Exploring The Psychology of Interest

We’re just about to finish up the section of the book on the psychology of interest, and I thought I would take a few minutes to pull together what we have learned so far.

Interest is the first psychological asset of gritty people, and perhaps the most obvious one – after all, it’s hard to imagine really investing in a goal or activity that you don’t enjoy.?

But what have we learned about developing an interest in Duckworth’s book – and how does this correspond with our own experiences of developing an interest?

First – let’s start with the big surprise.?That is, there is rarely a moment of epiphany when you first encounter an interest.?High achievers rarely realise on their first try that something will be their life's work or the pathway to their greatest achievement in the future.?Duckworth interviewed a lot of sportspeople who talked first about enjoying diverse sports, before figuring out which one to settle down on.?Celebrated potter Warren McKenzie discussed engaging in multiple creative endeavours before deciding if he wanted to get really good, he needed to simply pick one (we’ll come back to Warren in the section on practice).?Even chef Marc Vetri believes he could easily have become a musician as he was equally engaged in this as a young man.

Circumstance can play an important role.?For Vetri, earning money in kitchens, along with enjoying the work, helped him decide to focus his energies in this area.?Julia Childs had several positive culinary-related experiences before writing her famous cookbook including multiple examples of fine dining, cooking classes and connecting with other enthusiastic chefs.?Without all of these, she may not have become the icon of French cuisine she is today.

So time is important too.?It takes time for a passion to become apparent – and perhaps those things we keep doing or come back to over years are a good indication of interests that might turn into passions if we invest in them.?Formula 1 drivers spend years honing their passion, firstly through go-karting as children, and then various types of motor sports until they got their Formula 1 seat.?Julia Childs is also quoted in the book as saying “the more I cook, the more I like to cook”.?She never saw herself in childhood as a chef – rather she wanted to be a novelist.?But the time spent working with food cemented her love for it.?Duckworth had a colleague who equated this to falling in love – that instead of something being an idea of romantic perfection and instant chemistry, it should be someone who you like more and more, the more time you spend with them.

Speaking of people – they are key to discovering interests as well, and research has shown that mentors and just loving examples are key to learning to enjoy something.?A great coach or an engaged parent or grandparent or even an enthusiastic friend can open doors to new passions for us.?Marc Ventri talked about cooking with his grandmother as a child.?Current Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen was raised by a Formula 1 driver, and his father shared his passion with him from a young age.

We actually put too much pressure on the idea of finding your passions, and not enough emphasis on the joy of discovery.?Passion comes from play and exploration – and as I mentioned in a video recently, as adults we rarely give ourselves over to this process and thus, lose the capacity to learn new things about ourselves.??