Graduation speeches, self-help books and well-meaning therapists preach the gospel of “following your passion.” It is predicated on the belief that if you follow your passion, you will be happy, and you will become successful in whatever you do. This is actually terrible advice. Stay with me.

Cal Newport, PhD, explores this misguided wisdom is detail in his book So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love. He explains that this is problematic because it assumes:

1. People have preexisting passions.

2. If you match this passion to your job, then you’ll enjoy that job.

3. There is the perfect job somewhere out there waiting for you.

Research shows that many people don’t have preexisting passions and moreover, that workplace satisfaction is far more complex and more nuanced than simply matching innate interest with one’s job description.

Rather than following your passion, Newport argues that passion is something to cultivate and build. Hard work and mastery are the gateways to passion, not the other way around:

When you hear the stories of people who ended up loving what they do, this same pattern comes up again and again. They start by painstakingly developing rare and valuable skills — which we can call career capital. They then leverage this capital to gain rare and valuable traits in their career. These traits lead to a feeling of passion about their working life…Stop worrying about what the world owes you, it says, and instead, put your head down, and strive to become so good you can’t be ignored. It’s this straightforward goal—not some fairy tale about dropping everything to pursue a dream job—that will lead you toward a working life you love.

If you want to increase the value of a painting, pay attention to where you hang it.

What makes you fall in love with a painting? There are many reasons you might be drawn to a particular picture—maybe it’s the colors or the brushstrokes or the image that captivates you. Perhaps it is the story behind a painting that brings it to life. I have always loved Cy Twombly but learning how Rilke’s poetry inspired the Rose series further deepened my appreciation.

An interesting new study suggests an entirely different reason why a picture might appeal to you—where it hangs on the wall. Participants were asked to look at Wassily Kandinsky’s Sky Blue. They were randomly assigned to view it hanging in one of three locations on the wall: above eye level, at eye level or below eye level—and then asked to rate it.

Those who evaluated the painting while looking up gave it the highest rating. Those who looked down upon it gave it the lowest rating. It is unclear why the painting’s physical location influenced participant’s reactions to the picture but researchers believe it may have something to do with the way a physical experience can influence emotions.

For example, a Yale psychologist found that holding a warm cup of coffee makes people feel more warmly towards strangers. In this case, gazing upwards at the Kandinsky may increase feelings of awe or inspiration whereas looking down on something may have the opposite effect.

If only I knew that in 10th grade art class. I would have hung my abysmal paintings of my dog higher on the wall. Perhaps the art teacher would have liked them more…

For all those who live in fear of making a mistake, take heart. Kevan Lee explains:

“Those who never make mistakes are perceived as less likeable than those who commit the occasional faux pas. Messing up draws people closer to you, makes you more human. Perfection creates distance and an unattractive air of invincibility. Those of us with flaws win out every time.”

This theory labeled the pratfall effect was tested by psychologist Elliot Aronson. In his test, he asked participants to listen to recordings of people answering a quiz. Select recordings included the sound of the person knocking over a cup of coffee. When participants were asked to rate the quizzers on likability, the coffee-spill group came out on top.” 

That said, there is nothing charming about someone you don’t hold in high regard spilling coffee on you. For this to operate, the person must already be perceived as competent.

The appreciation of imperfection applies to art as well. Ellen Langer, professor of Psychology at Harvard, explains:

“With writing and art, mistakes tend to make the product more interesting. The major difference between a machine-made rug and a handmade one is that the regularity of the machine-made rug makes it uninteresting. Errors give the viewer something to hold onto.
When you make a mistake in a painting, if—instead of trying to correct the mistake—you incorporate it into what you are doing and go forward, you are working mindfully. When we ask viewers to choose between this kind of art and ‘flawless’ works, people say they prefer the mindfully created pieces.”

Beauty is in the cracks, the smudge, and the imperfect line. In an age of machine-made products, human touch is more valuable than ever. As with people, minor flaws can make objects more appealing and more unique.

There is elegance in imperfection. Making minor mistakes isn’t the worst thing in the world; in fact, it can work in our favor.

Here’s a novel idea that has science to back it up: The best way to feel like you have more time is to give it away. While there’s no way of adding an hour or day to the 24/7, studies show there are ways to increase our subjective sense of having time. They propose an interesting and counterintuitive way to feel less pressed for time — by giving it away. Volunteering and doings things for others, rather than focusing on ourselves expands our sense of time. Giving time away boosts our sense of competence and efficiency.

Right around this time of year, especially, we can really feel like there isn’t enough time. According to Kathleen Vohs, Ph.D., 47% of Americans say they don’t have enough time, an epidemic she describes as “time famine”. This leads to stress, insomnia, a penchant for fast food and skipping the gym and all-round bad decision-making.

So what can we do? Saying “no” is one option (though easier said than done). Or cut down on responsibilities (also unrealistic for most of us).

But giving away your time is realistic. Time isn’t the only thing you’ll gain from volunteering and helping others. In The How of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., explores the many ways that volunteering makes us happier and how regular volunteers experience something called a “helpers’ high”. Dan Buettner, researcher and journalist, states in his book Thrive that “volunteers tend to weigh less, to feel healthier, to have less chance of suffering a heart attack and to score higher in every happiness domain.”

Anyone who has ever helped someone knows that the sense of satisfaction and fulfillment is invaluable. So during this hectic time, with the school year coming to a close and summer upon us, consider adding volunteering to your already chockablock schedule.