by Andrew Smart
I’d like to thank Leyla Kader Dahm for providing guidance for a naïve writer. I owe Sarah Douglas, cultural editor at the New York Observer, for introducing me to Rilke in high school and for being a friend since we were twelve.
My path to the science of idleness has been a long and circuitous one and I want to thank the scientists who have personally influenced me over the years: Jonathan Friedman, David Graeber, Steven Sampson, Sverker Sikström, Petter Kallioinen, Kristoffer Åberg, Jonas Olofsson, Scott Makeig, Rey Ramirez, Liina Pylkkänen, Hakwan Lau, Stanislas Dehaene, and Santosh Mathan.
Finally, the most important thanks for making this book a reality goes to John Oakes at OR Books. John responded to my initial query email summarizing the idea for this book with: “wow.” He has been immensely encouraging throughout the process of writing and a huge source of inspiration. I am so honored and proud to be associated with such a great publisher.
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