*）
译者：刘进龙
审校：汪皓
当我们看到成功人士的时候，往往会将他们的名誉、财富或成功单纯归因于天赋。无论是奥运奖牌得主，打造颠覆性科技的STEM天才，还是能够预测重大事件的经济学家，他们的天赋毋庸置疑。但宾夕法尼亚大学（University of Pennsylvania）心理学家安吉拉·达克沃斯经过多年研究后发现，天赋并不是决定成功的唯一因素。
达克沃斯在《梅尔·罗宾斯》（The Mel Robbins）播客中表示：“我认为努力的价值是天赋的两倍。天赋固然重要，但我认为努力更有价值。在我看来，空有技能却不付诸实践，技能终究只能荒废。”
达克沃斯是美国知名心理学家、学者与作家，以对“坚毅”（即对长期目标的激情与毅力）的研究而闻名。她目前是宾大心理学系Rosa Lee与Egbert Chang讲席教授，并共同创立了非营利组织品格实验室（Character Lab），致力于为家长和教师提供科学教育建议。
在进入学术界之前，达克沃斯曾在麦肯锡（McKinsey & Co.）担任管理咨询顾问，也曾在纽约、旧金山和费城的公立学校教授数学和科学。2013年，她因在“成功人格特质”研究方面的突出贡献，获得了麦克阿瑟天才奖（MacArthur Genius Grant）。该奖项旨在表彰具备“卓越创造力”和“未来重大突破潜力”的学者，奖金高达80万美元。
“很多时候，无论在体育界、艺术界、音乐界还是商界，我们会夸赞别人：‘他们真是天赋异禀。’然后我们会耸耸肩，心想：‘嗯，他们天生如此。’”
达克沃斯重新定义“天赋”
传统意义上的“天赋”通常被视为一种与生俱来的才能或技能，但达克沃斯的定义与此完全不同。
她认为：“天赋其实是你在某件事情上的进步速度。如果你很有天赋，每练习一小时就能取得显著进步。”
相反，如果天赋不足，每小时的练习可能“收效甚微”。她以自身为例，坦言在心理学方面很有天赋，但在历史、政治和时事等领域却“毫无天赋”。
达克沃斯表示：“承认自己在某些方面更有天赋，并不值得羞愧或害怕。”
他人对天赋与成功关系的看法
佛罗里达大学（University of Florida）传奇运动员之一蒂姆·提博同样认为，努力比天赋更重要。
这位海斯曼奖得主、前丹佛野马队（Denver Broncos）四分卫表示：“当有天赋者不够努力时，努力者就能后来居上。我一直坚信这一点，因为它激励着我——无论是在橄榄球场、棒球场，还是在课堂，我都知道自己未必是最有天赋的那一个。”
他继续说道：“大多数时候我确实不够出众。但如果给我足够的时间和机会，凭借自己的努力，我终将战胜那些天赋出众却不够努力的人。”提博后来还曾投身职业棒球小联盟，并在SEC Network和ESPN担任电视评论员，2023年入选了大学橄榄球名人堂。
传奇足球巨星克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多也持相同观点。
罗纳尔多表示：“没有努力，天赋一文不值。”他曾获多个个人与球队奖项，曾五度荣膺金球奖，是公认的足坛巨星。
在体育界之外，多产作家斯蒂芬·金也表达过类似观点，其代表作包括《闪灵》（The Shining）、《它》（It）、《魔女嘉莉》（Carrie）等畅销小说。
他表示：“天赋比食盐还廉价。真正将‘有天赋者’与‘成功者’区分开来的，正是艰苦卓绝的努力。”（*）
译者：刘进龙
审校：汪皓
When you look at successful people, it’s hard not to think fame, fortune, or prosperity are a result of pure talent. Think of Olympic medalists, STEM geniuses who develop earth-shattering technologies, and economists who predict major events. It’s undeniable these are talented people—but University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth has spent years researching what goes into success, and she says talent is not the only factor.
“I think effort counts twice. Sure, talent counts, but I think effort counts twice,” said Angela Duckworth on The Mel Robbins podcast. “To me, skill is kind of barren unless you apply it.”
Duckworth is a prominent American psychologist, academic, and author best known for her research on grit: the concept of passion and perseverance in pursuit of long-term goals. She serves as the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang professor of psychology at top-ranked UPenn, and cofounded Character Lab, a non-profit focused on science-backed advice for parents and teachers.
You don’t need to be the most talented person in the room. Because as world-renowned psychologist Dr. @Angela Duckworth explains, hard work beats talent. Comment ‘Angela’ and I’ll DM you a link to the full episode! Talent might give you a head start, but it’s perseverance and grit that take you the distance. In this episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast, Dr. Duckworth reveals the real science of success, and why your determination matters far more than what you’re born with. Because talent opens the door. But grit is what gets you through it. 🎧 “How to Create a Successful Mindset: The Science of Passion and Perseverance.” Listen now or watch the full episode on YouTube – search ‘The Mel Robbins Podcast Angela Duckworth.’
Before her academic career, she was a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. and also taught math and science at public schools in New York City, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. In 2013, she earned a MacArthur Genius Grant—a fellowship providing $800,000 for recipients who show “exceptional creativity” and “promise for important future advances” for her contributions to understanding personality traits related to success.
“Oftentimes, I think that we look at other people, [and say] ‘yeah, they are wildly talented,’ whether it’s in sports or it’s in art or music or business, and we sort of shrug our shoulders and go: ‘Oh, well, they were born with that gift.’”
How Duckworth defines talent
Talent is typically defined as a natural aptitude or skill—but Duckworth defines it differently.
“Talent is the rate at which you improve at something,” she said. “When you try [and] you’re a really talented person, you improve a lot for every hour of practice.”
On the other hand, if you’re a less talented person, you improve “only a very little bit” with every hour of practice, she added, giving the example of being talented at psychology herself, but very “untalented” at subjects like history, politics, and current events.
“There is no shame or fear in acknowledging that we may be more talented at some things than others,” Duckworth said.
What others say about the relationship between talent and success
Tim Tebow, one of the most celebrated college athletes in University of Florida’s history, is also a proponent of hard work over talent.
“Hard work can beat talent when talent doesn’t work as hard,” the Heisman Trophy winner and former Denver Broncos quarterback said. “I’ve held onto [that sentiment] because it’s something that motivated me—knowing that when I show up onto a court, onto a field, onto a diamond, to a classroom, I’m not always going to be the most talented.”
“Most of the time I’m not,” he continued. “But if you give me enough time, enough opportunities, then hard work can beat talent when talent doesn’t work as hard.” Tebow also pursued a career in minor league baseball and worked as a television broadcaster for SEC Network and ESPN, and was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most accomplished footballers in history, also shares this sentiment.
“Talent without work is nothing,” said Ronaldo, who’s won several individual and team awards for his success, including five Ballon d’Or trophies as the best player in the world.
Outside of sports, prolific author Stephen King, famous for his novels like The Shining, It, and Carrie, said talent is worth nothing without hard work.
“Talent is cheaper than table salt,” he said. “What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”