DeepSummary
This episode features interviews with Dr. Gary G. Bennett, dean of the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences at Duke University, and T. Morgan Dixon, leader of GirlTrek, the largest health movement in America for Black women. They discuss the science of motivation and research-backed strategies to create habits that stick, such as starting small, having social support, finding your 'why,' and tracking and celebrating wins.
Dr. Bennett shares insights from his work in helping people adopt healthy behaviors, emphasizing the importance of setting clear, achievable goals, increasing autonomy, building self-efficacy, and providing regular feedback. He also highlights the role of social support and making experiences personally relevant.
Dixon shares the inspiring story of how GirlTrek started as a way to motivate Black women to become more active and engaged in their communities. She discusses the organization's emphasis on walking together, connecting to a larger cause, and drawing inspiration from historical figures like Harriet Tubman.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Setting clear, achievable goals is crucial for building and sustaining motivation for healthy habits.
- Social support and feeling part of a community can provide powerful motivation and accountability.
- Finding personal relevance and connecting habits to a deeper 'why' or purpose helps drive long-term engagement.
- Tracking progress and celebrating wins reinforces motivation, but without obsessive behavior.
- Starting small and gradually increasing goals/habits is more effective than setting overly ambitious targets.
- Leveraging historical or cultural narratives can imbue habits with deeper meaning and inspiration.
- Physical activity has numerous mental health benefits beyond physical outcomes.
- Overcoming inertia often requires both 'push' factors (dissatisfaction with the status quo) and 'pull' factors (an inspiring vision).
Top Episodes Quotes
- “If you can make these kinds of experiences feel personally relevant in a deep and authentic way, then we know you can promote motivation, and it can also produce the long term engagement that's necessary to see health effects. I just haven't seen anyone do it better.“ by Gary G. Bennett
- “If you can make these kinds of experiences feel personally relevant in a deep and authentic way, then we know you can promote motivation, and it can also produce the long term engagement that's necessary to see health effects.“ by Gary G. Bennett
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Episode Information
Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris
Ten Percent Happier
6/12/24
How to overcome inertia and research-backed plans that actually work.
Dr. Gary G. Bennett is Dean of the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences at Duke University. He is also a professor of psychology & neuroscience, global health, medicine, and nursing, and is the founding director of the Duke Digital Health Science Center. He has authored nearly 200 scientific papers and is a past president of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
T. Morgan Dixon is the founder and CEO of Girl Trek, the largest health movement in America for Black women– with over one million members.
Also check out Jeffrey Walker’s podcast, System Catalysts, where they did an episode on Morgan and Dr. Bennett.
This is the latest episode of our Get Fit Sanely series. This is the third time we’ve done Get Fit Sanely, and in this go-round, we’ll be covering not only longevity but also ozempic, exercise, and the Buddhist case for laziness.
Related Episodes:
The Dharma of Harriett Tubman | Spring Washam
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