Angela Duckworth
Psychologist, University of Pennsylvania professor, MacArthur Fellow, and founder and CEO of Character Lab. She studies achievement, behavior change, and well-being, and is the bestselling author of Grit and Situated.
Changing Your Situation Can Matter More Than Resisting Temptation
Psychologist Angela Duckworth argues in *Situated* that changing the conditions around a temptation can be more effective than relying on willpower at the moment of choice. In a conversation with EconTalk’s Russ Roberts, she uses examples such as moving a phone out of reach to explain how environments shape behavior—and how the cultures people join can gradually shape what they want. Duckworth presents this as an extension of her work on grit, not a rejection of personal agency: people can exercise agency by changing their situations.
Sustained Effort Depends on the Conditions Around It
Psychologist Angela Duckworth, author of *Grit*, argues that sustained effort depends not only on willpower but on the conditions surrounding it. When pushing harder stops producing progress—or leads to burnout—she says, the answer may be to change the situation: reduce avoidable friction, find support or reconsider whether the work and setting fit. The goal is not to make difficult work effortless, but to make it possible to return to it consistently.