[Avodah] The Value of Yir'as Shamayim -- SciAm weighs in

[Micha Berger]

http://j.mp/ME97g7    or
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=trying-to-resist-tempation-think-about-god

    SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
    Trying to Resist Temptation? Think about God
    The new science of self-control shows that religious themes can
    bolster willpower
    By Cindi May  | July 17, 2012 

    ... In a series of studies, Kevin Rounding and colleagues tested
    participants' self-control by asking them to endure discomfort to
    earn a reward, or to delay immediate payment to obtain a larger
    stipend. Before the test of self-control, half of the participants
    were exposed to words with religious themes (e.g., divine, spirit,
    God) in a puzzle-solving task, and half completed the same task
    without the religious primes. Those who saw the primes were willing
    to endure greater discomfort and delay gratification longer than
    those who did not. Additional studies showed that religious primes
    also fortified self-control after the fact. In these studies,
    participants first attempted to resist temptation, and afterward half
    of the participants viewed religious primes while the other half did
    not. Finally, all participants were faced with an additional task
    involving self-restraint. Exposure to the religious words refueled
    resolve, as participants who saw the religious primes were able to
    persist at a frustrating task far longer than those who did not....

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             A person must be very patient
micha at aishdas.org        even with himself.
http://www.aishdas.org         - attributed to R' Nachman of Breslov
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