TEDxWoodsHole - Dan Ariely - Temptations and Self-Control

One of the challenges of human life is what's good for us in the long term often doesn't seem good for us right now. Dieting, for example, is not so much fun now, but good for the future; the same goes for saving money or submitting to preventive medical tests. When we face such tradeoffs, we often focus on the short term rather than our long-terms goals, and in the process we get ourselves into trouble. But wait! There is hope. By understanding where we fall short, there are methods we can use to overcome our natural (and less than desirable) inclinations.
Using simple experiments, Dan Ariely studies how people actually act in the marketplace, as opposed to how they should or would perform if they were completely rational. His interests span a wide range of daily behaviors and his experiments are consistently interesting, amusing, and informative, demonstrating profound ideas that fly in the face of common wisdom. Dan is the author of the New York Times Bestseller Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions and of The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Ways We Defy Logic at Work and at Home. Ariely is the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University.
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[@UpInMySeLf]

Watching this and thinking. Either i watch and enjoy this now then stay up late to complete homework or Do my homework now and go to sleep for a goods night rest... This is my third 20 minute Dan Ariely video in a row.

[@obiwan177]

After reading some of Dan Ariely's stuff I believe that almost all decisions in life are based on this fact. Either you experience short term loss for long term gain, or short term gain but long term loss. In most cases short term loss for long term gain is the way to go (rationally), but as such, we humans aren't rational.

[@RunAboveIt]

I liked the closing 17:21 "By understanding how people are wrong, we can try and think about how to fix the world"

[@DharmendraRaiMindMap]

Dan is a rare genius who can connect with the average Joe

[@yanirfezodiakgold4479]

na, he is simply jewish and Israeli.

[@cosmopop1]

Dr. Ariely is a brilliant man! Bravo!

[@rosedarwin6547]

It's so sad to hear about his problems with his illness. I hope it doesn't give him any future problems, especially considering how inspiring his work is, and how many people he helps.

[@LearningDevgarg]

Loved it!!! So helpful!

[@ruckaf6310]

I have a pretty serious problem with self-control and giving in to temptation. A while back I discovered this neat trick of rewarding myself only after accomplishing certain important tasks. It worked for few things, and overall, I ended up just no longer being able to enjoy many of the things I love because I always forewent the reward and replaced the task with pursuing other impulses. Maybe I've placed too much importance on satisfying impulses. Maybe the high stakes aren't fully understood.

[@tapwaterthirstoflife7605]

Very Inspiring. Awesome talk Dan! Thanks so much! You're a real hero :)

[@Shaara1]

I think the nature of the reward is the key. I was thinking all along what kind of treat would be motivational enough to make me overcome temptation or procrastination and I haven't found any. Money doesn't mean much to me, so I know I would rather lose it at that critical moment and regret it later,than do what I have to do then. But I will try and find a motivation that works.

[@nikm7859]

I hope u found a way ..If yes kindly share..

[@Ocasek77]

Man, what a speaker. Also a very interesting one is Ramachandran

[@Hotpocketmountiandew]

no thats cause homework and school, are designed to put you in a state of mind for learning but the words actually switch off the right brain (your imagination) without left and right connection that state cannot be acheived. So nurturally you are drawn to actually learn, not work.

[@ThePapawhisky]

Now we know that he misrepresented his findings. Surprised this video doesn’t come with a disclaimer.

[@OpeyemiAdelusi]

Dan Ariely would be proud....

[@excelrose4275]

What is a videostore and can I find it on Netflix?

[@ORCA4312]

@obiwan177 But, - we can use our intellect against our instinct. We can arrange either a negative reinforcement for unwise behaviour, or positive reinforcement for wise behaviour. Like he did with the movies.

[@ORCA4312]

@cosmopop1 Very true.

[@bananian]

This is why loans have interests

[@amberd.h.w7667]

Dating = "all you care to eat" buffet, clearest cut paths lead to morbid obesity or emaciation / near starvation. Most reasonably intelligent persons know this, some sooner than others. Component many neglect to recognize is that there are variations of quality & type regarding the overall "buffet"... I can remember family members dragging me to Furrs & Libbys, there was almost nothing that I considered edible - save veggies & a few deserts so that's all that was imbibed. Blaming the restaurant 100% entirely, I developed an erroneous mental idealist imagining void of experience or observation that better quality (ex. Vegas buffet or epicurean a-al-carte) would automatically furnish & cater to all my admirably pervasive & restrictive preferences) this was later observed to be technically incorrect... Analogies still holding, growing up (yet n.b. literally) consuming foodstuffs that were subpar (most actually based on: expiration dates, improper storage, & very basic nutrition (ground chuck [as opposed to ground sirloin / lean pork, despite having nutritional value still makes *me* personally physically ill & since life doesn't equate to Fear Factor - consumption usually isn't worth it] & bologna are bad for you - end of) in quality... Thus, specific tastes & atypical standards develop which someone should never be ashamed of if you're able to honestly & logically detail.

[@asapketo]

Proper preparation prevents poor performance. Procrastination perpetuates poison.

[@SILLYHEART21]

Tech probs here Dan. can one of your viewers pull this and fix it w a sound editing machine?

[@vipsylar6370]

What's the problem?

[@JML689]

Henceforth- DISCIPLINE

[@Aznprada]

Snuz and Luz already exists.. it's called being a trader.

[@vipsylar6370]

Kkkkkkk

[@SILLYHEART21]

I am very skinny and do not like chocolate but I find it interesting that people will taunt me in public and say "Omg you are so ~~ thin" and think that it is fine to say that to me when i would never comment on his/her weight. Once my pants were falling down because I forgot to wear a belt and so I had to pull them up or my knickers were going to show in a short amount of time and someone said "Gee I wish I had your problem"? So ~~ I was puzzled by this actually. I thought would you really want your pants to be falling down? I just thought that this was a really weird thing to say to another person when I was obviously having a "private moment" with myself in a public place which was not really my choice. Hmmmm...What do you think?

[@guessblocker3601]

They want to maintain their lifestyle and have your problems as a consequence. They don't think that you probably eat less than half of what they indulge in. Maybe that's a result of cognitive laziness or blindness. If they properly put themselves in your shoes, their first thought may have been "I wonder what it feels like to have 3 half-meals a day and zero snacks" instead of: "Gee I wish I had your problem". Can anybody accurately measure the qualitative and quantitative difference in happiness between you and a stranger?

[@oxygenlung]

hehehehehehehehe

[@karnzkeltic]

This is a concept "Conservatives" understand and are willing to apply to economics of their respective country . It is also a concept that "Liberals" understand but are willing to ignore for instant political gain at the expense of long-term economical health"