“People who use their willpower seem to run out of it. Smokers who go without a cigarette for twenty-four hours are more likely to binge on ice cream. Drinkers who resist their favorite cocktail become physically weaker on a test of endurance. Perhaps most disturbingly, people who are on a diet are more likely to cheat on their spouse.
[...]
For the last fifteen years, he has been asking people to exert their willpower in the laboratory—turning down cookies, tuning out distractions, holding back their anger, and holding their arms in ice water. In study after study, no matter what task he used, people’s self-control deteriorated over time. A concentration task didn’t just lead to worse attention over time; it depleted physical strength. Controlling emotions didn’t just lead to emotional outbursts; it made people more willing to spend money on something they didn’t need. Resisting tempting sweets didn’t just trigger cravings for chocolate; it prompted procrastination.
[...]
Self-control is an energy-expensive task for the brain [...] Low blood sugar levels turn out to predict a wide range of willpower failures, from giving up on a difficult test to lashing out at others when you’re angry. Gailliot, now a professor at Zirve University in Turkey, has found that people with low blood sugar are also more likely to rely on stereotypes and less likely to donate money to charity or help a stranger. It is as if running low on energy biases us to be the worst versions of ourselves. In contrast, giving participants a sugar boost turns them back into the best versions of themselves: more persistent and less impulsive; more thoughtful and less selfish.”
«On the day the wall came down, Taina was pushing her baby son in a buggy when she saw a couple of East German punks crawling through a hole in the wall. “Where’s the nearest record shop?” they asked her. “We want to buy punk records.” She replied: “There’s one very near, but I don’t think you have the money.” They asked her the price, and when she told them, their faces fell. Taina had almost no money at that time, but she opened her purse and gave them everything she had. “Hey, people,” she said. “Go. Go buy a punk record. »
虽然柏林墙倒塌的故事已经看过很多了,但故事好像还是讲不完,每一个小人物都有故事。
(PS 每次书里或者电影里提到德国我都会激动一下下,德国可能真的是我的精神故乡。)
在 #LostConnections 里读到一句土耳其谚语:if the baby doesn’t cry, it doesn’t get the nipple.
这不就是会哭的孩子有奶吃吗 ![]()