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Are We Too Impatient to Be Intelligent? - by Rory Sutherland - Behavioral Scientist

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Acopywriter, an art director, and an advertising account man are boarding a plane to go to a client presentation. Slightly implausibly, they open the overhead locker and a genie pops out. The genie says, “I’ve been stuck in that bloody overhead locker for 10 years. As a reward, I’ve only got three wishes, but I’ll give you one each.” The genie turns first to the copywriter and says, “What’s your wish?” “I think I’d like the life and the prose style of Hemingway. I’d like to live that life. I’d like to write that way. I can’t think of anything better.” And poof, the copywriter disappears. The genie turns to the art director, “What would you like?” “It’s got to be Picasso. Think about it. The locations, the lifespan, the eye, the beauty. I’d like the life of Pablo Picasso.” And poof, the art director disappears. And so the genie turns to the advertising account man and says, “What about you?” He says, “I want those two guys back. I’ve got an important meeting in two and a half hours.” In

This essay was adapted from a talk given at Nudgestock 2024. A copywriter, an art director, and an advertising account man are boarding a plane to go to a client presentation. Slightly implausibly, they open the overhead locker and a genie pops out. The genie says, “I’ve been stuck in that bloody overhead locker for 10 years. As a reward, I’ve only got three wishes, but I’ll give you one each.” The genie turns first to the copywriter and says, “What’s your wish?” “I think I’d like the life and the prose style of Hemingway. I’d like to live that life. I&#8217

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