The idea of pressure creating diamonds has been used as a motivational speech, implying that human excellence is simply a result of high-intensity suffering over an extended period. This story is frequently invoked in business and other academic settings to support the idea of tough working conditions, and that the more difficult the work in a harsh environment, the more brilliant the outcome. But psychological studies indicate otherwise, that the reality is much more complicated. Although some level of tension is required when moving forward, the biological and cognitive systems that drive the performance of human beings are not composed of carbon; they are organic, and they possess limits to breaking. The Yerkes-Dodson Law can be used to disprove the myth of the diamond and to argue that the only way to grow is to carefully balance stress, as opposed to endlessly striving to suffer. The Biological Necessity of Tension…