Laziness
Laziness is the lack of desire to act or to work, to stretch one's forces; tendency to rest, to do nothing.
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The pros and cons
Laziness is often considered a negative quality (see Seven deadly sins), as being unproductive.
On the other hand, moderate laziness might help to prevent people from spending too much time and energy doing unnecessary things; laziness may be a stimulus for finding alternative ways. Being lazy can also help to unwind a person from receiving too much stress over the course of daily life.
Apathy can sometimes be mistaken for laziness.
Intellectual laziness
Intellectual laziness is a specific form, the tendency not to ask questions, and not to scratch too much behind the apparent, applying a kind of mental routine (availability heuristic) or just following the crowd (herding).
Hyperactivity, the reverse trait
Some people feel unable to relax and do nothing; they always worry about not using time for something useful. This is often associated with general anxiety disorder.
Literature
- Carl Honore: In Praise of Slowness, 2005, ISBN 0060750510
- Paul Lafargue (transl.: Len Bracken): The Right To Be Lazy, 1883, ISBN 1892355035
- Corinne Maier:
- Hello Laziness! - Why Hard Work Doesn't Pay, 2005, ISBN 0752871862
- Bonjour Laziness! - How to Work as Little as Possible (Just Like the French), 2005, ISBN 0375423737
- Bonjour paresse - De l'art et la nécessité d'en faire le moins possible en entreprise, 2004, ISBN 2841862313
- Bertrand Russell: In Praise of Idleness - And Other Essays, 1935, ISBN 0415325064