The executive function of the brain involves decision making and creativity. Many blue collar jobs are repetitive of just following a standard operating procedure over and over. It becomes taxing and creates an intrinsic limit to how much can be done. With many white collar jobs especially when promoted to higher levels of management and autonomy, the pleasure involved with decision-making makes work as rewarding as playing that game plus there's a monetary reward. The basic premise of the article is that if the undereducated people were afforded similar opportunities than we may have a different situation.
I'm not even sure if education has anything to do with it. I have lots of peers who chose careers where they "work-to-live" vs "live-to-work". An example may be a pharmacist who chose their career, and makes decent money, but the average pharmacist doesn't feel compelled to work extra hours. If you offered her more money at less hours, she would take it. Where you offer me more money, it won't really change the number of hours I am compelled to work.
