--- description: Research says experts practice for 10,000 hours. That’s a lot of hours. A crazy amount of hours, one might say. I’ve posted a lot about... title: Genius and Insanity: Do You Need to Be Crazy to Be the Best? image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Psychology](/tag/psychology/) ## Psychology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Genius and Insanity: Do You Need to Be Crazy to Be the Best? by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 22, 2015 4:01 AM CUT by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 22, 2015 4:01 AM CUT Research says experts practice for [10,000 hours](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/is-it-true-that-10000-hours-of-practice-will/ "undefined"). That’s a lot of hours. [A _crazy_ amount of hours](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/10000-hours/ "undefined"), one might say. I’ve posted a lot about “deliberate practice” and the [work habits of geniuses](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/05/genius-work-habits/ "undefined"). They’re relentless. Via [Daily Rituals: How Artists Work](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307273601/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0307273601&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined") --- > “” --- Here’s the question: **Is that just something that obsessed, crazy people do? Does this prove the often-theorized connection between genius and insanity?** We assume 10,000 hours of practice means passion or dedication. How often does it just mean stone-cold obsessed? ## Brilliant, Famous — And Utterly Obsessed Steve Jobs? Brilliant and _obsessed_. Via [America’s Obsessives: The Compulsive Energy That Built a Nation](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455502383/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1455502383&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- That was in Apple’s _factory_ — not someplace consumers would ever see. Dying of cancer didn’t make a difference. **He demanded the oxygen mask the doctors put on him be redesigned.** Via [America’s Obsessives: The Compulsive Energy That Built a Nation](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455502383/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1455502383&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- But there was no doubt this obsessiveness made him great. Via [America’s Obsessives: The Compulsive Energy That Built a Nation](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455502383/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1455502383&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- Thomas Jefferson read fifteen hours a day in order to complete college in 2 years. He kept track of every single cent he ever spent in his life. Via [America’s Obsessives: The Compulsive Energy That Built a Nation](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455502383/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1455502383&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- Alfred Kinsey, groundbreaking sex researcher, recorded sex histories on almost 8000 people, put together the world’s largest collection of sex books and, deciding that the Dewey Decimal system was inadequate, created _his own_ method of classification. Via [America’s Obsessives: The Compulsive Energy That Built a Nation](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455502383/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1455502383&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- I’ve posted about [Paul Erdos](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/erdos/ "undefined"), the “all-roads-lead-to-Rome” of the mathematics world, being obsessive at the extreme, wandering the world in search of new challenges with numbers. Genius and insanity? Yup. Via [The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786884061/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0786884061&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- Baseball legend Ted Williams didn’t just obsessively swing a bat, he also zealously amassed data to perfect his skills, long before “[Moneyball](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393338398/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0393338398&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined").” Via [America’s Obsessives: The Compulsive Energy That Built a Nation](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455502383/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1455502383&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- (To learn how to make people like you, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/10/how-to-get-people-to-like-you/ "undefined").) ## Beyond “A Good Work Ethic” Here’s where we stop saying “genius and insanity” loosely. There are connections between [creativity and mental disorders](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/07/are-creative-people-more-likely-to-be-crazy/ "undefined"). More specifically, obsessively thinking about things is connected to depression — but it’s also [correlated with creativity](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-people-who-dwell-on-their-problems-more-c "undefined"): --- > “” --- This rumination/perseverence connection can be [a double edged sword for creative people](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1847677878/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1847677878&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- Obsessive people can be hell to be around, genius or not. What did Ted Williams’ second wife, model Lee Howard, say at their divorce hearing? Via [America’s Obsessives: The Compulsive Energy That Built a Nation](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455502383/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1455502383&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- (To learn the secret to being happier and more successful, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/ "undefined").) ## The Dark Side Harvard’s Howard Gardner studied a number of creative geniuses and found that to reach those heights requires enormous sacrifice in other areas of life — what amounted to a Faustian bargain. Einstein lived in self-imposed isolation, Freud had an ascetic existence and Picasso became a selfish monster. _And Gardner’s study reveals that without these personal sacrifices they would not have been capable of their great achievements._ If hours alone determine genius then it is inevitable that reaching the greatest heights will be indistinguishable from pathological obsession. Via [Creating Minds: An Anatomy of Creativity Seen Through the Lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham, and Ghandi](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465027741/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0465027741 "undefined"): --- > “” --- (To learn how Navy SEALs develop grit and never give up, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2015/01/grit/ "undefined").) ## Back To Reality Personally, you probably don’t need to worry about the line between genius and insanity. You’re not going to get tied up in a Faustian bargain with your work, and let everything fall by the wayside to perfect your art. But you can still learn from the crazies. They did what they loved. They spent the time, [probably enjoying the process](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/11/secret-enjoying-work/ "undefined") much more than yet another hour of Netflix, and they became great. If you want a healthy amount of what they had, what should you do next? Start educating yourself. Which of the below is your weak spot? Click, read and improve: * [I don’t know what I’m passionate about.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/interview-author-cal-newport-on-how-you-can-become-an-expert-and-why-you-should-not-follow-your-passion/ "undefined") * [I know what I want but how do I become the better?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/01/checklist-best/ "undefined") * [I’m good. How do I become great?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/what-does-it-take-to-become-an-expert-at-anyt/ "undefined") **Join over 195,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined")**.** **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/08/genius-and-insanity/ "undefined")**_._** Related posts: [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/ "undefined") [How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/10/how-to-get-people-to-like-you/ "undefined") [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3966051/genius-insanity/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3966051/genius-insanity/"},"headline":"Genius and Insanity: Do You Need to Be Crazy to Be the Best?","datePublished":"2015-07-22T04:01:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:37:20.994Z","description":"Research says experts practice for 10,000 hours. That’s a lot of hours. A crazy amount of hours, one might say. I’ve posted a lot about...","url":"https://time.com/3966051/genius-insanity/","keywords":["Psychology","genius"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3966051/genius-insanity/","name":"Genius and Insanity: Do You Need to Be Crazy to Be the Best?"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Benedict Cumberbatch: On Playing the Role of the Genius","description":"Benedict Cumberbatch talks to TIME about the challenges of taking on the role of a genius in his portrayal of Alan Turing","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/eCsfiaxR/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-11-19T22:41:55.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/eCsfiaxR.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3966051/genius-insanity/","duration":"PT1M39S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3966051/genius-insanity/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```