Rush: Why You Need and Love the Rat Race
by Todd G. Buchholz

Published by Hudson Street Press

Read Excerpt

THINK YOU NEED TO GO ON VACATION?

THINK AGAIN.

We all think we will be happy when we finally have some downtime -- when we can get away, disconnect, shut down. You may even daydream about withdrawing from the rat race full-time. What you don't know is that all that peace and quiet will ruin your state of mind. In this outrageous book, Todd Buchholz will convince you that what you really want is to chase your tail -- even if you never catch it.

Weaving in entertaining stories and counterintuitive arguments gathered from a broad spectrum -- neuroeconomics to evolutionary biology to Renaissance art to General Motors -- Buchholz draws the collar-grabbing conclusion that the race to compete has not only made us taller and smarter, it's what we love and what we need. Among the book's many surprising takeaways are:

• Put off retirement-it can make you stupid
• We all need to be control freaks
• In-house competition is actually great for morale
• Never let the ninth-place team take home a trophy

Witty, compelling, and full of surprises, Todd Buchholz shows that it's the race itself that literally delivers the rush and drives us forward, even if we never reach the finish line.

pub date: 2011-05-05 | Hardcover | 9781594630774