Statistics revealed that people dramatically differ in their capability to resist all sorts of temptations from nicotine and alcohol to food cravings and shopping. Latest research shows that brains of the people who can better resist things which seem pleasant now but are dangerous in the long run, distinctly differ from those of others. These differences include not only physiology but also biochemistry: brain of willpower superheroes literally works in another way when exhibited to cravings. In her lecture Irina Yakutenko will explain what differences are most important in the context of self-control and tell which genes are responsible for the behavior patterns that manage our reactions to tempting things. In the last part of the lecture she will outline some strategies that can help people who bear ‘unfavorable’ gene variants to overcome devastating reactions of their brain that threaten important life plans.
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