This is Work in Progress, a newsletter by Derek Thompson about work, technology, and how to solve some of America’s biggest problems. Sign up here to get it every week. For most of my life, I thought ...

It’s a common assumption that highly intelligent people have it easier than the rest of the world, yet being smart doesn’t shield people from tough times. Being smart often means being misunderstood, ...

Ever posed a question and realized you failed to uncover needed details? Like you're at a dead end, and it didn’t lead to better understanding? Not all questions are created equal. We make choices ...

So many folks say, "Street-smarts are what helped me succeed in the world," but, on the other hand, book-smarts are often thought of as the lesser cousin to street-smarts. I'm lucky enough to be ...