behavior

CM 152: Wendy Wood on the Science of Habits

What if our success was less about channeling willpower and more about building sustainable habits? Too often, when we think about goals we’ve failed to achieve, we blame it on a lack of willpower. Yet research has shown when we rely primarily on willpower, we’re bound to fail. Willpower takes energy, and it’s when our…

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CM 099: Sean Young on the Science of Changing Your Life

What is the secret to changing our habits? Too often, we are led to believe that we need to study successful people and then use our willpower to act like they do. But UCLA Medical School Professor, Sean Young, reveals that this approach mainly leads to failure. Instead, Young and his colleagues point us to…

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CM 091: Seth Stephens-Davidowitz on Big Data as Truth Serum

Do you really know your neighbors or coworkers? To understand human behavior, we need research participants who act and respond truthfully. But that is a tall order when it comes to topics that are embarrassing or even incriminating. Social scientists have found it hard to get honest answers when asked about topics that might reveal…

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CM 068: Michelle Segar on Exercise for Life

If you struggle with exercise, Michelle Segar has a secret for you: Stop blaming yourself! Blame the system! After years of studying the science of motivation, Michelle Segar, Ph.D., Director of SHARP — the Sport, Health, and Activity research and policy center at the University of Michigan — has created a framework for rethinking exercise…

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CM 058: Jessica Tracy on the Benefits of Pride

Is pride a deadly sin or a key to our survival? Will it lead us down a destructive path or can it actually help us resist temptation? In this conversation, Jessica Tracy answers these questions and more. Jessica is a Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia and author of the book, Take…

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