Self Control

 Often taken for granted, self control is a gift. The ability to manage emotions, impulses, and behaviors is what facilitates long term goal setting and achievement. However, the process in which one regulates their self control can differ significantly from others. In the context of Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, the constant threat of the sea and freezing temperatures was bound to take a toll on the crew. After facing continuous misfortunes, Shackleton's rational optimism allowed the crew to continue towards their goal instead of succumbing to the negative thoughts. Having the ability to maintain a positive outlook highlights the human ability to adapt to any situation. 

Power of Human Spirit

 A key takeaway from the book, Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, was the power of human spirit. With most odds against the crew, their unwavering goal fuels their perseverance. Every task was daunting, but their ability to overcome extreme physical and mental exhaustion was awe-inspiring. Both perseverance and endurance can be applied to everyday tasks, no matter big or small. A huge part of life is navigating through challenges and not always do you succeed. In some contexts, failure is a stepping stone to success. Finding inner strength within yourself to persist in any circumstance is both one of the most challenging, yet rewarding tasks. 

Procrastination

 I am extremely guilty of procrastination. I always try and tell myself I work better under pressure and put things off till the very end. This eventually ends up stressing me out more had I just done the tasks in a timely manner. The Temporal Motivation Theory was really eye opening as it explains how and why I push things off till the very end. Honestly, I've distracted myself about three times now while trying to do this blog as ironic as it is. I always thought I had this mentality and pushed things off because of my ADHD. I found this short TedTalk video that explains the idea further as well.

Incentives

 I think incentives are an important part of society. Incentives can be good or bad depending on the person and what it is. The two aspects of incentives are the value ($100 vs $10) and utility (how useful it is to you). I often try to give myself incentives to help motivate myself to complete tasks. At my job, they give us the incentive of if we do a good task or a good job, we get a ticket entered into a raffle they pull each month for a $100 certificate as well as a $100 bonus on our pay checks. Another incentive we have is for every underage gambler we catch (I work at a casino), you also get $100. A small issue with this is that someone could see a young adult attempting to gamble and let it happen just so that they can get the bonus, when in reality they are supposed to be stopping them PRIOR to gambling. I found a neat little video that talks about incentives in the past.

Reproduction

The slides on reproduction were interesting. I never gave much thought to how reproduction influences dating. I always thought that people mainly look for shared interests or similar values when choosing a partner. But after reading the slides, I found that the evolutionary reasons were behind being attracted to someone. According to the slides, women tend to seek partners who can increase the survival chances of their offspring. Looking for traits like financial stability and ambition, which meant that their partner could offer long-term support. On the other hand, men are more likely to prioritize attractiveness, which is associated with fertility and reproductive health. I’m still not completely sure how appearance and fertility are linked, but I can understand that feeling attracted to your partner plays a part in both men and women. It does make sense to look for those things in a partner. In early human history, there was a focus on survival and reproduction to grow the population. Since many children didn’t survive to adulthood, having more children increased the odds of passing on genes and growing the population. As the children aged, they also helped care for the young, which ultimately improved the chances of survival.

Book Report

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KD5fO_P10l9TTHTzmNcda8Ec_pEKHIvy/view?usp=drive_link

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker is a fascinating and honestly eye-opening look at how important sleep really is. The book explains what sleep is, why we need it, and what actually happens to our brains and bodies when we don’t get enough of it. Walker shares research that connects sleep to everything from memory and learning to mental health, immune function, and even how long we live. One of the biggest takeaways is that sleep isn’t just “rest”—it’s an active, essential process that keeps us functioning. He also talks about how modern life—like caffeine, alarms, and staying up late with screens—is hurting our natural sleep cycles more than we realize. After reading it, I definitely see sleep differently.
My favorite part of the book was the section on how sleep helps with learning and memory. I’ve always believed that staying up late to study is just part of student life, but this book completely changed my perspective. Walker breaks down how sleep—especially deep sleep—helps lock in what we’ve learned, and how REM sleep actually boosts creativity and problem-solving. It really clicked for me because we’ve read in class about how memory works and how repetition isn’t enough—you also need rest to process and retain info. Now I will try to get more sleep before tests instead of staying up all night, and I honestly feel like I’ll perform better.
This book connects a lot to what we’ve been learning about motivation. One example is how lack of sleep affects our self-control and decision-making. Walker explains that when we’re sleep-deprived, the brain becomes more impulsive and focused on short-term rewards—which lines up with what we discussed about how motivation and the reward system work. It also ties into the idea that our environment can either support or hurt our goals. In this case, if we’re constantly exhausted, we’re way less motivated to eat healthy, stay focused, or reach any of our goals.
To take this further, I actually started tracking my own sleep after reading the book using a free app, just to see if it would make a difference. I also recorded a short podcast-style audio clip talking about my experience and how the book changed my mindset—especially around late-night studying. I realized that sleep isn’t just about feeling rested; it affects how I learn, how I feel emotionally, and how motivated I am throughout the day. This book made me think about how much better things could be if schools and jobs encouraged healthy sleep—maybe we’d all be a little sharper, calmer, and more productive if we just got enough rest.

Drugs

The psychology behind drug use is deeply rooted in motivation—why people start using, why they continue, and what makes it so hard to stop. Many people turn to drugs as a way to escape pain, cope with trauma, or feel a sense of reward or relief. Drugs activate the brain’s reward system, releasing feel-good chemicals like dopamine, which can quickly create a pattern of craving and dependency. When someone’s motivation shifts from simply wanting to feel good to needing the substance just to function or avoid withdrawal, it becomes a powerful cycle that’s hard to break.

Withdrawal is one of the biggest psychological and physical barriers to quitting drugs. When the brain becomes used to getting a substance regularly, it stops producing or regulating certain chemicals on its own. So when the drug is taken away, the body and mind can go into a state of shock—causing symptoms like anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia, and even physical pain. This can leave people feeling helpless and intensely unmotivated, as their brain struggles to function without the substance. Understanding how withdrawal impacts motivation shows why recovery isn’t just about “just saying no”—it’s about support, patience, and helping the brain relearn how to feel good without the drug.

Food

Food is more than just fuel for our bodies—it’s deeply tied to our emotions, habits, and motivations. Sometimes we eat because we’re hungry, but often we eat because we’re stressed, bored, celebrating, or even just because the food is there. Psychologically, our eating behavior is influenced by both biological drives (like hunger hormones) and emotional triggers. For example, when we’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed, our brains crave comfort foods that give us a quick dopamine boost. This is where motivation comes in—our internal reasons for choosing what, when, and how much we eat can shape our health and overall relationship with food.

In the study of motivation, we often look at the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic reasons behind our actions. The same applies to eating: Are we eating to nourish our bodies and feel good (intrinsic), or because of outside pressure, habit, or reward (extrinsic)? Understanding the “why” behind our eating choices helps us build a healthier connection to food. When we become more mindful and motivated by long-term wellness instead of temporary satisfaction, we can start making choices that actually support our goals—both physically and emotionally.

Impulse and Self control

Impulse and self-control are like two voices in our heads constantly battling—one urging us to act fast for quick pleasure, and the other reminding us of our long-term goals. Impulses come from emotional, automatic parts of the brain like the amygdala, pushing us toward instant gratification, whether that’s grabbing junk food, procrastinating, or reacting without thinking. While these urges aren’t always bad, they often go against the things we actually want in the bigger picture—like staying focused, saving money, or keeping calm under pressure.

Self-control, on the other hand, is the ability to pause, reflect, and make decisions that line up with our true goals. It’s a skill that comes from the prefrontal cortex—the brain’s decision-making center—and it’s deeply connected to motivation. When we have a strong reason why we want to do something, we’re more likely to stay disciplined. Like a muscle, self-control gets stronger with practice. Learning to manage impulse and build self-control isn’t about being perfect—it’s about making intentional choices that reflect what matters most to us.

inscentives

 Incentives is something that we have all used or benefited from at some point in our lives. These are used to help motivate yourself or someone else to complete an undesired task. I work with preschoolers and this is something we use on a daily basis, often prompting the first the undesired task, then the incentive. This helps the children be able to follow directions and complete the things they may not want to do; it also helps teach them that once you do what you have to do, you can do what you want to do. Incentives are beneficial to everyone and they can help keep you on task. 

Book Report

     The book I chose to read was Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. This book is about a neuroscientist explaining how sleeping impacts our lives. That includes memory, immune system, learning, and emotions. The book talks about the different stages of sleep and their roles, how to improve sleep, how poor sleeping habits can be linked with diseases, and how it can effect physical and mental health. 

    One of my favorite parts from the book was the section about the roles of dreams. He said that dreams can act as overnight emotional therapy helping your brain to overcome your worries. They can also help with mood regulations meaning that after waking up we tend to feel less anxious and more emotionally balanced. I enjoyed this section of the book because I always wondered why dreams existed and what they meant. After reading this book, it helped better my understanding. This relates to what we learned in the lecture slides about performance because without a good night sleep, you wont perform at your best the next day because you'd be too tired. 

    I think about what I learned from this book everyday by making sure I get a good night sleep every night. I also noticed that after I have a good dream I wake up in a good mood, but if I have a bad dream I wake up anxious and nervous about it. I try to make sure I keep my body healthy and give it what it needs with a good night sleep so I have motivation the next day. 

Book Report

 Book Report: Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker 

Why We Sleep is written by a neuroscientist and sleep expert, Matthew Walker explains the roles that sleep plays in our health, emotions, memory, and quality of life. This book breaks down the science of sleep into a language we understand, showing how the neglect of resting in modern society is causing widespread physical and mental problems. Walker uses decades of research to explain the differences in the type of sleep we need such as REM sleep, and non REM sleep. The theme of the book is simple but extremely important. Sleep is not optional, it is a necessity just like food and water. Walker also addressed how inadequate sleep affects everything down to decision making, fertility, mental illness and chronic diseases. The book ends with advice and policy recommendations for individuals, schools and governments to help prioritize healthy sleep. 

My favorite part of the book was Chapter 6, this discusses how sleep plays a crucial role in learning and memory. I found this interesting because I work with children and this is not something you always think about when a child is struggling, a lot of people just jump to the assumption that they are lazy, not that they are lacking sleep. In the chapter Walker explains that during sleep, specifically deep sleep the brain actively consolidates and recognizes information learned through the day. This means that getting the right amount of sleep is as important as studying. 

I can connect this book to the class through personal experiences. Taking classes in the summer while working 3 jobs sleep is something that definitely made its way to the back burner. This is something that I have noticed affected my school work and how I have performed in all of my classes compared to how they went in the Spring. 

My real world connection is how relevant this book is in today's world where burn out, technology addiction and 24/7 work culture are at an all time high. Walker's research can help to inform better school start times, and public health campaigns to set a new standard. He argues for a later start time for teenagers because of how lack of sleep impairs their learning and increases their risk for mental health problems. His work can also influence how tech companies design screen time features to reduce blue light exposure and screen time before bed to help wind down.  

My creative feature is recommending you all to download the Rise sleep app or the Mintal Tracker app on your phone. We are all on our phones all the time and this is something that can help you. Both of these apps recommend your ideal bedtime, and the times that your energy will be at their peak and lowest during the day along with telling you what your sleep debt is. They also track your sleep to tell you how long you are in REM sleep and how long you are only in light sleep. Knowing this information can help you maximize your sleep and maximize how it impacts your life.

Drugs

 The slides about drugs were very interesting. I think learning about how drugs and addictions affect the body is always interesting. Something I always think about when talking about drugs and addiction is teens in today's world, and not knowing how vaping and nicotine can affect them long term, they care more about being cool and fitting in. Many teens do not grasp the severity of using vapes because the consequences don't show immediately. The marketing and peer pressure also stack all odds against teens. Without the proper education and guidance, teens will continue to use these substances and they with suffer down the road. Using these products will cause issues with their lungs and brains. What is seen as a harmless "cool" habit can cause a plethora of health issues down the road. 

self control

 One thing that I find interesting when it comes to self-control is how people struggle with it so differently. Self-control plays a crucial role in all areas of life, including personal relationships, academic success, and career growth. People who have strong self-control tend to make better choices and resist distractions, which will lead to greater success. Lack of self-control can result in procrastination, unhealthy habits, and even strain relationships, which can prevent people from reaching their full potential. 

Personally, I lack self-control when it comes to time management. I find it really easy for myself to push off important tasks and cram them all in at the last minute opposed to giving myself plenty of time to complete a task. I think I do this because I work a lot and when I am not working I would rather go do something fun instead of something that I may find fun but is required to do. Recognizing this makes me want to develop better time management skills to help set myself up for success. 

Procrastination

 

After reading the slides about procrastination, I found it interesting that even though people know delaying an assignment might lead to a lower grade, they still do it, including me. I admit that I often catch myself procrastinating on schoolwork or household chores. Even though my parents sometimes get upset with me, I still do it. Learning about Temporal Motivation Theory helped me understand why I procrastinate. I tend to prioritize things that I enjoy or that are completely different from the task I’m avoiding. This theory really made sense to me because I usually do things I enjoy like watching a TV show or reading a book, before tackling my responsibilities like dishes or laundry. However, it doesn’t fully explain why I procrastinate on assignments. Part of the reason is that I sit down and complete the assignment when I’m closer to the deadline. The pressure gives me a reason to sit down and focus. I know that this isn’t the healthiest motivation, but at least I have a better understanding of why I do it. 

Early Experiences Interact with Innate Preferences

 I thought the fact that what a mother eats changes a baby's preferences are later on was really interesting. This reminded me of when a friend of mine told me his sister was craving oranges her whole pregnancy, and now the baby loves oranges and orange flavored foods. I was curious to see if there was a test done and found a short video on the topic in general. The video included a nutritionist's recommendation of what they believe pregnant women should eat. I found this information to be insightful because I want my future children to be introduced to all different kinds of food.

Dugs

 After reading the lecture slides about drugs, I learned that people can become addicted to caffeine. I love coffee, I have at least one cup a day, if not more. I noticed that if I don't then I get a really bad headache the whole day. I tried eating and taking medicine but nothing helped. The other day this happened to me and I caved and made myself a cup of coffee and my headache went away. I guess that is a sign in a way. I really didn't know this could happen. 

Rewards

After learning about rewards, I can relate to practicing this. I work in a pediatric office and we are always trying to tell the kids that after they do what they need to do they will get rewarded with a lollypop.  I agree with positive reinforcements most of the time, but if your constantly doing it, they will start to catch on and use it against you to get what they want. We only use it when completely necessary. 

Self Control

Something I found interesting when reading about self-control was how people have a difficult time delaying immediate gratification for a better future reward. I can relate to this because once I get an idea in my mind, it has to happen within a week. I have a habit of just doing things without thinking and then sometimes I regret it after. A big problem for me is shopping. I never need anything but I just keep swiping my card every time I go out and I regret it the next day. 

Incentives

 Learning briefly about losses looms larger than gains brought my attention to my younger nephew. For example, when he was offered to get a new gaming system, he didn't want to get rid of the previous one. Even though it wasn't as useful anymore as it was when it first came out. He was worried that all his game progress would be gone. This motivated him to decline the offer, despite us informing him that the newer system would sync with the old. All he had to do was sign in to his account, and everything would be there. I guess to him, it felt like the risk of potentially starting over weighed more than obtaining a newer system, and he didn't want to take that chance. 

Reward deficiency syndrome

 An interesting condition I found from the lecture slides was reward deficiency syndrome, shortened as RDS. Although this syndrome is not a standalone diagnosis for someone, it is an interesting proposition to try and explain how personality and addiction can be intertwined. It’s also interesting to note that, these people who have this condition suffer from this deficiency in all reward systems, not just food or drugs, but also their social, physical and spiritual life. A person suffering from this syndrome has naturally less dopamine than the average person, which is theorized to give them an increased likelihood of seeking drugs as well. However, this syndrome proves as an excellent example that reward systems in the brain can also be caused by biological, and not just substance or social issues. 

Additionally, an epidemiological study by Blum et All titled “Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) Surprisingly Is Evolutionary and Found Everywhere: Is It “Blowin’ in the Wind”?” (2022 Journal of personalized medicine) had explained this condition as, “Reward Deficiency Syndrome is a polygenic trait with implications that suggest cross-talk between different neurological systems, including the known reward pathway, neuroendocrine systems, and motivational systems. Results from studies using animal models of substance use disorder (SUD), major depressive disorder (MDD), early life stress, immune dysregulation, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), compulsive gambling, and compulsive eating disorders, as well as anhedonia, found underlying reward deficiency mechanisms in multiple brain centers. The widespread and remarkable array of associated/overlapping behavioral manifestations with the common root of hypodopaminergia, the basic endophenotype of these disorders, comprehended as RDS, has indeed been likened to a behavioral octopus [26]. In this regard, previous work from Blum’s group provides the framework within which to suggest that the true phenotype is RDS, and behavioral disorders are endophenotypes.” This study arguably has great potential to demonstrate how not only can addictions be explained personality wise, but also that this syndrome is multidimensional in the sense that it can impact a person’s neuroendocrine, neurotransmitter, and motivational systems far more than simple addiction diagnosis could. Furthermore, people who are struggling with addictions can be provided a better understanding of why their brain’s reward system is struggling, and better forms of help for them to use. Hopefully this research and more to come will be able to provide a better understanding for addiction, and treatment for it as well. 

Reference: Blum, K., McLaughlin, T., Bowirrat, A., Modestino, E. J., Baron, D., Gomez, L. L., Ceccanti, M., Braverman, E. R., Thanos, P. K., Cadet, J. L., Elman, I., Badgaiyan, R. D., Jalali, R., Green, R., Simpatico, T. A., Gupta, A., & Gold, M. S. (2022). Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) Surprisingly Is Evolutionary and Found Everywhere: Is It "Blowin' in the Wind"?. Journal of personalized medicine, 12(2), 321. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12020321

Self Control

 Learning about the substitutability of addictions was very interesting to me. I have a family member who is a recovering heroin addict. He has been clean from heroin for 6 years. His addiction has become the women he dates. He becomes addicted to them like a drug and obsesses over them. I watched this end his engagement as he just became so addicted and controlling that his fiancée was forced to get a restraining order. Other family members and I realized that this was due to his addictive personality. Quitting the drug led him to find new addictions, although he is in denial about this truth. I've learned that most addicts find a "healthier" addiction when they give up their drug of choice. The "healthier" option, however, isn't always healthy. 

This is a great link for reading more about the substitution of addictions.

substituting-addictions