MBB Distinguished Harvard Lecture - 2010-2011

Instant Gratification, Multiple Selves, and Self-Control: How to Control Your Selves

Hosted by MBB Co-Directors Alfonso Caramazza and Albert Galaburda
We are pleased to announce our 2010-2011 MBB Distinguished Harvard Lecture.

Our special lecturer will be David I. Laibson, Robert I. Goldman Professor of Economics. This talk is open to the public. People frequently fail to live up to their good intentions. New Year's resolutions, diets, exercise regimes, budgets, and self-imposed deadlines are reliably broken. Professor Laibson will explain why these failures arise, presenting a range of laboratory and field evidence, including neuroimaging experiments. Professor Laibson will discuss strategies for committing oneself to one's long-run goals and thereby overcoming the desire for instant gratification. The analysis will trace out implications for personal decision-making and government policy-making.