Kelly McGonigal

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Kelly McGonigal (born October 21, 1977) is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University who is known for her work in the field of "science help" which focuses on translating insights from psychology and neuroscience into practical strategies that support health and well-being. [1] Mainstream media articles about inner-conflict-related aspects of modern lifestyles regularly quote her.[ who? ] A longtime advocate of self-compassion and mindfulness as stress-coping strategies, McGonigal has altered her focus on the problematic aspects of stress; in a talk at the TEDGlobal 2013, she emphasized the importance of an individual's subjective belief in themselves as someone who is able to cope successfully as being a crucial factor in their actual response to stress.

Contents

Background and career

McGonigal, who is the identical twin of game designer Jane McGonigal, was brought up in New Jersey by public school teacher parents who emphasized intellectual attainment. [2] Although she is now grateful for their protectiveness, McGonigal says it seemed like "lockdown" at the time, describing her upbringing as "both good and stressful".

She received a B.A. in psychology and a B.S. in mass communication at Boston University, and her Ph.D. at Stanford University, where she is a lecturer in psychology and teaches a public course on willpower. [3]

Advocacy

A practitioner of meditation, McGonigal was the chief editor of peer-reviewed journal the International Journal of Yoga Therapy from 2005 to 2012 and advocated yoga and similar mindfulness practices as a way to re-charge and direct attention and mental resources so as to achieve desired outcomes. The rationale was based on studies on the effect of meditation on the brain, and the Ego depletion model, also called the 'strength' theory of self-control, proposed by a team led by Roy Baumeister. McGonigal's simple summary of the 'strength' theory of self-control: "Self-control is like a muscle. When used, it gets tired". [4] As a writer and researcher on self-control, McGonigal has frequently been cited for her views on how willpower can be built up and directed. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Having emphasized the role of meditation practices for fighting stress to enable better functioning in challenging circumstances, McGonigal altered her standpoint somewhat in 2013, and now emphasizes the attitude taken to stress as the crucial factor. [11]

Willpower

McGonigal defines willpower as "the ability to do what you really want to do when part of you really doesn't want to do it", and says that humans experience conflicts between impulse and self-control in personal and social contexts, giving examples such as: craving for sweet foods, the urge to be sarcastic or complaining, and the desire to procrastinate. [12] : 14  Humans have evolved adaptations to control their instincts and successfully resist impulsive drives, because living in groups requires self-control and this—McGonigal says—means taking the harder option. [12] : 10–11  According to McGonigal, willpower failure or success can spread through a group, because humans tend to mirror the behavior of those they are socially connected with. [12] : 189 

The part of the self that enables us to act in a way that is consistent with our long-term goals is based in the prefrontal cortex, and McGonigal advocates body-mind practices that she says prioritize the function of the prefrontal cortex, rather than parts of the brain that are orientated toward instant responses, which is the brain's default setting when under stress. [12] : 34  [13] According to McGonigal, the practice of meditation is an effective way to establish the primacy of the prefrontal cortex, thus enabling a choice to do the harder thing, when that is required for attaining a long-term goal. [12] : 24  McGonigal believes exercising self-control can help build up willpower in the same way as, over time, physical exercising can increase capacity to exercise. She says: "If you do it with awareness and intention, it can make you stronger. The strength develops over time, even if you feel temporarily weaker. But I think this only works when you have this mindset, and feel like you are consciously choosing to "use" your willpower. If you feel like you are being drained by everything you "have" to do (or not do), that lack of autonomy is even more stressful than exercising self-control." [14] The promise of happiness from cravings often misleads in McGonigal's view, and she gives techniques of mindfully focusing attention on the actual experience when indulging a craving or temptation, so as to compare it with the expectation of reward that preceded it. [12] : 128–129 

One use of willpower that McGonigal sees as counterproductive is thought suppression or trying not think about temptations such as cravings. McGonigal believes thoughts become more intrusive through thought suppression, and it is best to simply register that an unwanted thought has occurred without believing in it or acting on it. [12] : 234  Energy to pursue activities is less scarce than to resisting temptation, says McGonigal, suggesting that people give their brains healthy "wants" such as vegetables or a walk after lunch, so that weight loss becomes a by-product of choice. [15]

Learning to be a friend and mentor to ourselves rather than equating self-control with self-criticism is the attitude that she advocates. [12] : 151  [16]

Stress as a friend

In a talk given at TEDGlobal 2013 that has more than 30 million online views on the TED website, McGonigal said she had re-evaluated her ideas about stress in the light of new research on how the beliefs held about stress, such as thinking of stress as bad, can affect health. Citing a study suggesting that those who believe stress is bad for them suffer an adverse effect on their life expectancy, she now emphasizes that choosing to view one's stress response as helpful creates the "biology of courage", while connecting with others under stress can create resilience. [17] [18] According to McGonigal, "[t]he old understanding of stress as an unhelpful relic of our animal instincts is being replaced by the understanding that stress actually makes us socially smart – it's what allows us to be fully human." [19] The thesis behind the TED talk and book have subsequently been found by some as possibly flawed. [20]

Books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meditation</span> Mental practice of focus on a particular topic

Meditation is a practice of mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.

Satipatthana is a central practice in the Buddha's teachings, meaning "the establishment of mindfulness" or "presence of mindfulness", or alternatively "foundations of mindfulness", aiding the development of a wholesome state of mind. In Theravada Buddhism, applying mindful attention to four domains, the body, feelings, the mind, and key principles or categories of the Buddha's teaching (dhammās), is thought to aid the elimination of the five hindrances and the development of the seven aspects of wakefulness.

Mindfulness is the cognitive skill, usually developed through meditation, of sustaining meta-awareness of the contents of one's own mind in the present moment. Mindfulness derives from sati, a significant element of Hindu and Buddhist traditions, and is based on Zen, Vipassanā, and Tibetan meditation techniques. Though definitions and techniques of mindfulness are wide-ranging, Buddhist traditions describe what constitutes mindfulness such as how past, present and future moments arise and cease as momentary sense impressions and mental phenomena. Individuals who have contributed to the popularity of mindfulness in the modern Western context include Thích Nhất Hạnh, Joseph Goldstein, Herbert Benson, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and Richard J. Davidson.

Self-control is an aspect of inhibitory control, one of the core executive functions. Executive functions are cognitive processes that are necessary for regulating one's behavior in order to achieve specific goals. Defined more independently, self-control is the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behavior in the face of temptations and impulses. Thought to be like a muscle, acts of self-control expend a limited resource. In the short term, overuse of self-control leads to the depletion of that resource. However, in the long term, the use of self-control can strengthen and improve the ability to control oneself over time.

The Vipassanā movement, also called the Insight Meditation Movement and American Vipassana movement, refers to a branch of modern Burmese Theravāda Buddhism that promotes "bare insight" (sukha-Vipassana) to attain stream entry and preserve the Buddhist teachings, which gained widespread popularity since the 1950s, and to its western derivatives which have been popularised since the 1970s, giving rise to the more dhyana-oriented mindfulness movement.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an approach to psychotherapy that uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) methods in conjunction with mindfulness meditative practices and similar psychological strategies. The origins to its conception and creation can be traced back to the traditional approaches from East Asian formative and functional medicine, philosophy and spirituality, birthed from the basic underlying tenets from classical Taoist, Buddhist and Traditional Chinese medical texts, doctrine and teachings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effects of meditation</span> Surveys & evaluates various meditative practices & evidence of neurophysiological benefits

The psychological and physiological effects of meditation have been studied. In recent years, studies of meditation have increasingly involved the use of modern instruments, such as fMRI and EEG, which are able to observe brain physiology and neural activity in living subjects, either during the act of meditation itself or before and after meditation. Correlations can thus be established between meditative practices and brain structure or function.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddhism and psychology</span> Buddhism, Mindfulness and Psychology

Buddhism includes an analysis of human psychology, emotion, cognition, behavior and motivation along with therapeutic practices. Buddhist psychology is embedded within the greater Buddhist ethical and philosophical system, and its psychological terminology is colored by ethical overtones. Buddhist psychology has two therapeutic goals: the healthy and virtuous life of a householder and the ultimate goal of nirvana, the total cessation of dissatisfaction and suffering (dukkha).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inhibitory control</span> Cognitive process

Inhibitory control, also known as response inhibition, is a cognitive process – and, more specifically, an executive function – that permits an individual to inhibit their impulses and natural, habitual, or dominant behavioral responses to stimuli in order to select a more appropriate behavior that is consistent with completing their goals. Self-control is an important aspect of inhibitory control. For example, successfully suppressing the natural behavioral response to eat cake when one is craving it while dieting requires the use of inhibitory control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memory improvement</span> Act of improving ones memory

Memory improvement is the act of enhancing one's memory. Research on improving memory is driven by amnesia, age-related memory loss, and people’s desire to enhance their memory. Research involved in memory improvement has also worked to determine what factors influence memory and cognition. There are many different techniques to improve memory some of which include cognitive training, psychopharmacology, diet, stress management, and exercise. Each technique can improve memory in different ways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brain activity and meditation</span>

Meditation and its effect on brain activity and the central nervous system became a focus of collaborative research in neuroscience, psychology and neurobiology during the latter half of the 20th century. Research on meditation sought to define and characterize various practices. The effects of meditation on the brain can be broken up into two categories: state changes and trait changes, respectively alterations in brain activities during the act of meditating and changes that are the outcome of long-term practice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amishi Jha</span> American neuroscientist

Amishi Jha is a professor of psychology at the University of Miami.

The self-transforming brain refers to the ability of the self to consciously use mental activity to change/modify the brain's neural network in order to experience life with more happiness and fulfillment. This capacity of using awareness to do so is based on the assumption that the brain and the mind are closely connected, that one does not change without the other. The phrase "I think therefore I am" is not only a famous proclamation in the eyes of neuroscience. It has been evidenced that mental activities such as fleeting thoughts and feelings can create new neural structures in the brain and thus shape a person's reality. Therefore, it is possible to make use of the brain's neuroplasticity to re-wire or change one's brain and life by consciously activating happy, tranquil and loving mental states.

Anne Cushman is an American teacher of yoga as exercise and meditation, a writer on Mindful Yoga, and a novelist. Her novel Enlightenment for Idiots was named by Booklist as one of the top ten novels of 2008. Cushman has also been an editor for Yoga Journal and Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. She directs mentoring programs and multi-year meditation training for yoga teachers at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center, emphasizing the fusion of yoga and Buddhist meditation and highlighting their shared history and philosophy.

<i>Altered Traits</i> 2017 book by science journalist Daniel Goleman and neuroscientist Richard Davidson

Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body, published in Great Britain as 'The Science of Meditation: How to Change Your Brain, Mind and Body', is a 2017 book by science journalist Daniel Goleman and neuroscientist Richard Davidson. The book discusses research on meditation. For the book, the authors conducted a literature review of over 6,000 scientific studies on meditation, and selected the 60 that they believed met the highest methodological standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mindful Yoga</span> Buddhist-style mindfulness practice with yoga as exercise

Mindful Yoga or Mindfulness Yoga combines Buddhist-style mindfulness practice with yoga as exercise to provide a means of exercise that is also meditative and useful for reducing stress. Buddhism and Hinduism have since ancient times shared many aspects of philosophy and practice including mindfulness, understanding the suffering caused by an erroneous view of reality, and using concentrated and meditative states to address such suffering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judson A. Brewer</span> American psychiatrist, neuroscientist and author

Judson Alyn Brewer is an American psychiatrist, neuroscientist and author. He studies the neural mechanisms of mindfulness using standard and real-time fMRI, and has translated research findings into programs to treat addictions. Brewer founded MindSciences, Inc., an app-based digital therapeutic treatment program for anxiety, overeating, and smoking. He is director of research and innovation at Brown University's Mindfulness Center and associate professor in behavioral and social sciences in the Brown School of Public Health, and in psychiatry at Brown's Warren Alpert Medical School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vidyamala Burch</span> Mindfulness teacher

Prudence Margaret Burch, known professionally as Vidyamala Burch, is a mindfulness teacher, writer, and co-founder of Breathworks, an international mindfulness organization known particularly for developing mindfulness-based pain management (MBPM). The British Pain Society has recognized her "outstanding contribution to the alleviation of pain", and in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 she was named on the Shaw Trust Power 100 list of the most influential disabled people in the UK. Burch's book Mindfulness for Health won the British Medical Association's 2014 Medical Books Award in the Popular Medicine category.

<i>Full Catastrophe Living</i> 1990 book by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness is a book by Jon Kabat-Zinn, first published in 1990, revised in 2013, which describes the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center's Stress Reduction Clinic. In addition to describing the content and background of MBSR, Kabat-Zinn describes scientific research showing the medical benefits of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), and lays out an approach to mind-body medicine emphasizing the depth of the interconnections between physical and mental health. The book has been called "one of the great classics of mind/body medicine", and has been seen as a landmark in the development of the secular mindfulness movement in the United States and internationally.

Cassandra J. Lowe is a Canadian public health neuroscientist, specializing in understanding why some individuals have a hard time regulating junk food consumption. Lowe uses a multidimensional approach that combines repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), neuroimaging and aerobic exercise to create causal models linking brain health to dietary decisions and behaviours. She was formally a BrainsCAN Postdoctoral Fellow within The Brain and Mind Institute and Department of Psychology at the University of Western Ontario, working with Dr. J. Bruce Morton and Dr. Lindsay Bodell. Since 2022, she has undertaken a position at the University of Exeter, in the United Kingdom as Lecturer in the School of Psychology.

References

  1. ↑ "ABOUT". Kelly McGonigal.
  2. ↑ ELLE Magazine, June 22, 2011 Super girl Archived 2014-06-18 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "Kelly McGonigal's website About". Archived from the original on April 16, 2014.
  4. ↑ Watson, D.L., Self-Directed Behavior: Self-Modification for Personal Adjustment, 10th ed. (2013) Cengage Learning, page 4
  5. ↑ New York Times, January 6, 2012, At the Table | Candle 79, You Say You Made a Resolution
  6. ↑ washingtonpost.com live Q and A, July 24, 2007, Debt and Stress, Kelly McGonigal
  7. ↑ Mississippi Business Journal blog Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine September 4, 2013
  8. ↑ Molbray. Scot, Huffington Post, 10/12/13 Who is thin and why
  9. ↑ Mundahl, Steven, The Alchemy of Authentic Leadership (2013) Balboa Press, page 42
  10. ↑ NBC Today show 'Willpower' is key to keep New Year resolutions
  11. ↑ Huff post Lifestyle, Jan Bruce, 09/30/2013 Stress is good
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 McGonigal, Kelly (2012). Maximum Willpower: How to master the new science of self-control. Macmillan. p. 288. ISBN   978-0230761551.
  13. ↑ Revive Your New Year's Resolutions. Parade Magazine February 19, 2012
  14. ↑ Kelly McGonigal's comment on The Willpower Instinct Archived 2014-04-16 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ↑ Los Angeles Times, April 05, 2014, Lily Dayton, Sprinkling of willpower
  16. ↑ "Kelly McGonigal website: The Willpower Instinct". Archived from the original on April 16, 2014.
  17. ↑ June 11, 2013, TED Blog, The upside of stress: Kelly McGonigal at TEDGlobal 2013
  18. ↑ Kristen Shorten, news.com.ua, October 2, 2013, Killer or saviour? Why everything we think about stress is wrong
  19. ↑ "TEDGlobal 2013, Speakers". Archived from the original on 2013-12-12. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
  20. ↑ "MIND Reviews "The Upside of Stress" - Scientific American". Scientific American .
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