The moviegoers all agreed – the popcorn smelled delicious!
158 participants had been invited to attend a post-lunch matinee at a local movie theater and give their rating of it on a 5-star scale. To help make the movie more enjoyable, psychologist Brian Wansick gave them all free popcorn!
Read MoreThe clock was ticking down as the UCLA Bruins were about to defeat the Seattle University Redhawks in the round of 16 game of the 1964 NCAA basketball tournament. The Bruins came into the game undefeated and were up 95-90. The win was all but assured, yet legendary coach John Wooden was not happy.
Read MoreThe Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s serves as one of the most historic movements in the United States of America. African Americans, who had never been treated as equals in the entire history of the American South, finally said “enough”.
It was time to stop being treated as second-class citizens. It was time to stop being abused for the sake of their color, and it was time to make a stand against the oppression they had faced for centuries. And the catalyst of the entire movement was one simple seamstress who would not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger.
Read MoreIn 1970, psychologists Walter Mischel and Ebbe B. Ebbesen invited a group of 4-year olds into a laboratory for what may have been the toughest test of their short lives. They sat down at a table by themselves with a delicious, tempting, marshmallow on a plate in front of them.
They were told that they could eat the marshmallow if they wanted to right now, but if they could wait 15 minutes, they would be able to have 2 marshmallows. As a 4 year-old, this was painful to say the least.
Read MoreIn 2009, a man named Joe DeSena founded a company called "Spartan Race". Spartan Race is an obstacle course that is typically run in trails where runners must climb up ropes, crawl under barbed wire, and scale over walls. Since then, the Spartan Race has grown rapidly; expanding into 17 countries and having over 1 million race participants in 2014.
But before DeSena created one of the top races in a fast growing sport, he sustained a hip injury and was told that he would never be able to run again. Being a tough competitor, DeSena sought to prove those doctors wrong...by running 14 Ironman Triathlons!
Read MoreIt’s that time of year again.
A time when we make time for friends, family and feasts. To most, it is a time to cut back on our daily routines, relax and enjoy the great cooking, holiday treats and festive eggnog.
Unfortunately, it is also the time of year that many can lose all of the progress that they have made on their goals in just a few days of indulging. Even though we may have earned the time to relax and spend time with family does not mean that our bodies should be the ones to pay the price.
Read MoreThe coaching staff of a high school cross-country running team recently got together for dinner after winning its second state championship in two years.
"I don't get it," said one of the coaches. "Why are we so successful? We don't work any harder than any other teams. And what we do is just so simple. Why does it work?"
He was referring to the strategy of the program: Run best at the end.
Read More“He might be the world’s best ultra-endurance athlete” –The New York Times
In 2004, a man named Jure Robic won the Insight Race Across America for the 2nd year in a row. The race, commonly referred to as RAAM, is a non-stop 3,000-mile bike tour that is a full 800 miles longer than the Tour de France!
Read MoreThey are two men at the very top of their professions. One is the head of the one of the largest technology companies in the world and is personally valued at over $33 billion dollars. The other is the President of the United States of America. And they have one very unique thing in common – they wear the exact same thing every day.
Read MoreBreaking a promise to our friends, to our family, or to our boss seems almost unfathomable. We will go to almost heroic lengths to not let them down. We want them to know that they can trust us. That we can deliver for them. That when we say something, we are going to do it.
But when it comes to a promise to ourselves...that’s a different story. We promise ourselves that this time we’re going to make it to the gym 4 times a week, cut back on spending, and eat healthier. But for some reason if we don’t keep that promise, we’re not too upset about it.
Read More“Humans are remarkably weak and vulnerable creatures.” - Robert Greene
As the top of the food chain, it is hard for us to imagine that for millions of years humans were weak and vulnerable. We were less than 5 feet tall, slow, and our muscles were exceptionally weak compared to our predators.
Read MoreJust how important is breakfast?
That was the question on researchers minds as they were conducting various studies on self-control. We have been told over and over again just how important breakfast is for our health and energy. But could it benefit our willpower as well?
Read More“What have I done to deserve this?!”
Said Amanda Palmer as a frat boy tried to shove his head into her crotch. Palmer, an up and coming musician, was spending her days as a living statue in order to help pay the bills. She would spend hours in a bridal costume on top of a box in the middle of Harvard Square and would not move an inch.
Some people would insult her, others would try to make her laugh, and some would threaten to steal the money she had been collecting. But through it all, she remained completely still.
Read More“This time is going to be different.”
Those are the first words we tell ourselves when we set a goal and plan to change our behavior. It does not matter if that behavior change was to quit smoking, lose weight or start exercising. Despite our past failures, we believe that it’s going to be different.
For most of us, “this time” is rarely ever different. We set up an unrealistic plan to achieve our goal and get burned out within the first couple of weeks. But for a rare few, “this time” really is different!
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Read MoreThere are never enough hours in the day.
We can never seem to find the time to accomplish everything we want to on our to-do lists. Whether those things are work-related, family-related or goal-related, we just don’t seem to have enough time or energy to get them done.
Read MoreOvereating is a harder addiction to break than addiction to heroin. [1]
That's right, heroin. Dr. David Ludwig and his associates, came across this finding when testing the reward centers in the brain of those suffering with obesity and those suffering with heroin addiction. When certain foods - especially those high in fat and sugar - were presented, the reward centers in the brain of those with obesity lit up identically to those addicted to heroin. Meaning that their bodies crave food as much as a heroin addict crave their next fix.
Read MoreImagine you have been sent back thousands of years to pre-civilized society. All of your modern-day comforts are gone. Your goals of losing weight, becoming more productive and learning a new language have now been replaced by securing food, finding a mate and keeping safe from predators.
All of your thoughts, all of your focus, all of your creativity are now simply on securing these 3 things in order to survive. This was the case for us over millions and millions of years of evolution, and it explains our modern day problems with willpower.
Read MoreIt was 35 degrees fahrenheit in the morning of October 27th, 2012. My friend and I were headed to a rural area outside of Chicago to try out this new thing called a “Spartan Race”.
Having played sports throughout school, I had always been athletic and competitive. But like many other former athletes, I had let myself go in recent years. To try to turn this around, I signed up for several 5K runs in Chicago just to stay active. I enjoyed them, but I don’t really have a “runner's body” (I played lineman in football) so I knew that I would not become elite.
Read MoreWhen Charles Duhigg wrote his best-selling book, The Power of Habit, he made a bold claim.
“There’s nothing you can’t accomplish if you get the habits right.” [1]
Few of us would argue with the statement. After all, most of our lives are merely the accumulation of habits that we have built over the years. Some are positive, some are negative. But whether it’s lacing up your running shoes first thing in the morning, or keeping a fully stocked bowl of M&Ms by your desk, these habits have shaped who we are.
But what if we want to make a change to this daily behavior?
Read MoreThe painting above is the earliest published work of a teenaged Leonardo da Vinci. His mentor painted most of the work, but instructed Leonardo to paint the angel that is gesturing toward the Virgin Mary. When Leonardo was told of his assignment, he spent the next several weeks at work, but did not paint a thing
Read MoreWillpowered was founded on one idea - Help people win the mental battle. All of our products and services are designed based on scientific evidence to help you overcome mental obstacles on the way to achieving your dreams.
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