This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedanthem. Many years ago, two researchers at Harvard

noticed something interesting at their university's Peabody Museum of Natural History. It was a description about a pair of history.

It was a description about a pair of 19th century German glassmakers.

It read,

descended from a long line of Bohemian glass artists, Leopold Blashka and his son Rudolf were gifted with

such extraordinary skill and passion for their work that one might argue these attributes

were indeed in their blood.

The researchers Chihajang-Sai and Mazarin Banaji were curious.

When we say someone is gifted, does it matter whether their

talent is the result of hard work or natural ability? Would we see Leopold and

Rudolf Blashka differently if their skill and passion was not in their blood?

In an experiment, the scientists asked more than a hundred musical experts whether

any talent or hard work was the more important factor

when it came to musical ability. The expert said no contest. What matters is

hard work, hours of practice.

But when the musical experts were asked to compare two pieces of music, one of which featured a pianist who was said to work very hard at her craft, and another from a musician who was just naturally gifted, the experts gravitated to the piece of music, said to come from the performer who was

naturally gifted.

They thought her music was more beautiful. In truth, both the performances that the experts heard were by the same pianist, but the music

seemed more impressive when it came from someone who was described as a natural talent rather than someone who was described as a striver. Today we explore our love affair with brilliance that's in the blood and we

examine how these beliefs shape the organizations where we work and study and play.

The Genius Trap This Week on Hidden Brain. Many episodes of this program explore the gaps between our perception and reality.

What is true for individuals is also true for organizations.

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