I remember being in secondary school when our principal constantly pushed us to work harder. He gave frequent speeches about discipline, ambition, and success. One example that stayed with me was the legendary sprinter Usain Bolt. He spoke fervently about how Bolt had developed a new running technique, something between sprinting and jumping, to gain even more speed.
Last year I read an interview in which Bolt said he gets out of breath walking up the stairs, even though he is still under forty. That contrast stayed with me. I also remember watching Whiplash for the first time and admiring the teacher’s brutality, believing that extreme pressure was justified if it produced excellence.
Now I see that mindset as dangerous. It glorifies strain and ignores the long-term cost: overwhelm, burnout, exhaustion, and reduced creativity. In our research on variable selection, we observe a similar pattern. Stability often substantially improves when we accept a small reduction in short-term performance instead of pushing a method to be maximally aggressive. Relentless optimization can undermine stability.