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An inverted-U curve is a concept Gladwell uses to refer to the concept of diminishing returns. On a graph outlining the relationship between two variables, an inverted-U curve ascends at first, plateaus, and then descends—creating what looks like an upside-down U. This represents one variable positively affecting the other until it ceases to have any effect, at which point it levels off and then begins to have a negative effect. One example Gladwell uses to illustrate an inverted-U curve is income’s effect on a family’s happiness: families who earn less than $75,000 per year notice an increase in happiness when they start earning more money. After $75,000, though, more money stops increasing happiness and even begins to interfere with contentment the more wealthy a family becomes.
Inverted-U Curve Quotes in David and Goliath
The David and Goliath quotes below are all either spoken by Inverted-U Curve or refer to Inverted-U Curve. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 3: Caroline Sacks
Quotes
In the end, the Impressionists made the right choice, which is one of the reasons that their paintings hang in every major art museum in the world. But this same dilemma comes up again and again in our own lives, and often we don’t choose so wisely. The inverted-U curve reminds us that there is a point at which money and resources stop making our lives better and start making them worse. The story of the Impressionists suggests a second, parallel problem. We strive for the best and attach great importance to getting into the finest institutions we can. But rarely do we stop and consider—as the Impressionists did—whether the most prestigious of institutions is always in our best interest.
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Inverted-U Curve Term Timeline in David and Goliath
The timeline below shows where the term Inverted-U Curve appears in David and Goliath. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: Teresa DeBrito
...proper graph of the relationship between parenting and wealth would be what’s known as an inverted-U curve (a graph with a line that resembles an upside-down U). On the left side, the...
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...academia, Gladwell proposes that the relationship between student success and class size is also an inverted-U curve . To explain this, he suggests that, though class sizes have no effect on academic...
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Chapter 8: Wilma Derksen
...that the effect of punishment on crime has diminishing returns. It is, Gladwell argues, an inverted-U curve .
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...reason the Derksens decided to forgive their daughter’s killer—they intuitively grasped the concept of the inverted-U curve , understanding that changing the laws wouldn’t necessarily do anything to bring about a greater...
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