ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nathan Santillana
80509138

-Burton, N., M.D. (2014, October/November). The Psychology of Laziness The psychology of
laziness, procrastination, and idleness. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hide-and-seek/201410/the-psychology-laziness
Although able to perform a task, people often choose to remain idle and refuse to carry out the
task due to the effort that the task would require. This often leads to procrastination and its
consequences; reduced productivity, stress, or guilt. It is theorized that our nomadic ancestors
conserved energy to compete for resources by being idle thus providing a possible evolutionary
pinpoint to laziness. Psychologically, it is theorized that many people are lazy because the
rewards for the labor and discomfort required for the task do not seem worth the effort. This
article is important to my research, because it provides me with logical, practical and credible
evidence. The theories presented, as well as the explanation and history of the terms are also very
helpful.
-Lebowitz, S. (2015, July 22). You aren't just lazy these 7 psychological theories explain why
you procrastinate. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/psychological-reasons-youprocrastinate-2015-7
Procrastination is often linked to laziness or disorganized. Often times, the causes of
procrastination are a bit deeper and psychologically tied. Theories range from strict parents
affecting the attitude and productivity of their children to being afraid to fail or succeed. This
reference will benefit my research, because the theories contained within are useful in
understanding fundamental causes behind procrastination and laziness.
-Seltzer, L. F., Ph.D. (2008, June 23). Laziness: Fact or Fiction? How to best understand the
different "motives" of laziness. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionthe-self/200806/laziness-fact-or-fiction
Claiming that people can't be taught to be lazy, either they are or they aren't is how Dagwood
Bumstead referred to lazy people. The author claims that the previous statement is a myth and
that the true cause of laziness is simply a lack of motivation. The author comes up with factors
which he believes to interfere with motivation. A lack of self-efficacy, the conviction that setting
our minds on something leads to our effectiveness in it, is believed by the author, to be a cause of
laziness along with lacking confidence, support, self-discipline, and interest in the task itself.
Fear is also a factor leading to laziness. The fear of rejection or failure. Ambivalence is also a
theorized factor as humans might assume that the task at hand is not worth the effort. This is a
great reference as it provides very logical explanations as to why laziness is caused.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nathan Santillana
80509138

-Wellman, J. (2015, January 31). Top 7 Bible Verses About Laziness. Retrieved from
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2015/01/31/top-7-bible-verses-about-laziness/
The bible provides talks a lot about the "sloth" (lazy person). This article provides a list of
various bible verses that explicitly speak about laziness. The Proverbs, contain versus exhorting
the person who lies in bed all day and refuses to wake and work. This person will be surprised by
the poverty that will take everything from him. Also in Proverbs is the verse asking lazy people
to look upon the ant, which works all throughout the summer to collect enough food for the
winter. The point of these versus are to warn the slothful person that their laziness will lead to
discomfort, poverty, and hunger. I chose this reference because it offers wisdom concerning
laziness. Although the bible does not view laziness through a scientific lens, it contains a more
pathological and logical approach, providing an unbiased research of laziness.
-Company, J. M., Roberts, M. D., Toedebusch, R. G., Cruthirds, C. L., & Booth, F. W. (2013).
Sudden decrease in physical activity evokes adipocyte hyperplasia in 70- to 77-day-old rats but
not 49- to 56-day-old rats. Sudden Decrease in Physical Activity Evokes Adipocyte Hyperplasia
in 70- to 77-day-old Rats but Not 49- to 56-day-old Rats, 305. Retrieved from
http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/305/12/R1465.article-info
The article is a very detailed scientific publication which explains how a lack of activity can lead
to weight gain. The research was conducted on lab rodents which were either given a running
wheel or nothing at all. The rodents which decided to run on the wheel where compared to those
who refused to run on their wheel and to those rodents who had no access to a running wheel.
Data was recorded on rodents at 49-56 days of age and 70-77 days of age. Body mass was
recorded as well as other physical and internal factors. This reference is great as it provides strict
scientific research on the effects of idleness and laziness. There is also a wealth of data that
proves research credibility.
-Roberts, M. D., Brown, J. D., Company, J. M., Oberle, L. P., Heese, A. J., Toedebusch, R.
G., . . . Booth, F. W. (2013). Phenotypic and molecular differences between rats selectively bred
to voluntarily run high vs. low nightly distances. American Journal of Physiology, 304. Retrieved
from http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/304/11/R1024
Research done on rodents suggests that laziness can be a habit gained through genetics. Rodents
were placed near a running wheel and were observed for a period of time. For eight generations,
the rodents which exercised more were breed with each other while those who exercised less
were also breed with one another. Strangely enough, the lazy rodents began to exercise less and
less compared to their active counterparts. The data recorded displayed dramatic differences in
body weight, hormone release, and overall health between the two rodent groups. This is a great
reference as the data collected is credible and offers a great scientific stand point. It will help
clarify ideas as well as prove theories that will be presented in my future papers.