 What if
achieving our goals is not about willpower but about gratitude, compassion and
pride?
It’s natural
to experience negative emotions, like discouragement, frustration, and even
fear when we’re working on something hard. And every time these feelings arise,
we may be tempted to overcome them with willpower. But rather than dismissing
our emotions, what if we put them to work on our behalf?
In this interview, David DeSteno, author of the book, Emotional Success: The Power of Gratitude, Compassion, and Pride, explains: “Emotions push people to do hard things. And if we’re not utilizing those tools in the right way, we’re kind of fighting this battle with one hand tied behind our back.”
In
particular, the three emotions David champions are gratitude, compassion and
pride. He explains that they not only fuel perseverance, but also “…reduce
people’s blood pressure. There’s evidence they will help you sleep better at
night. They will increase immune responses. In general, they basically act to
destress the body.”
David is a Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association where he served as editor in chief of the journal, Emotion. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Atlantic.
The Host
You can learn more about Curious Minds Host and Creator, Gayle Allen, and Producer, Rob Mancabelli, by visiting @CuriousGayle and www.gayleallen.net.
Episode Links
@daviddesteno
http://www.davedesteno.com/ and his Social Emotions Lab at Northeastern University
Psychologist Walter Mischel
The Grateful Don’t Cheat: Gratitude as a Fount of Virtue by David DeSteno, Fred Duong, Daniel Lim, and Shanyu Kates
Hal Hershfield
Episode 124 with Liz Fosslien on Emotions at Work on her book
Tom Denson, Professor at UNSW in Sydney; he studies aggression
David Brooks and resume vs eulogy virtues
When Students Feel They Belong, They Thrive by G. M. Walton and G. L. Cohen
Classroom Belonging and Student Performance in the Introductory Engineering Classroom
Nilanjana Dasgupta, Social Psychologist at UMass Amherst
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