TELEVISION

Outsmart Yourself: Brain-Based Strategies to a Better You

Series: Great Courses
4.4
(137)
sign up
Episodes
24
Rating
TVPG
Year
2016
Language
English
Publisher
The Great Courses

About

Outsmart Yourself: Brain-Based Strategies to a Better You gives you insights into how your mind works and the tools you need to make lasting change. Taught by Professor Peter M. Vishton of William & Mary, these 24 practical lectures draw from a wealth of scientific evidence to take you inside your brain and show you why you behave the way you do - and what you can do to strengthen your creativity.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 3 of 24

1. Take Control of Your Automatic Brain

30m

sign up
Recent decades have seen an explosion of understanding about our brains, and with this new information come some surprising and counterintuitive conclusions about our behavior and decision-making processes. In this first lecture, examine the disconnect between our actions and our consciousness of those actions. Are we as in control of ourselves as we like to think?

2. Beat Procrastination by Doing Nothing

30m

sign up
From time to time, procrastination affects us all. Here, you'll discover several evidence-based strategies for reducing procrastination by attacking it at its source. Three tips show you how to be more efficient and effective. Along the way, you'll study the neurochemistry of why we procrastinate - and what makes it so tempting.

3. Train Yourself like a Dog

30m

sign up
The unconscious plays a strong role in developing bad habits. To help you examine and modify your behaviors, Professor Vishton gives you several tips, ranging from the very simple (keep a notebook of your activities) to the complex (employ behavioral psychology). Which of your habits would you most like to change?

4. Clean Your Kitchen, Improve Your Diet

30m

sign up
What can neuroscience tell us about healthy eating? Can scientific insights help you curb unhealthy snacking? In this first of two lectures on food, see how simple changes such as cleaning your kitchen and changing your food's packaging may have a measurable effect on unhealthy eating habits.

5. Eat Slow, Eat Small, Eat Smart

30m

sign up
To be healthy, you must eat healthy. This second lecture on food considers the hormones that drive hunger cues and how your body responds to different foods. Find out why high fructose corn syrup is bad for you - and why exercise might not help you lose much weight.

6. The Myth of Multitasking

30m

sign up
Our modern world seems to demand multitasking. We constantly check email, make phone calls, and live on the go. But recent research clearly shows that we are more efficient and creative if we can focus on one task at a time - a strategy known as "monotasking." Consider how the brain works when confronted with multiple tasks.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

Peter M. Vishtonwriter
Peter M. Vishtonactor