The scientific community is increasingly coming to realize how central self-control is to many important life outcomes. We have always known about the impact of socioeconomic status and IQ, but these are factors that are highly resistant to interventions. In contrast, self-control…
As you may or may not know, I am a fairly avid squash player (not so good but I love the game). One of my favorite aspects of squash, aside from being a great source of exercise, is the strategic thinking required. The…
Recently, a flaming trashcan ignited a house in Tennessee. Local authorities were notified and a crew of firefighters rushed to the scene to put out the fire just in time. Wait a minute. That’s not at all what happened. In Obion County,…
The Magic of Procrastination Oscar Wilde once said, “I never put off till tomorrow what I can do the day after.” As a university professor, I constantly see Wilde’s words put into action. Each fall students arrive to the first day of…
The dark side of “Productivity Enhancing Tools” Email, Facebook, and Twitter have greatly enhanced the ways we communicate. These handy modes of communication allow us to stay in touch with people all over the world without the restrictions of snail mail (too…
For the last 2 years I have been positing this video in celebration of the new school year, and all the hopes and promises we make to ourselves that this year things will be different…. Somewhat unsurprisingly, this video is still as…
April 29th — happy birthday to me. Here are some reflections on Shaving, Squash, Sunk cost, and the “pain of paying” Irrationally yours Dan
I have “a friend” who will head over to a coffee shop to get work done. Not because she’s unable to work at her desk or because she needs the presence of other people, but rather because it lets her get away…
Sex, Shaving, and Bad Underwear Or how to trick yourself into exerting self-control Recently, I gave a lecture on the problem of self-control. You know the one: At time X you decide that you’re done acting a certain way (No more smoking!…
Here is a video dedicated to the start of a new academic year. Today we all have good intentions but what will come of these intentions in the future? Happy semester