Food

I reviewed the lecture on food almost as instantly as I had completed reading Endurance; I simply cannot imagine the struggle that the men faced in regards to their hunger and the food that they had no choice but to eat. I would honestly probably eat anything in sight if my survival depended upon it; even if I had to, I would eat the dog meat if it was offered to me and my situation was desperate. Recently, I was watching an episode of Naked and Afraid on the National Geographic channel. A woman, who was vegetarian, made it seventeen days in a rainforest without eating a substantial amount of protein or enough clean drinking water. Finally, she gave into her hunger the next day when her partner offered her a piece of the lizard that he had hunted. The examples set forth through reading the book and watching this particular episode of a television show remind me much of a conditioned food preference. It clearly did not matter to the men or that woman what he or she was eating, just the fact that they were eating was an appreciated luxury.

Some of my beliefs about food were altered through reading the slides; some slides made me think of my reactions to food in a totally different light. For instance, I was taught that if a woman eats an abundant amount of one food in particular while she is pregnant, the child would ultimately develop some type of allergy to that food. My own mother swears that this belief is true. Because of her constant craving for peanut butter during her pregnancy with my little brother, he is severely allergic to nuts. I always thought that this was a coincidence; I believe more so that if a mother eats something religiously while pregnant, the child will enjoy the taste of that particular food. On the other hand, the slide regarding taste aversion instantly brought the idea of canned tuna to my head.

Book Report Video: "Beyond Freedom and Diginity" by B.F. Skinner.

This is my book report! Hope you guys enjoy it! The beginning is a helpful tip for students getting books for cheap!


Hope everyone has a great summer!

Book Report: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

            The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg thoroughly explains the scientific reasoning behind habits. As individuals, we encompass both good and bad habits. Duhigg uses each chapter to emphasize the various aspects of habit that we encounter by using unique true accounts of individual’s lives. From addictions, such as gambling or drinking, to routine behaviors, like depression and laziness, he clearly defines how to intervene and redefine your life. Most interestingly, he specifies how willpower plays a significant role in breaking a habit. The research presented shows that willpower is actually a muscle that grows stronger the more we condition it. By educating the reader on how the brain actually works, he in turn, teaches the reader to understand how to recognize and overcome their own habits.

            All habits follow the same cycle: cue, routine, reward. Most habits repeat this cycle around a particular craving. For instance with cigarettes, Duhigg explains that our bodies trigger a craving, then we cue the behavior, perhaps after finishing a meal, engage in the behavior, smoke the cigarette, then take pleasure in the reward, basking in the relaxation that the nicotine has provided. Each habit that is formed follows these precise steps. Through replacing the routine and/or reward, individuals are able to reprogram their brains and develop new habits. Integrating a new habit such as exercise into your life can have a domino effect into other areas of your life. Research indicates that exercise habits have a direct influence on eating, discipline, sleep, and other areas of one’s life. All in all, we are capable of changing any area of our lives if it means enough to us.

            My favorite part of the book was the chapter on Starbuck Corp. because of the direct influence they provide in their employees lives. Not only do they offer tuition assistance and free gym memberships, they focus on building upon each individual’s character. For instance, one employee of Starbucks grew up with two drug addicted parents and zero structure. He struggled with his temper, social interactions, self-discipline, getting an education, and many other areas of life. This man slowly began to change as he started going through the training processes at Starbucks. One particular model they use is “LATTE: Listen to the customer, acknowledge their complaint, take action by solving the problem, thank them, and then explain why the problem occurred (Duhigg, 2014).” They use this as well as many other models to teach employees how to deal with different situations that may arise so that they are prepared when the time comes. Research proves that if someone has planned for future events, they are more likely to react appropriately if and when the situation should actually occur. Today, that young man makes $44,000/yr. and is the manager of two stores.

            Relatively, this employee was able to learn how to control his impulsivity and ultimately gain self-control. Through each of the training courses he was given the tools to implement restraint when a hot tempered customer went off on him. With each situation, he exercised his willpower and it grew strong enough to gain him recognition and provide him with the skill set for managing two stores. We learned this semester that impulsiveness is heightened sensitivity to drug effects and low awareness of negative drug consequences. The young Starbucks employee could be considered impulsive as he dropped out of high school, was unable to maintain a job and considered the use of drugs when he couldn’t control his emotions. Fortunately, he found Starbucks in enough time that I believe it not only saved his life but he also became a productive member of society.  

            As time continues, technology evolves and our problems progress. Below is a picture of me putting my cell phone in the trunk of my car. This concept is definitely not new by any means; however, through reading this book, I’ve come to realize a few things. I have a problem with texting and driving. Honestly, whether you’re stopped at a red light or cruising down the freeway, the temptation is always there. After reading "The Power of Habit" I can now identify my triggers and can implement a way to change my habit. The cue is hearing a text message sound, my anxiety goes up and I start thinking about whom it could be and if it is an emergency. Then the routine, I read the text and respond. Followed, by the reward of feeling at ease because I know everything is okay. Through putting the phone in the trunk, I eliminate not only the cue, but also the chance of ever being distracted behind the wheel.

            This book has the potential to change anyone’s life. The power ultimately lies in the individual. If they are not motivated to make a change then they will fail. However, learning the key elements of what comprises a habit can assist them in taking the first meaningful step. “Each day in the United States, more than 9 people are killed and more than 1,060 people are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver (CDC, 2014).” Now, think of nine people you know and write down their names. Then ask yourself, is the risk worth their life?

 

References

CDC. (2014, January 28). CDC. Retrieved August 9, 2014, from Injury Prevention & Control: Motor Vehicle Safety: http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/

Duhigg, C. (2014). The Power of Habit. New York: The Random House Publishing Group.

 



 

In “The Power of Habit: What We Do in Life and Business” author Charles Duhigg presents his research on the underlying causes for habits, and how they shape both our individual lives and society as a whole. Once we understand habits and how they interact and interfere with our daily lives and our own well-beings, we can work to change them, maintain them, or create new, better ones that work more towards our advantage. This book takes a scientific approach to habit shaping and how this formation can be altered. Duhiggs explains the importance of habits, and how they come to build a regularity in our lives, as well as make our daily routines easier. With habits, we do not have to be mentally aware of what we are doing, sometimes even while performing intricate tasks. We can then utilize that saved brain power towards something else. Habits can be positive as well as negative, but both come from the same origin, which is, has Duhiggs explains in detail, the 'habit loop'.

Habits are simple, and easy enough to start, but once they are established they are nearly impossible to completely extinguish. We never truly forget the habits that we have formed, because we have mental pathways to the habit that are just waiting to be awakened once we start footing on that trail again. Habits that need to be quit, must be diligently quit every single day. Duhiggs explains that it is much too easy to slip back into those ruts if you do not make a conscious effort to act differently on a daily basis. On the contrary to habits that need to be changed, “Keystone habits” are those habits that can prove transformative when applied correctly. Duhiggs tells the story of a company named Alcoa, whose new CEO chose workplace safety as his keystone habit. While not truly exciting, a habit such as this appealed to all facets individuals associated with the company, including the workers, the investors, and the management, and proved to be a successful stance to have taken. Duhiggs also explores how companies and big businesses are constantly working to ensure our habit formations continue and to generate big money off of marketing products to us that relate to our habits. This can be a positive or a frightening thing, based off of the fact that products are targeting us based on off behaviors we tend to exhibit without much thought.

My favorite part of the book is Duhiggs explaination on how habits come to form, with a term he calls the “habit loop”. The habit loop is a three-part process which first introduces a cue, which triggers your brain to go on autopilot and let a behavior develop. Secondly the routine unfolds, which is the behavior. The routine itself is what we think about when we think of the word “habits”. The third step in this habit loop is the reward at the end, which reminds our brains in the future of why this loop should continue. This echoes our lecture in the class on rewards, and how they serve as reincforcers of behavior. I also cannot help but think of the idea of self control when an individual aims to make or break a habit, and how conflicting outcomes can alter effectiveness. Duhuggs attributes habit formations to the part of the brain called the basal ganglia, which can take complex behaviors and turn it into an automatic routine in where your mind does not really have to be mentally aware at all. In this light, habits are an advantage to us. In reference to changing a habit that needs to be broken, doing so in a different environment from where the habit thrived is one of the most successful ways. Changing the environment, such as being on a vacation, changes the cues and triggers that the habit loop begins with.

If we think about Howard Rachlin's “Primrose Path” in relation to habits, we can get a better overall understanding of how hard they can be to break. The decision to consistently choose a highly valued particular act that leads to a low valued pattern of acts can form the habit loop in our own lives. If you want to eat healthier, but consistently find yourself unable to resist the ice cream your mother bought and stored in your freezer, you will find yourself in a worse health state than you desired. If you sleep in, for the precious few moments of added comfort, yet find yourself late for work as a result, youre conflicting outcomes are affecting your decisions.

Breaking bad habits can extend on a larger scale to alter how we treat people on a large scale. For example, instead of getting into the habit of ignoring the homeless people on your walk through the city, if you created habits that helped those people, the world would be better off. Maybe that help would be waking up a little earlier and making a few sandwiches to hand out to the hungry, or getting into a routine of working to better the homeless shelters and programs that aid the poor. Really, all of what we do falls into habits. We find certain positive behaviors harder to complete because they are out of the scope of our normal daily habits. If we work to continually change bad habits, and create positive ones, our potential is limitless.

(My video file will not upload so I am emailing it  to you,  Dr. Berg.)

Book Report: The Willpower Instinct

The Willpower Instinct was written by Kelly McGonical in 2011 and I found it to be highly therapeutic and very interesting. This book was designed to assist people with understanding and controlling their own urges and gaining will power in order to fulfill certain aspects of their lives. McGonical explains why willpower is important and exactly why and how it works. For instance, a person who has a strong sense of will power tends to have pretty good control over their life, and ultimately guides the road for prosperous relationships, happiness, and success in short term and long term goals. Having strong willpower is not as easy as it sounds and can be difficult to master. A major aspect of willpower and being able to have a good sense of self control. McGonical puts emphasize on the fact that in order to gain self control and will power you must first understand why you feel you are at loss of control in the first place.

In addition, in my own experience, I do not have the best patience, unfortunately sometimes I have a really short fuse and I am really trying to work on that and better myself. Therefore, I really enjoyed the section of the book when Mcgonical spoke about the “pause and plan” response. Meaning, before we react too quickly without putting much thought behind it, we should first pause, and then plan out our actions. By pausing and planning, this will help us gain better patience, improve our self-control, and prevent impulsive acts. This will definitely benefit me because when I am put into a situation where I am in an argument with somebody, I often say things that I do not mean simply out of anger and more often than not I regret them later. If only I could pause and plan before I impulsively spoke, I would not suffer from these regrets once the argument is over, and it could spare somebody’s hurt feelings in the long run.

Another strong focal point in this book is how our body uses willpower instinctively. For example, set a warm chocolate brownie in front of us with chocolate ice cream on top drizzed with chocolate syrup and we will almost immediately start to crave this delicious brownie. Our mouths might start to water and we can almost taste it just from staring at it. Once we have reached this point, every cell in our body is sending signals telling us that we need to eat this brownie. Our brain releases dopamine when we see something we want, and we may start to crave this desired object. We must then make the decision if we are going to forfeit to these cravings or resist the urges and strengthen our willpower.

            Another topic in this book that I could relate to was the focus that being good gives us the permission to be bad. I have never heard it phrased in those words before but I loved it because it is so true! During school, I work my ass off and strive for the best grades to my ability. I always put work before play because I know when to be serious and know when to buckle down and get something done. I never half ass something for school because I know how important it is. So at the end of the semester once I have received my grades, I will then go out and blow off some steam and enjoy myself because I deserve to! I did well and put school first therefore I’m allowed to go out and have fun afterwards. That is always how I looked at things and once McGonical mentioned this topic I enjoyed it because it was so relatable to me.

            All in all, The Willpower Instinct was a terrific book and I am very happy I read it. It was an easy read while also being very relatable and thought provoking. Lately I have been wanting to lose about five pounds but I work at a restaurant and constantly being around food all day long is not easy for me because I am always snacking! However, after reading this book it gave me some good advice and sent me some hope as how to gain some self control while walking past those warm freshly cooked fries or newly baked brownies. From now on, I will engage in the pause and plan response and think of the long run before I act impulsively.

Incentives

While reading this lecture I found it quite funny but true at the statement that if we gain ten dollars we're  happy and we're like "alright cool, just got ten bucks" but when we lost ten dollars it actually upsets some of us and we feel like "I just lost ten whole dollars!" It sounds funny but it's actually pretty true, losing ten dollars is more dissatisfying than gaining ten dollars is satisfying. And what is also true is that as incentive value increases, so does your motivation. For instance, if someone offers you five dollars to clean their entire house you would most likely say no because that does not sound appealing or rewarding in any way. However if they offered you one hundred dollars you actually might do it because that is much more pleasing to you. On a different note, I am probably one of the worst procrastinators there are. I will put everything off until the last minute, because if I know I have a lot of time to get something done, I just think "Oh i can do it later, i'll do it at that time" but then I continuously keep putting it off until it's the very last minute. I never thought I was one to work well under pressure, however that seems to be the only way I ever get anything done.

Performance

In order to do anything, we must first make a choice of what it is we would like to do and why. While watching the first video, I thought it was very interesting because I never thought in a million years that an animal would give up before a human did.. I do not know why I thought that but I was surprised when the animal collapsed and gave up and accepted his defeat before the man gave up. This man chased his prey for eight hours which was mind-blowing to me, I could never imagine doing that. He had great endurance and did not gibe up no matter how exhausted he grew he persisted because he wanted that animal, and he eventually got exactly what he wanted. He endured a lot and worked hard to catch that animal, he must have felt pure joy and accomplishment once he succeeded because I know I definitely would have after chasing it for eight hours.

MATE VALUE!? WHAAAT?!

I loved the slides about mate value! It is so true that we as humans rate people consciously or subconsciously in our heads. Getting to know someone we already have a prefixed idea of what we are searching for before we even have an intimate conversation with someone. And based on how we score them in our mind will determine if we consider them worth hanging out with again or even dating. It is amazing that we do this. We cannot just get to know someone, there is always an underlying goal behind every conversation that one has with another. It shows how selective we are as mammals. Attached I put a video of "the gold digger prank". Basically it shows how some people will not even give a person the time of day until they show them something that is desirable (in this case it is a lamborghini). Enjoy!

FOOD IS GOOD

I thought the slides about food were eye-opening. Being that I am puerto rican, and in my culture we take food extremely seriously, these slides made a lot of sense. In puerto rican culture we believe that a baby will begin to like certain foods based on what the mother ate while pregnant with him or her. It is also common in my culture to have mothers eat certain food and that will be the basis of the babies sex. As ridiculous as this may sound to people from around here, it is common nature in puerto rico to believe such things. I found an article that actually disproves the things I just have mentioned. After reading and learning about this myth, I tried to explain to my family in puerto rico about the truth and they did not want to believe. It is unreal how accustomed they have become to believe the myths to be true. My family in puerto rico have without a doubt, food neophobia. They are so comfortable with there food and the way it is prepared that they will not eat certain dishes if it not prepped the same way that they are used to. I never saw this as an actual phobia until I read the slides about food. Do any of your families have similar traditions?





http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-myths-busted_71000

This is the article that disproves the myths.

Drugs

Drugs are very addictive and produce an intense craving and longing for the use of a particular drug. Those are who addicted to drugs feel very overwhelmed and anxious and suffer from an uncontrollable urge for their particular drug. The more you do a drug, the more your body gets used to it therefore your body becomes dependent on it. So when you stop taking the drug you begin to feel unpleasant feelings because your body is not used to the feeling without the drug. This is known as withdrawal syndrome, due to the absence of the drug. And as a result, an addiction is formed because people do not want to feel these unpleasant withdrawal effects, and they enjoy the euphoric relief the drug brings them. Many people would not consider caffeine or alcohol to necessarily be a drug, but when you think about it, they both have have certain effects on your body and can be highly addictive. I know that many people become addicted to alcohol, however I have never heard of naltrexone, and that if you take it for six consecutive days it will reduce the urge of alcohol. I thought that was great, I never knew this existed but I think it would be great for addicts to try in hopes to reduce their urge and ultimately reduce their consumption of alcohol. You can also be addicted to something healthy, such as exercising, but it was upsetting to read that abstinence from exercise also had negative withdrawal symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and irritableness.

Reproduction

When we first look at someone, we can immediately notice if we find them attractive or not, it takes all but a few seconds to determine if we find them good looking. If we deem that attractive we will then want to get to know that person on a deeper level to see what their personality is like. And once that happens, we tend to start looking for traits in them that would suit well for being a potential mate, often referred to as "mate value." We do this even if we do not realize it. The videos in the lecture made me a little upset because I do not like rating people on their looks, I think it is shallow and very harsh. Obviously there are people that I am attracted to and then people that I'm not, but who am I to judge and label somebody as a three on a scale of one to ten? That's not right in my opinion, I may not find a certain man to be attracted while some other girl may think he is the most handsome man to walk this planet. We all find beauty in different places and some people find certain traits attractive while others do not. Also, I could not care less what type of car a man drives, or how much money he has, as long as he has a good personality and treats me well and I find him attractive, thats all that matters to me. So seeing these women rate men as a ten simply because they thought the guys made a lot of money kind of bothered me a little bit to be honest. However, I found this lecture to be very interesting and thought provoking.

Food

I love food, if I could eat all day long I would. I am 100% italian and could eat pasta every day for the rest of my life and it could never get old. I've grown up around italian food which is why I think it is my favorite. For a long time, I only ate foods that I was familiar with, but that soon came to end once I traveled the country. There were so many new foods to try I definitely branched out, who would have know alligator taste so good?! However, while watching the video with the rats, it became a little hard to watch just knowing that they were eating rats, however if I were there with those men in that culture, I probably would have tried it just so I would know what they were experiencing. The world changes once you try new things and open your mind. Unfortunately, I think I draw my line at tarantulas… I would not be able to keep that down. I've tried grasshoppers, alligators, guinea pig, i've even tried a pig eyeball before, but I would not even attempt to eat a tarantula. And ohmygoodness, while watching the video of the 190 pound burger I was in shock because that is just ridiculous, I do not under stand the need for that. I have never liked ground beef, therefore I never enjoyed burgers, however I've eaten them even though I did not like them and now I do not mind eating them, I guess that is the mere exposure effect, I ate burgers repeatedly and grew to enjoy the taste. I enjoyed this lecture because i found it very interesting because i could relate to a lot of it. For instance, when I am stressed I don't eat, when I'm sad i don't eat, however when I'm bored it's almost like I can't stop eating!

Rewards

A reward is often given as a form of reinforcement, however every time you do something you will not always be rewarded, only sometimes. This is what will make you want to keep trying, this will motivate the desire to do something in hopes that you will be rewarded. Gambling is very popular and often very addictive because people love to win and love to be rewarded in any way for the most part. Reinforcement is not always continuous, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, and that is what makes it so thrilling. If you won every time you gambled, well it would no longer be gambling, and winning would no longer be winning. Reinforcers increase the likelihood of a behavior, and when we are reinforced with something we want and enjoy, we are most likely going to continue that behavior so we can be rewarded again. As for me, I am a waitress and when I am polite to my customers and treat them will with good service, they leave me a tip, and that is my reward for being a friendly server. That motivates me to work harder and pay close attention to all of my customers' needs.

Book Report: The Willpower of Instinct, Kelly McGonigal

Kelly McGonigal wrote the book The Willpower of Instinct in 2011. McGonigal wrote this book to help people all over really understand and master their willpower. McGonigal first explains what it really means to have self control and how it can be used to help improve many aspects of one’s life including but not limited to: happiness, productivity and overall health. McGonigal explains that being able to really achieve will power people can reach their short term and long term goals. McGonigal stresses that one of the most important ways to gain self control and will power one must understand why they loose their control in certain aspects of their life. For example people who struggle with obesity should understand why they have no control over what they eat.  The Willpower of Instinct is a good read for anyone looking to lose weight, be a better parent, excel in the work environment and much more.

The most interesting part of this book to me is when McGonigal explains the “Pause and Plan” response. As humans we are easy to react without thinking. I think this part of the book will really help people who struggle with being patient. Whenever my boyfriend is in the car he has the worst road rage anyone has ever seen, he will scream and shout, bang on the steering wheel and start shaking. It will happen even if the simplest little thing happens like he hits a red life. My boyfriend is a very impatient driver and I had him read this section of the book. I think if Andrew were to “Pause and Plan” while he was driving he would have a much more relaxed experience driving (and so would I). By pausing and planning you are redirecting all that built up tension from your body to your brain so that you can logically think through the situation. This was my favorite section not only because it related to my boyfriend’s driving situation but it can be used in many other daily life situations like getting in arguments, taking tests and even falling asleep.

Endurance by Alfred Lansing is a great tale of men who used will power and self control every day. The power it took for those men to keep on surviving day after day, night after night in the coldest continent on earth is unthinkable. Many would not have lasted as long as Shackleton and his men did, but they did it. They survived and that took great motivation and self control to make that happen. Those men probably had the “Pause and Plan” response down perfectly.

Overall The Willpower of Instinct is an amazing book for anybody. This book can help many different issues all over the world.

McGonigal, K. (2012). The willpower instinct: How self-control works, why it matters, and what you 

   can do to get more of it. New York: Avery.

Section Five

Section five was intense! They finally set foot on land, after over a year of struggling! Being on land means finally having more food supply, and the men were super thrilled about this fact, until the weather turned on them and the cruel winds swept their tents away, they once again had to deal and suffer from frost bite. Meanwhile, Shackleton takes it upon himself to decide to go to south Georgia and bring four other men with him. As for the rest of the crew, they remained on the land and stuck together in order to survive and wait for the return of their crew members. Unfortunately, Macklin had his toe amputated which was brutal to read and think about because I could not imagine the intensity of the pain he had to endure. To my surprise, Shackleton and the four other men had been gone for 99 days, and some of the remaining crew began to doubt whether or not Shackleton would return. This bummed me out because if I was waiting on that island I would think that Shackleton must have died if he did not return because I know that would be the only thing to happen that would make him abandon his crew. After all that Shackleton has been through I would not doubt his loyalty, dedication, or motivation this far into the journey. I was proud that Macklin had faith in Shackleton because he deserves it, he has more than proven to be a great leader and he deserves all their faith and trust. I have high hopes for these men and I hope they all survive because they have all been through so much, this book is killing me!

Section Four

Okay let me start off by saying I do not know how these men are still alive. After all that they have been through over a span of a year, it blows my mind how they have not fully given up yet. Everything seems to be going from bad to worse and it is almost like a never ending cycle. This was the most intense section of the book so far in my opinion. These men are literally frozen, they cannot sleep because they cannot control their shivering. They are basically freezing to death and unable to sleep because of it. As night rolls around, the men are unsure if they will make it till the morning. As sad as it is to say, I know I would have lost motivation at this point. The men are starting to lose sight of hope, and Shackleton became aware of this and offered to allow them to eat what food they wanted, when they wanted it, and how much of it they wanted. He did this so it could lift up the spirits of his men and help bring them back to life, however some men were still not happy. All of the men are freezing and sleep deprived, a few of the crew members grew seasick, some are physically injured, and some can no longer go to the bathroom normally anymore. So it was no surprise to me that offering the men more food did not fully cheer them up, however it showed once again how much Shackleton cares about his crew and only wants them to survive through all of this. As this chapter came to an end and they finally became in view of Elephant Island, the men knew better than to show their excitement, they knew better than to react because they were so fully exhausted. After a year of struggling on this journey, the crew is staying persistent with all that they have left in them, and Shackleton remains positive for the sake of his crew. I can honestly say I cannot predict how this book is going to end.

Section Three

Throughout section three there are many more obstacles which makes the crews journey to Paulet Island seem even more challenging. At certain times, members of the crew start to lose faith. Hunger was a prominent issue in this section because seal blubber became very scarce for the men. Shackleton, being the inspiring leader he is, tried his best to motivate his crew and raise their spirits as well as truck on with their journey. He knew how devastating this was for his crew and it really warmed my heart when he allowed them to eat twice as much on Christmas because he thought they deserved it and wanted them to be happy. A lot of the men were almost at their breaking point with everything going on such as becoming super low on food and the freezing cold weather condition. It had gotten so bad that they ran so low on seal blubber Shackleton suggested that the men sacrifice and eat their own dogs in order to survive. Some men had strong bonds with the dogs and it become emotional for a lot of them. I could never imagine getting to the point of starvation where I have no other option but to eat my own dog, that's heartbreaking! On the other hand, the crew understands what needed to be done because the ultimate mission at this point is survival, and that is their main priority. I would not have been able to make it as far as these men did and they definitely deserve credit. However, everything seems to be getting harder and harder and the morale of the men seems to be getting lower and lower.

Endurance Parts 1-3

I normally assume that I will hate most books I need to read for school. When I found out Endurance was a historical novel, I got excited because novels are more interesting than textbooks! I also love history so I knew I would enjoy reading an authentic account of something that happened so many years ago.

The strength of the men in this book, especially Shackleton, was so impressive to me. They weren't going to get paid a lot and they knew it would be a treacherous journey, but they wanted to join the expedition in order to have an adventure and explore an uncharted land. Shackleton was such a great leader because he didn't let his men see him worry. He knew there was a high chance that many would perish once the ship was destroyed, but he still displayed strength and kept the hope of his men up. Without him, I think that the men would've given up all chances of survival.

I was surprised that all of the men on the expedition lived. They were living on ice with few supplies, but they made it through months of freezing cold. I had never heard of the Endurance or its crew in any history classes, so I am glad I got the chance to learn about them for this course.

What is your favorite or least favorite part of the book? My least favorite is when they were killing the dogs and cat. I know it was something they had to do, but I didn't like reading about it!

Parts 3-5

When I first starting reading this book, I was not interested in it at all. I read the first few pages and was not sucked into it like I wish I would have been. I thought it was going to be boring and not teach me anything, but I was wrong. The book has picked up a lot and it has hooked me in the more I continue to read it. At first, I was taking my time with the book because it didn't keep me interested, but the more I read, the more I started to love it. Not only has it showed me true bravery of these men, it has also showed me to appreciate the life that we have now. We don't always realize what we have until we no longer have it, and reading the story of the men in this book is truly amazing. They never once complained about what they didn't have and always stayed positive even when there seemed to be no hope at all. I mentioned this in my last post, but it stuns me every time I read more. Today we take food for granted and where it comes from or how we get it and that's something that opened my eyes up. I know for sure that I would not have been able to survive on the food that they have survived on. Eating seal, penguins, and even dog is not the main thing that they wanted to have, but they made the most of it. They were thankful when they found a seal to eat and didn't complain about the work that they had to do to even catch it. And their sleeping situations? We take having air condition in the summer for granted, the heat in the winter time, or complain when it's too hot or too cold, but imagine being in their shoes. Sleeping on sheets of ice in one set of clothes that never even get a chance to dry and NEVER once having anything to say. They lived on a day to day survival but no matter what weather they faced, what ships were getting destroyed, what land they had to search for next, who was having their body parts removed (Blackboro's foot), they were always thankful for making progress no matter how little progress it may have been, they were always optimistic and hopeful of their outcome.

Incentives

The loss aversion section of this lecture struck me as personally significant. I have never been a gambler because I hate to lose. In fact, I get really angry if I lose more than twenty dollars. Even if I have the chance to win twenty dollars, I would still rather secure the twenty in my pocket than from going down the drain. I found the article below which overviews how our brains process losses if the wording is presented to us differently. This plays a huge role when it comes to marketing for major companies.

 

http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/loss-winning.htm