Anna Karenina principle

English

Etymology

Referring to Leo Tolstoy's 1877 novel Anna Karenina, which begins: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Popularized by American scientist Jared Diamond (born 1937) in his 1997 non-fiction book Guns, Germs, and Steel, in which he uses it to illustrate why so few wild animals have been successfully domesticated throughout history.

Proper noun

Anna Karenina principle

1. A notion stating that the success of an endeavor depends upon the fulfilment of several essential conditions, and a deficiency in any one of these factors dooms the endeavor to failure.
   • 2011 July 15, Cary L Cooper, Stephen Wood, “Happiness at work: why it counts”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     While there may be some truth in the Anna Karenina principle that all happy families are alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, we increasingly have a better understanding of what makes for unhappiness and stress in the workplace.

   • 2022 June 22, Gearoid Reidy, “The Fertility Crisis Started in Japan, But It Won’t Stay There”, in The Washington Post‎^[2]:

     Japan is often convinced that its economic malaise since the 1980s is the root of its ills, but that link seems less than clear. […] It’s a variation on the Anna Karenina principle: All fertile societies are alike; each infertile society is infertile in its own way.

Further reading

• Anna Karenina principle on Wikipedia.Wikipedia