Slaves to Habit (2015)

With the start of every new calendar year comes a fleet of well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions – among them, losing weight, quitting smoking, getting more exercise. Slaves To Habit, a new documentary takes an in-depth look at bad habits, the behavior that surrounds them, and the startling new science on the interaction between brain chemistry, habit and self-control.
Just about everything we need to know about resisting temptation can be found in ‘The Marshmallow Test’, a famous experiment conducted by Walter Mischel, at Stanford University in the 1960s. In The Marshmallow Test, a researcher places a marshmallow in front of a pre-schooler and tells them that if they can wait about 15 minutes before eating it, they will get a second marshmallow. Over the course of the 15 minutes, we watch each child desperately try to resist the impulse to eat the marshmallow. The hilarious and fascinating results demonstrate the power of habit and willpower – who has it and who doesn’t.
Slaves To Habit follows three individuals over a 6-week period as they struggle to break their bad habits – smoking, overeating and compulsive shopping. In the end, we understand that habits aren’t destiny and that by harnessing the new science on habit, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.
Anglické znění.