Philip Zimbardo prescribes a healthy take on time

[missbutter81]

TED should tape an optional extension for people to watch if they want more info...perhaps let the speaker speak for longer after he closes, to expand on certain ideas...I really want to hear more of Zimbardo's talks.

[mateo3470]

Manage time, eat well, stay fit and die anyway.

[lustology]

5:46 ---- Damn! He's 76! This guy totally rocks.

By the way, I would've eaten the first marshmallow.

[PracticalTheorist]

To wait and have two marshmallows: promoting greed. Promoting focus on "success" reduces time for everything that is really important: family friends, fun, hobbies, sleep.

I can make do with one marshmallow. I don`t need the other. I don`t need to hoard money and things (which is what we today measure as success in), as long as I have what I need to thrive. I would NEVER sacrifice any of the things I listed above for success.

So it seems that based on this guys perspective, I`m a dumbass.

[quelorepario]

@PracticalTheorist these researches proved that DELAYED GRATIFICATION is a huge indicator of success in adult life. The point here is simply that you can prioritize what is important.

Greed is not the same as economy, you should revisit your definitions

[quelorepario]

@PracticalTheorist An updated test for your adult life would be: You give up school now because it is boring or you sacrifice that boredom the next couple of years to get a diploma?

Do you save money to achieve economical freedom in the near future or you rather to indulge every whim now and stay a clerk for life?

It is not about your stereotyped "success", it is at the end about being responsible.

[Xshado2]

@PracticalTheorist This "Guy" is Dr. Philip Zimbardo. The man who conducted the famous stanford prison experiment, the man who found the fine line between good and evil and what makes people who they are, the man who was the PRESIDENT of the American Psychological Association TWICE. The man who taught in Yale, Stanford and Colombia. The man who grew up poor and ended up this. I think this is more than a man, I think he is a symbol for what ANYONE could achieve if they wanted to.

[brahud]

Work as fun......is an interesting concept that fits into this understanding of adaptability. Phillip has shaped my understanding of psychology through out my academic endeavors. Even so, the "answer" lies in physiology (55%) and the other in psychology (45%). This quantification is not exact. In fact, it is different for everyone. Some are physiologically predisposed to psychological and social influence. Interestingly, each individual must adapt in order to create "success" in their lives.

[megalibra82]

Just another breath taking video from TED. youtube+TED= Changing my life and maybe others.

[nicklick3]

Zimbardo's take on time is powerful. He takes simple concepts and interconnects these concepts with a road map on how an individual can make choices based on the way they want to locate within their personal and interpersonal time values. The dude should be given a Nobel Prize for this concept alone!

[euripideesshreds]

For me this was one of the most important talks. But I wish he'd taken 10 minutes instead of 7 to give the talk : ] sheesh guy, slow down a bit. Give the word "balance" it's due here, I had to listen twice just to get it you were goin so fast. But I'll listen often now that I'm on to you. Great research, good stuff, It explains a lot. If only I knew this stuff when I was younger. That's life though, find out what you need to know just before closing time, gotta come back tomorrow to get it.

[creten69]

always sleep eat healthy jog lift a little do some fun stuff dont waste time with stupid ppl like urself. the end

[bnrhodes4]

i just got to listen to him speak last night for 2.5 hours at Mesa Community College in Arizona...I must say, his words leave a very great impact...and for those that say it is "easy for him to say", you should do some research on his background

[wetyewruyrtsutrdhjfg]

The problem is that the lecturer's got it made. He's happy and satisfied with his life, so he can afford to talk about a balanced life.

But if you're trying to achieve success and your chances aren't high - the future is uncertain and you're sure you'll be in shit if the outcome isn't what you planned for...

What would you do? (1) Sacrifice some for the people around you and lower your chances to succeed, or (2) go full throttle and risk all your relationships and your health?

I'll pick (2).

[ajsharkmaniac07]

Rarely is the choice so black and white. Those who focus only on two will be unhappy in what could be a very long present(eg til retirement) than those who make token efforts to enjoy life while they are living it as well.

[zapkvr]

That's ridiculous. The lecturer didn't always "have it made". If you read the book you will find he was deathly sick as a small child. And whatever you say, it still doesn't change the fact, timer perspective means a LOT to future success (and you can define that any way you like - I define it as achieving true inner happiness)

[willrobson8125]

pick your friends wisely.

[rumit99]

@wetyewruyrtsutrdhjfg good point. I guess that's why successful people aren't always the most altruistic.

[derman077]

@wetyewruyrtsutrdhjfg Well said..full throttle !

[flyhighhhhh]

@wetyewruyrtsutrdhjfg i agree with you. but it varies from what our priorities are NOW to what our priorities will be 20-30 years later. i am sure when we cant even get out of bed without holding onto the side of the bed, we wont think about success as much as we would about peace of mind, good health, and love of the people around us as that would be something we'd need. its just different phases in our lives, and i believe we should TRY finding a balance. which is easier said than done.

[DaCavy]

@wetyewruyrtsutrdhjfg

if you're trying to achieve success and your chances aren't high

you do neither.

1) you do what gets you in a state of blizz, what you love to do then you dont have to sacrifice

2) you CHANGE PLAN

That is what he meant with the marshmallows. If you do something where nothing comes from (not even fun) except for a small chance of an epic win you maybe on the wrong track. you need to focus on your lifes future and hapiness. not your money alone.

[HHayes88]

Time Perspective? Some people! Those present oriented people, and past oriented people. If only we could concentrate on the future and draw more satisfaction from knowing that if we wait around for it, eventually the world will be just like having two marshmallows instead of one.

[abiddle726]

let me know when the future gets here. lol

[jaydesh9]

awesome !! i want to hear more !!

[lvutodeath]

too bad it was too short, I wish it was longer like 18 minutes or something

[technosnob303]

me too. he has a book about this subject but its seems a real shame he didnt take advantage of the maximum running length for TED.

[PesteleCelViteaz]

76? omg, wouldn't guess that he is more than 55 years old =)

[SylvanaForrester]

I was just about to post the same thing! 76 y.o., that's insane! I have respected Mr. Lombardo for a long time. Does anyone remember the Intro to Sociology series (don't quite remember what it was called) that would be replayed late nights on PBS (in the U.S.)? I loved watching it -- even as a child.

[xanthus1]

He's taken my perspective on the subject , and organized it :P.

Maybe I should organize and share my thoughts.

[msabssa]

buahaha maybe you should!

[Igal4wealth]

Very good ! BUT.. is this an experiment in learning advanced English ? :-)

[burningeko]

i was saying this exact thing using different language last night. its nice when intelligent people agree with you

[jakylili]

wow very informative on the time differences but i still dont really know how to control it...im more of a present...never think of the future... im screwed...any help?

[WistfulGeek]

Informative but really fast!

[kisamethesamehada]

HIs TED talk is merely meant as a clip or a summary, if you want to see more just look it up on youtube or do some other research in the interwebs, it wont take long. Really how anyone can assume a 7 minute presentation as a comprehensive source is beyond me.

this youtube clip is 1 hour long, but even that isn't comprehensive:

Authors@Google: Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd

[EveryHumanBeing]

Ya see folks.... having a balanced life may seem like common sense, but what Phil is doing is showing us that he broke it down and proved it in the most objective way possible... The prognostication is less important than and only the first step to a prescription. or.. What can we ACHIEVE with this knowledge.

[lightsculler]

The bellow comment is in reply to Solthiel's silly post (6 comments below)

[clownschuhe]

Actually, in the conducted study, I was one of the kids who waited patiently but then the researcher comed back and ated my promised two marshmallows in front of me and all i could do was sit there and now i have no marshmellos and i dont like mister walter anymore

[austpom333]

Yep its " all in the head" how you think. You create your future with the good or bad decisions you make ( and unfortunately the actions of others). Similar to parallel universe theory.

[oswright]

fantastic presentation !....oscar wright, rome

[Snowflake70]

Regardless of your view on time - "IT" never changes - the sooner you face that fact the better off you and the rest of us will be. Just my opinion? Perhaps. Man Is the only creature that can have a "perception" - after all ...man created it. Thus he "should" be mindful of his own creation - ya think?

[HigherPlanes]

Life is what happens while you're planning for the future.

[Mrmoc7]

While I admire this guy's work in other areas, this Time Paradox book is extraordinary only with respect to the audacity of the author to rebrand centuries old common sense as something new, profound, and capable of turning your life around... Please. All the entire book amounts to is this: Spend less time beating yourself up, less time being pessimistic, and when you got shit to do, delay the gratification of laziness until the work is done and (gasps!) you'll be successful! What a fraud!!

[Solthiel]

Another Freud who makes sweeping statements of human variability. Unfortunate that sweeping statements are often wrong.

[Quizoid]

Interesting comment. Please elaborate.

[Solthiel]

I find that the theories presented in this video are too specified. How can he claim that "a person motivated toward the present is energetic." This rings of nothing more than a new Jungian philosophy. You cannot imagine that generalized statements about all of humanity will describe anything useful.

Furthermore, how many people that are motivated toward the present are NOT energetic? Perhaps there are a great number of them. The generalization provides nothing useful to us.

[lightsculler]

You seem perturbed by a specific generalisation in the video, however you argue against ALL generalisations in your first paragraph.

Generalised statements about humanity, particularly psychology, are OFTEN useful, since they provide a means of describing a phenomenon without having to wade through a morass of justifications and clarifications.

Generalisations describe general trends; which are real, exist; and are useful to know.

Your second paragraph makes me think you took marshmellow.

[Solthiel]

Oh no, not any specific generalization. Every generalization in the video. The only reason I use one example is because they are all equally absurd.

Perhaps if he had cited any type of study that proves his statements I would be more apt to accept them. Instead he came upon the stage like any snake oil salesman and tried to sound official while saying absolutely nothing at all.

Generalizations about humans are useless because they vary too much.

[warthog212]

pattern regognition is intelligence. youre making quite a statement to say generalisations are useless!

[Solthiel]

Generalizations are often useless when regarding human behavior.

I invite you to make a generalization about human behavior that is not without glaring exceptions.

[adamredwine]

True, but it's better to propose and dismiss a large number of paradigms (gaining a little insight from each one) than to not develop them in the first place.

[Solthiel]

I have no problem with proposing them. But Zimbardo appears to present his paradigm as fact.

He presents no experimental data besides anecdotes.

[adamredwine]

eh... I think that people who are likely to watch this sort of speech are likely to recognize that it is not a hard and fast law of nature; we both did. He's probably just adjusting his speech to his audience within tight time constraints... but I get what you mean.

[warthog212]

why do they need to have no exceptions? if you have information that helps 90% of people do you share it with people, or do you keep it to yourself because if doesn't work for 1 in 10 people?

[onepiecemachine]

In general? :P

[EveryHumanBeing]

Awesome

[aleeks831]

Watched his videos all the time last yr in ap psych haha.

and I wish he wasn't so rushed...his ideas are very profound if you pause the vid and take time to think about snippets of his dialogue :P.

[lvecsey]

what i don't like about his profession is when a soft or 'equality' view is used to describe people (leftover from freud), rather than just coming out and saying that a given viewpoint or personality that uses it is superior.

[nefertum]

That's because there rarely are better personality traits, if you have something that's "superior", you will score poorly at another trait. It's a fact!

And to say that this is what you don't like about his profession and mine for that matter, is highly ignorant of what psychology actually is. I wonder how many psychology books you have read before making that statement.

[GolceaVlad]

There was also this talk on the TED site. Seen it about a few months ago.

[DauthiPsycho]

interesting topic.

[themindminder]

The children that waited for two marshmellows may also be overweight, and have more tooth decay.

[pboisei]

LOL

[MellumFellum]

Paradoxically, the reverse is much more likely to be the case. Young children have little conception of obesity or dental health, so such predilections would play little, if any, role in the purely hedonistic task of eating marshmallows. If the general life-strategy differences Zimbardo describes hold, however, the kids who waited to get 2 marshmallows will later have a different long-term goal (health), and avoid overeating altogether. Both groups, by then, will be able to overeat without wait.

[themindminder]

Yes, You are right... I was just trying to be funny :)

[Quizoid]

I think there's also an element of "passing at the test." Going back to my kid brain, I always wanted to succeed. So, if someone put a challenge before me, I wanted to "win," at it. Even if I didn't like marshmallows, I'd be motivated to wait for two just to "win."

[Heartofadeadpoet]

lolz

[Vetarra]

But so could the kid who just couldn't resist the food at all.

The kid who could resist temptation for a better reward has a better chance at resisting the temptation to eat in the first place provided there was a reward that they could strive for.

[koalawithagun]

Hahaha, I remember watching videos from this guy in high school psych.

[gotilk]

I only wanted one marshmallow.

[ryanc519]

bullshit

he watches back to the future way too much

[jamespfp]

Didn't like it, because he chose to use hypnosis first. If you want to trick by suggestion, ask for permission.

How does it follow that "Past-positive" equates to "family" and roots and grounding, other than his assertion?  If I am born into an abusive or indifferent immediate family, I'm supposed to consider my "roots" as purer than the current plant?

[javierenchina]

I think this material is more applicable to robots, rather than humans.

[GetMeThere1]

Too quick. Too thin. Needs examples, case studies.

[3dfabio]

He did a talk at Google about this, it's 1 hour long. watch?v=1LDwdyIxRy0

[micropanic]

Cheers mate.

[lobotomizedman]

thank you.

[Quizoid]

TED often gives people very limited time.  There's a point in there I almost guarantee he skips some slides to get under time.

[MitsoukoLady]

I believe he wrote a well-known book on the topic of shyness. It helped me a lot as a young person.

[usedforbattle]

The past inside the future.... interesting

[aarondkeogh]

He reminds me of someone who hypnotises someone

[Promatheos]

It isn't always ways to base your decisions on present feelings, but as far as actually living one's life, it's best to be present oriented.

If you're always thinking about the future, you won't be able to enjoy it when the future becomes the present. In other words, if you're always looking forward in time to that great thing, it won't be so great when it arrives. Only those who are present oriented can find lasting happiness, because it's always now. There is no other time than now.

[ptcrippen]

What up Phil i was just watching your old psychology videos in class

[timsheehanster]

Agreed that the focus of many people is the future goal outcome. Often easier to justify to others but harder to justify to oneself. I often talk about this with my brother. We both distinguish with opposite ends of the spectrum, he is past orientated and I am future. Interesting video!

[NiNJack]

ZIMBARDO!!! our psychology class used to watch a dvd set with him as the host like once a week in class, this was for regular AND AP psychology... lol

he looks like the devil

but he is friggin legit man

[prfctday]

He makes me think of Dieter Meier from Yello. Seems like a cool guy... apart from the political BS of stopping young pregnancy. No psychologist or philosopher should ever do that.

[annabodhi38]

I think he wrote a chapter for one of the text books I had, or maybe even the textbook itself... All he needs is a cape :)

[inersphobia]

Yeah, he did a show on psychology for PBS years ago.

[saxquiz]

I guess he's saying that if you're poor and stupid then you're living in the present. Pretty much true. No need to go to college or save for retirement because that's going to detract from my here and now.

[PhillyKid07]

Zimbardo is noo joke! he is a well respected psychologist

[code933k]

What a bunch of stupidity. Talking fast doesn't make your points valuable. This is the same self-improvement masturbation that all the people loved in the 90's [...]

[rata0071]

that's what's psychology is about this days :S

[freezatron]

cock933k, you are wrong and wrong

talking slowly would ?

he had a 5 minute slot, I take it you are a "past negative" or would narrow minded tard be more appropiate ?

I'm not making any ass-umptions here I'm just asking the question is all.......

[xXAkridXx]

Some people aren't focused on past, present or future, but rather on being an asshole, like code993k here for example.

[VeryAwesomeVids]

nicely stated.

[code933k]

xXAkridXx@ Take a deep breath and do review your comment once again. It is utterly nonsense, starting from the point where your claims become no-brained and commonsensical bullshit. Rater, have groundings in real Science or Philosophy to start with. Then you'll know at least what you are talking about. That appeal to authority and straw-man amongst other fallacies written just in two lines was just a sad, self-contradictory hyperbole on your side kid.

[xXAkridXx]

It was intended to be nonsense, it's called shit talking.

[kght222]

in the greater scheme of things no, in the here and now, yes, it either matters to someone you love, or who loves you, or just to you yourself, but it matters, but as i said in the greater scheme of things no, even the most brilliant person ever will be forgotten eventually, and eventually the thoughts that the most brilliant person comes up with will be thought, and keep in mind he wasn't speaking of experience, he was thinking of thought, and what you think more about

[GRNoam]

Are you brain damaged?

[pookiehohn]

I went back in time once, but I think that he's talking about what you focus on.

[Waranoa]

The strict devides he makes are supericial in my eyes. I'm future oriented positive, present fatalic hedonist and past positive oriented. According to him, I'm a strange breed, though I know a lot of people like myself.

[AVTPro]

Phenomenal. Very well done.

[dailydoodles]

it's always now.

[Ezmarii]

He breaks it down nicely into the different ways we as humans feel time; our varying perceptions of time.

I heard we have something in the brain that changes the timing of electrical signals in our brain&nervous system. in different situations, this can speed up or slow down, changing our perception of time at it's core-it speeds up in situations of fight/flight, making the world around us appear slow and slows down in times of euphoria/love, so 5 hours feel like 1 with your loved ones.

[FantasmaBAnco]

That makes a lot of sense to me... I've been involved in car accidents where it was like time slowed down.

[Xsublime28xX]

zimbardo is great, i wish his talk would have lasted longer though.

[pookiehohn]

Past Negative. Lol

[mooxim]

I can't wait to start teaching. I'm gonna make sure my pupils get the best of TED.

[sudiin]

That's a very positive idea indeed. I really wish I watched some of these TED talks a year or decade earlier. Like this one.

You can't begin distributing ideas soon enough.

[organdva]

If you want more search : the time paradox

[zombiesmasher]

Awesome TED talk!

I wish Philip Zimbardo was my father.

[misterwrightjos]

first comment

[pindakaas42]

you have got to be kidding me

[moob744]

Congratulations!

[thatmartolguy]

That was so insightful and so concise.

[biggerflexible]

LOL yeah this speech only proves my point that when you hit his age its time to put together an exit from this world.

[morganseathomson]

Tom Savini is so wise.

[BallinTrollin]

psychedelics show you the secret of time because of non-linear thinking. one must prepare for it though, it's not a corporate mass produced drug that if you cough up some money you can take the drug to 'solve' mental problems....it's not for everyone i have to say.

[biggerflexible]

Get a job.

[BallinTrollin]

maybe you should add get a job 'that's worth the time of your limited life'. i assume you work for a company you actually care less about if not for the money? either way i say to each his own. enjoy your job as you seem to be proud by it.

[intrepgun]

i would agree that perception of time is changed with psychedelics, as well as many other things, but i'm not sure what you mean by 'the secret of time'. i don't think there is a secret, but perhaps plenty we don't fully understand. would you care to elaborate?

[BallinTrollin]

my grasp of the english language and the comment limit and of course the time it takes to think of a brief explanation to the secret of time is so limited. i can only point you to a person that can explain time better and that is terrence mckenna, specifically his talk on the world and its double. It's a 3hour talk but very worth your 'time'. By secret i don't mean some mechanics more like a feature or observation which i believe is different from one consciousness to another.

[biggerflexible]

I love the company I work for, LOVE lol. I get paid $35 an hour to play on the internet all day yay me.

[maxxamtml]

where do u work?

[AitchKay]

WTF! What is your job and who do you work for?

[intrepgun]

ok, i dig it. i've read a lot of TM's books and listened to his talks and whatnot. a lot of it, to me, while it's great to think about, it's new-age pseudo-science. i think it's great that he's developed this way of expressing various psychedelic experiences, and he has a lot of insight into those things, as i've had a good amount myself, but ultimately i feel it's not the path worth pursuing with the substances, though there are parts that touch on what i feel is. thanks for the reply! :D

[BallinTrollin]

i agree, there are things that TM says that i don't believe however as you mentioned there are alot of insights that he mentioned that are very relevant especially in the timeline we all are living right now.

[Keith4Prez08]

FIRST! haha suckersss

[Cam2016]

First what? Tool.

[Keith4Prez08]

first to comment, fool

[sexyloser]

First to fail in life.

[BallinTrollin]

not ON TIME ironic you watch this video and making A "WASTE OF TIME" comment. good luck on life!