Ankita JakhuProfessor NeufferEnglish 3 Section 757/26/2015

The Inverted U-Curve

Gladwell takes about the concept of the inverted u-curve. The inverted u-curve show us

how too little or too much of something can be a bad thing. The best spot to be on the inverted u-

curve is the middle. The middle is the peak of performance, it’s a balance between too much and

too little. When we experience too much or too little and we end up suffering, sometimes

severely. The left hand side of the graph shows the situations where there is too little of

something, where people are under-challenged or the unproductive side. As you move up the

graph you, you start moving to the middle of the goldy locks. The middle of the graph is at peak

effectiveness. That’s where the magic happens, everything is balanced and stable. This is where

happiness is found and maintained. It is the enjoyable and highly productive state in which you

can do your best work. We begin to realize how good we have in when we are at the center and

begin to want more. Then we start moving down the right side of the graph, were too much is

found. The right hand side of the graph shows us the falling apart stage. Where we see the panic

of having too much or something. There isn’t any benefit in having too much of something or too

little. The concept of the inverted u-curve shows us that the spot we should be looking for is the

middle.