January Article 1

Article/Link: Be It Resolved by John Tierney; published: January 5, 2012; accessed: January 5, 2012

Article Summary:

             By taking simple steps, we can greatly increase our ability to stick to New Year’s Resolutions. There are key reasons why people fail at sticking to their resolutions and they can work around them to better achieve their goals. First of all, too many people rely on willpower alone to stick with their resolutions, like with the resolution to lose weight. Scientists have realized that willpower is really a mental energy that can be depleted, so when people run out, they quit. People who succeed at keeping their resolutions avoid using willpower as much as possible. This means they use other techniques so they don’t have to rely on self-control alone. For example, one man living in Las Vegas “outsourced” his willpower, hiring a personal chef who prepared his food everyday so he lost weight easily without having to deal with the temptations when dining out in Las Vegas. Although many do not have the money to achieve their resolutions through methods like this, there are many simple tools people can use to “outsource” their willpower. Through various online betting sites that allow people to place bets on the keeping of their friend’s resolution, as well as social media sites that allow tracking weight loss to become a public event, people are better able to keep their resolutions.

Vocabulary:

Word 1: trove

A. But there are also better strategies than ever available thanks to new research in both the lab and the real world, including vast troves of data from online programs for improving self-control.

B. Trove: “a collection of objects,” first used in 1885 (dictionary.reference.com),

C. The music storage room at Woodstock has a vast trove of old and broken instruments.


Word 2: hedonism

A. He didn’t trust his willpower in the global capital of hedonism: the pounds gained in Vegas would not stay in Vegas.

B. Hedonism: “the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good,” from Greek hedon, meaning pleasure and first used in 1855 (dictionary.reference.com),

C. Many teachers at Woodstock School do not subscribe to hedonistic teaching styles, instead crushing the happiness of their students by assigning vast piles of homework for the children’s “benefit."


Word 3: Fluctuation

A. Nutritionists used to advise people not to weigh themselves more than once a week — supposedly so as not to get discouraged by fluctuations — but recent research has shown that daily weigh-ins work better.

B. Fluctuation: “continual change from one point or condition to another,” from the latin word fluctuation and first used in 1400 (dictionary.reference.com)

C. The grades of Woodstock students often fluctuate as teachers place assignments worth a large number of points into the Grade book over the semester.

Response:

            I enjoyed reading this article because I love making New Year’s Resolutions and setting goals, so I found the tips and stories very interesting. The article reminded me of my experiences with making and keeping New Year’s Resolutions. A year ago, I made a resolution to give up grains and sugar for six months in order achieve better health, after reading many books espousing a Paleolithic diet. Giving up grains was very hard, but I utilized tips found in this article in my quest. For example, I cleared out the pantry of sugar, like how the article suggests to “precommit”. I also treated myself by learning to make occasional desserts without grains or sugar. When I told my friends about my resolution, they thought I was crazy, which actually helped me keep going, because I wanted to prove to them that I could achieve my resolution. This is similar to the online goal setting sites the article mentions.