PRICE: This is such an important part of the equation. HU: What if we're not fully in control of our time, for example, at work, and we work with bosses or for bosses that do prize work and overwork? So, a lot of the things that we call laziness - it really comes from a person doing way too much and ignoring their bodies subtle signs that they need to go take a walk, take a nap, get something to eat, whatever it is to kind of recharge your batteries and kind of bring you back to life. If you're zoning out at work, it's probably because you've been focusing on a really stultifying task for way too long and you need stimulation, or you need social contact, or you need to just change gears, or you've just hit your capacity for the day. And basically, that's what happens to a lot of us when we see ourselves as lazy. You know, people have, like, millisecond long periods. And it can be really dangerous when we're just driving down the road. So, you know, when we don't get enough sleep. The human body is so incredible at signaling when it needs something, but we have all learned to ignore those signals as much as possible because they're a threat to our productivity and our focus at work. PRICE: Laziness is usually a warning sign from our bodies and our minds that something is not working, and we really need a break. HU: So, Devon, when you say laziness, what is it, really? Everyone's, you know, perfectly worthy and valid just as a living, breathing, human animal. PRICE: Nobody should have to earn their right to be alive.
Basically, tips on how to become more like Dump Truck. That achievement mindset might actually be hurting you. HU: So, in this episode of LIFE KIT, tips on how to rethink laziness and stop viewing your output as who you are. So, instead of viewing laziness as a deficit or something we need to fix or overcome with caffeine or longer work hours, Devon says to think of laziness as a sign that you probably need a break. HU: The laziness lie, as Devon calls it, makes us believe that there's always more we could be doing - at work, in our relationships, at home - and that our worth is our productivity. And if we can feel that way about animals that we love and about, you know, relatives that we love, people in our lives who we never judge by their productive capacity, then we can start thinking of ourselves that way, too, and I think we can think of all of humanity that way. We're fine and beautiful and completely lovable when we're just sitting on the couch, just breathing. And so, I think animals help us remember that we don't actually - or we shouldn't have to - earn our right to exist. HU: Yeah, we never expect that of our pets or any animal, right? PRICE: And it would be absurd to even think about his life in those terms. PRICE: I would never look at him and think of his life in terms of has he justified his right to exist? He's not paying rent. Their book is all about how the idea of laziness has actually been wielded to make people feel unproductive and unworthy, which brings us back to the chinchilla.
PRICE: Like any pet, he just sits there, and in fact, he's actually very destructive. HU: That's Devon Price, a social psychologist and the author of the book "Laziness Does Not Exist." And of course, importantly, they're the owner to Dump Truck, the chinchilla. And let's start this episode with a true legend.ĭEVON PRICE: Yeah, so I have a chinchilla named Dump Truck, and he's never been productive in his life, right? This is NPR's LIFE KIT, and I'm Elise Hu.