How to Become Great at Just About Anything

Season 6, Episode 11

This week on Freakonomics Radio: What if the thing we call “talent” is grotesquely overrated? And what if deliberate practice is the secret to excellence? Those are the claims of the research psychologist Anders Ericsson, who has been studying the science of expertise for decades.

One idea you may have heard of that came from Ericsson’s research: the 10,000-hour rule. Stephen Dubner and Ericsson discuss what Ericsson believes people get wrong about his work, and how he feels about this “magic number.”

Plus, Stephen Dubner speaks with the person who popularized the idea of the 10,000-hour rule — best selling author Malcolm Gladwell.

To find out more, check out the podcasts from which this hour was drawn: “How to Become Great at Just About Anything.”

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