Hard Work or Good Fortune? Robert Frank on Success and Luck

Wealthy people are far more likely than those with lower incomes to say that people get rich because they work hard, according to a Pew Research Center study. Economist and New York Times columnist Robert Frank says discounting the role of luck in success can make people less generous and public spirited. In his book, “Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy”, Frank says that when people do learn to recognize their luck – including the luck of being born in a developed country – they become more generous and, as an extra bonus, that gratitude may even increase their good fortune.