Gratitude is the new willpower Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to building capital. But as with most virtues, it’s not always easy to muster, since it usually requires resisting temptations for gratification on the sooner side. Should you put the extra $1,000 earned this month in your retirement savings or use it to buy a new suit? […]
Is gratitude the new willpower? Given the limits of willpower, some psychology professors at Northeastern University began thinking about alternatives. Might experiencing certain emotions help curb our desire for the short-term gratification that comes from spending money? In particular, David DeSteno and his colleagues wanted to find out what role gratitude might play in squelching the desire to spend money. […]
CBC Radio Using willpower to reach your New Year’s resolutions? Don’t, says psychologist Given up on your New Year’s resolutions already? You’re not alone. Research shows that only eight per cent of resolutions are kept throughout the year, while fully 25 per cent fail within the first week. Northeastern University psychology professor David DeSteno says that’s because we’re going about it wrong, because using willpower to change our habits simply […]
Here’s an easy way to become more patient “The human mind has a tendency to value the present more than the future,” says study author David DeSteno, a professor of psychology at Northeastern University. “That’s related to all kinds of bad outcomes, from credit card debt to addiction.” According to DeSteno, a person’s emotional states have long been blamed for that person’s impatience, […]