INTERRUPTER: Footfalls
Next time you walk, notice each foot as it meets the ground and as you lift it and swing it. No need to look down. Don't bump anyone.
Heart & Mind
Friday, December 30 2011
In my new book The Willpower Instinct, I describe one of my favorite studies of self-control. I call it the "torture experiment." It reveals how mindfulness can help us break free from even the most difficult habits.
Sarah Bowen, a research scientist in the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, invited smokers who wanted to quit to participate in a study. Each brought an unopened pack of their favorite brand of cigarettes. When the smokers were all there, Bowen seated them around a long table. Then the torture began.
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posted by Kelly McGonigal, 12:00 pm
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Friday, December 23 2011
Have you ever noticed that when you’re under stress, it’s so much harder to resist temptation? Or make any kind of change in your daily routine, like starting an exercise program or kicking a late-night TV habit?
That’s because stress primes the brain to take automatic action. Any impulse will be harder to control, whether it’s craving Krispy Kremes, or procrastinating on a project.
Neuroscientists sometimes say that we have one brain, but two minds: a mind that makes conscious choices, based on self-reflection and awareness; and a mind that makes automatic responses based on instinct and habit.
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posted by Kelly McGonigal, 10:27 am
Friday, December 16 2011
In my “How to Think Like a Psychologist” course, I recently hosted Stanford neuroeconomist Brian Knutson. His research has illuminated questions like: Why does the brain love a bargain? Why do sexy photos increase risky investing?
The answer to both those questions has to with the brain’s reward system, which gets excited by both perceived value (e.g. a deeply discounted designer dress) and mating opportunities, however remote (e.g., a photo of a half-naked hottie). And when the reward system gets activated, the brain starts to selectively focus on acquiring rewards, and ignoring costs (or, in the case of investments, risks).
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posted by Kelly McGonigal, 10:01 am
Monday, November 21 2011
Can you tell who is compassionate just by looking at them?
According to a new study, yes.
Imagine this: you walk into the laboratory, and are a shown a series of 20-second video clips. In each clip, a different person is shown listening to another person. You can’t hear what the speaker is saying; there is no sound to the clip. But you’re told that the speaker is talking about a time when they suffered.
The researchers ask you to rate how compassionate the listener is, just by what you can see: his or her body language and facial expressions.
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posted by Kelly McGonigal, 1:00 am
Tuesday, November 15 2011
Imagine that you and a stranger are participating in a psychology study. The experimenter gives the stranger $20. "Divide this money between you and your partner," the experimenter tells the stranger. "You can keep any amount for yourself, and give any amount to your partner. But your partner gets to decide whether or not to accept the deal. If your partner refuses the offer, nobody gets any money, and the game is over."
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posted by Kelly McGonigal, 8:39 am
Kelly McGonigal, PhD, is a psychologist at Stanford University, and the curriculum developer for the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. She is also the author of Yoga for Pain Relief and the upcoming The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and How to Get More of It (Penguin, Jan. 2012).
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