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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Come Hear Dr. Susan Thompson Talk on the Science of Willpower!


Date: Saturday, April 5th, 2014

Time: Pot-luck dinner at 6 p.m. followed by talk at 7 p.m.

Location: Rochester Baha’i Center, 693 East Avenue at Oxford street, free parking (in an adjacent lot) and entrance on Oxford St. at the SW corner of East Ave.

The Science of Willpower

Willpower. Self-control. Restraint. Self-regulation. Whatever you call it, almost nothing is more predictive of your success in life—whether you define success as a happy family, flourishing career, vibrant health, deep-seated contentment, or all of the above. The trouble is that in today’s ultra-wired and convenience-oriented society, temptations abound. All day, every day, we face urges to eat things we know aren’t healthy, surf the web when our time is better spent elsewhere, sleep when we ought to be attentive, and pursue sexual gratification in ways we shouldn’t. Some of these battles we are more likely to win than others, but having to fight the battle at all takes its toll—and leaves us more vulnerable to the next temptation.  So what is willpower? What depletes it? What fuels it? How can we strengthen it? How can we become better stewards of it? The exciting news is that over the past fifteen years, scientists have discovered concrete answers to all of these questions. This talk will synthesize hundreds of research studies and outline a practical guide to strengthening and then deploying your willpower most effectively in service of all you want to do and be in life. Guaranteed to be entertaining, illuminating, and uber-useful, this is one Unity Night event you definitely won’t want to miss.

Susan Thompson
Psychology
04/01/2014