Lifestyle - Spare 10,000 hours to be a genius

LONDON: Want to be a genius? Well, it's not that difficult -- all you need to do is to devote 10,000 hours to your chosen field, says a new study.


Researchers in Germany have found that genius is one per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration, and one has to practice just 10,000 hours to reach the top in their chosen discipline, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

And, according to them, talent and luck are important, but it's practice that makes the difference between being good and being brilliant.

The researchers at the Berlin's Academy of Music came to the conclusion after looking at a group of violin students who started playing at around the age of five, practising for two or three hours a week.

As they grew older, the amount of practice increased. And, by the age of 20, the elite performers had each totalled 10,000 hours of practice, while the merely good students had accrued 8,000.

"It seems it takes the brain this long to assimilate all it needs to know to achieve true mastery," lead researcher Daniel Levitin was quoted by the British newspaper as telling BBC's 'Focus' magazine.

Extracts from Malcolm Gladwell's book 'Outliers: The Story of Success', published in 'Focus', describe practice as being the key to The Beatles' success.

In their early career the Fab Four would play eight hours a night, seven days a week while in Hamburg. By the time they hit it big, they had performed live an estimated 1,200 times -- more than most modern bands play in their careers.