Scientific Secrets for Self-Control

By: C. Nathan DeWall, The Great Courses

Narrated by: C. Nathan DeWall

Length: 3 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Join an expert in self-control research for six engaging and inspirational lessons that shatter the myths about willpower and replace them with verifiable science that can make the seemingly unattainable finally possible. Packed with eye-opening studies, experiments, and exercises to strengthen your self-control when dealing with money, fitness, personal relationships, and more, this course will have you wondering why you ever doubted yourself.

Whether you're looking for new ways to resist temptation, make a strong first impression, or better control your emotions, this is your guide to understanding—and mastering—what is a frequently misunderstood subject. In clear language, your award-winning professor introduces you to the general theories behind self-control: what it is, how it works, and how you can take steps to improve it.

Among the topics you'll investigate:

• How researchers discovered that delayed gratification can lead to better individual well-being in everything from higher self-worth to less sensitivity to rejection
• One of the most influential theories about how self-control works - the limited resource model, which argues that self-control relies on limited energy that becomes depleted after use
• How scientists discovered the link between the prefrontal cortex and aggression, and how people at risk for violent anger show abnormalities in that region of the brain.

Alongside groundbreaking scientific findings and research, you'll get personal exercises, activities, and thought experiments you can use to practice strengthening your self-control skills to meet whatever specific goals you want to achieve.

Disclaimer: Please note that this recording may include references to supplemental texts or print references that are not essential to the program and not supplied with your purchase.

©2013 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2013 The Great Courses

Give this author/professor his just dessert

What made the experience of listening to Scientific Secrets for Self-Control the most enjoyable?

The previous reviews criticized this Professor for talking about experiments to study behavior, said that the experiments weren't relevant, and said that the Professor's statements were not true. I found the same thing, but I need self-control too much to give it short shrift. When I listened to the last three half-hour lectures, I found that I could go back to the beginning of the course and listen to it straight though, I could understand it, and it was very helpful to me. The professor says that people who are more successful, richer, and more healthy, had a greater degree of self-control and ability to delay gratification for greater rewards, from their earlier days. That same author says that one can learn to get enough rest and relaxation, food and calories, before making decision behaviors, and that self-control is like a muscle that improves with use. Also, he says that violent people have less self control. So, I suppose you could say that people can learn to get enough rest and relaxation, food and calories, before the occasion presents itself of being violent or committing a crime. Perhaps this understanding could help people in areas of the world who are plagued by violence and war, to have peaceful outcomes, such as Israel, where life has been a never-ending nightmare.

The Answer for Nearly Everthing

Educators, counselors, and everone else who wants to improve society should listen to this short course. I am old, so I can give a thousand examples to illiterate what he can prove scientifically. I also liked his research on how people can change their brains and have a better life. I have often wondered if some people were simply born to be unfulfilled, he makes it claer that with knowledge and practice everyone can have a great life.

Concise Helpful Explanations

This course doesn't try to overdo it. Its scope is limited and that helps make it effective. It goes beyond just self-help style tips and mantras and positive thinking. Rather it starts with common situations and dilemmas we all face then explains the cognitive, psychological, evolutionary, and cultural reasons why we face these paradoxes. By understanding why our brains experience them he then uses that information as the basis for coping strategies and tactics.
Like with many of the best self-help books the effects are often self-evident if we had just taken the time to think through them. But listening to this once or twice will greatly increase your understanding of your behavior (and others') and help you improve your situational efficacy.

I am not married but I can imagine this knowledge would greatly improve marriages by improving empathy.

This book is very short and direct to the point. I appreciate that.

It has one big weakness. It implicitly assumes that all use of stereotyping is bad and it gives examples to support that. But it doesn't explain why we are evolved to use stereotypes and by doing so he fails to show that stereotyping has tremendous efficiency benefits when done properly. He should discuss the benefits and show us how to be careful when stereotyping and understand the limits and pitfalls of careless stereotyping rather than preaching it's complete elimination.

very informative

really enjoyed it. can't wait to apply these methods into my daily life. self control is the key to my success

Basic Tips for Self-Control

This course does not contain 'secrets' for self-control. I think it's well known that temptations can deplete your ability for self-control. And as the day continues and you're bombarded with temptations, it becomes more difficult to control your impulses. Some tips include getting sufficient amount of sleep, eating breakfast to get the metabolic boost for self-control, removing temptations, monitoring your activity (like tracking your spending), and having a plan to meet your goal. There are studies that support these tips. For example, people who weigh themselves every day (monitoring) have been more successful in losing weight.

working out the mind.

you'll learn it's mental energy, and like any muscle, you can increase the power and self control with practice. It offers good examples and exercises to try.

Don't skimp on this one

This one starts out alright but there are a LOT of things that one can find wrong with the experiments spoken about later on. This is only 3hrs but it's worth even less, about 45min. Instead, skip this truncated summation of psychological experiments and suggestions to do illogical things for training purposes and go straight to "The Willpower Instinct" which contains descriptions of all the best psychological studies AND realistic ways of both understanding and improving upon your willpower.

Interesting and Useful

The experiments cited were interesting and the info was applicable and usefulness in everyday life. It helped me in my professional and personal life.

Very helpful and practical info for any reader

Beneficial and insightful. What he teaches makes sense. Great courses are all quality. One of the best things one can do to be more successful and peaceful.

The Limited resource

The course was very informative I learned a lot about self control. It was very interesting to listen to.