Why efficiency is dangerous and slowing down makes life better | Psyche Ideas

We often see efficiency as good and inefficiency as wasteful. Economists teach us that increased efficiency improves our standard of living and make our lives better.

However, too much of a good thing has the opposite effect. Some motivation produces excellent performance while too much produce choking. Some choice creates good outcomes but too much leads to paralysis and bad decisions. The challenge we face is in finding the right balance.

Some inefficiency can be seen as an insurance policy.

Year after year, if you don't get into a car accident, you may think that you have 'wasted' money on insurance. But insurance enables us to be resilient against problems that could overtake us. To be prepared, we need to learn to live less efficiently.