What if achieving our goals is not about willpower but about gratitude, compassion and pride?

It’s natural to experience negative emotions, like discouragement, frustration, and even fear when we’re working on something hard. And every time these feelings arise, we may be tempted to overcome them with willpower. But rather than dismissing our emotions, what if we put them to work on our behalf?

In this interview, David DeSteno, author of the book, Emotional Success: The Power of Gratitude, Compassion, and Pride, explains: “Emotions push people to do hard things. And if we’re not utilizing those tools in the right way, we’re kind of fighting this battle with one hand tied behind our back.”

In particular, the three emotions David champions are gratitude, compassion and pride. He explains that they not only fuel perseverance, but also “…reduce people’s blood pressure. There’s evidence they will help you sleep better at night. They will increase immune responses. In general, they basically act to destress the body.”

David is a Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association where he served as editor in chief of the journal, Emotion. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Atlantic.

The Host

You can learn more about Curious Minds Host and Creator, Gayle Allen, and Producer, Rob Mancabelli, by visiting @CuriousGayle and www.gayleallen.net.

Episode Links

@daviddesteno

http://www.davedesteno.com/ and his Social Emotions Lab at Northeastern University

Psychologist Walter Mischel

The Grateful Don’t Cheat: Gratitude as a Fount of Virtue by David DeSteno, Fred Duong, Daniel Lim, and Shanyu Kates

Hal Hershfield

Episode 124 with Liz Fosslien on Emotions at Work on her book

Tom Denson, Professor at UNSW in Sydney; he studies aggression

David Brooks and resume vs eulogy virtues

When Students Feel They Belong, They Thrive by G. M. Walton and G. L. Cohen

Classroom Belonging and Student Performance in the Introductory Engineering Classroom

Nilanjana Dasgupta, Social Psychologist at UMass Amherst

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