Renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe explains why climate change isn’t as “doom and gloom” as you might think, and gives tips for how to talk about it to inspire action. Plus: learn about how to overcome “bedtime procrastination.”
Renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe explains why climate change isn’t as “doom and gloom” as you might think, and gives tips for how to talk about it to inspire action. Plus: learn about how to overcome “bedtime procrastination.”
"Bedtime procrastination" may come down to beliefs about willpower by Kelsey Donk
Additional resources from Katharine Hayhoe:
Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/hope-in-the-fight-against-climate-change-w-katharine-hayhoe-and-overcoming-bedtime-procrastination
CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about why “bedtime procrastination” may come down to beliefs about willpower. Then, you’ll hear about some much needed hope when it comes to fighting climate change, from renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
I know you’ve had this experience: it’s really late, you’re really tired, you should go to bed, but somehow you just can’t stop scrolling through your phone. Social scientists have a word for this bad habit: bedtime procrastination. And a new study suggests that it may come down to willpower — specifically, our beliefs about willpower works.
On its surface, bedtime procrastination is just like any procrastination: you’re putting off doing something that would benefit you in the long run. But unlike writing an essay, sleep is enjoyable. So why do we put it off? Maybe because it’s not bedtime we’re putting off, it’s the bedtime routine. And when given the choice between watching another rerun of Star Trek: The Next Generation and brushing your teeth? There’s no contest. It takes self-control and willpower to fight that urge and actually get ready for bed.
The researchers behind this study wondered if people’s beliefs about willpower were linked to bedtime procrastination. See, some people believe that willpower is a limited resource: once you’ve spent the day fighting the urge to oversleep, binge on cookies, and talk back to your boss, you have to recharge your willpower supply. Other people believe that willpower is unlimited. So for this study, the researchers asked two groups of people to answer questions about their willpower beliefs, self-control, and stress levels, and to complete daily sleep diaries for 10 days. The team also asked people to indicate their ideal bedtime and whether they went to bed earlier or later than they meant to.
The first group were college-aged adults and the second were high-school students. Overall, people who believed willpower is limited went to bed later on stressful days than those who believed it’s unlimited. The ‘unlimited-willpower’ participants actually went to bed earlier when they felt more stressed. But the younger group had it the worst: while the college students delayed bedtime by 45 minutes on average, the teens missed their ideal bedtime by an hour and a half.
In the end, the people who thought they needed to recharge their willpower after a stressful day went to bed later the more stressed they were. Kind of ironic!
It’s still unclear what the connection is between willpower and bedtime procrastination. It’s possible that someone with a limited-willpower mindset believes they need more time to relax before going to sleep. But in the end, that’s not doing them any favors. If this sounds like you, here’s a tip: try brushing your teeth and putting on PJ’s long before you’re ready to go to sleep. That way, when bedtime rolls around, there’s a lot less standing between turning off the TV and turning in for the night. Sweet dreams!
Don’t panic, but we’re about to talk about climate change. I’m not just joking, either— it’s actually pretty important that you NOT panic when the topic comes up. And you’re about to learn why, from world-renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe. Her research has informed climate resilience and enriched climate policy at a federal and local level around the world. That’s pretty impressive — I mean, it's hard for one person to even process such a big problem, much less an entire government. That’s why we asked her for help understanding how to talk about climate change. If you sometimes feel overwhelmed by climate change news, well, the question I asked ought to be pretty relatable.
[CLIP 6:02]
So let’s all just find concrete ways to pitch in and make a difference. That way, we’ll help AVOID making climate change a self-fulfilling prophecy that brings on the end of the world. Cool? Cool. Again, that was Katharine Hayhoe, director of the Climate Science Center and a professor of political science at Texas Tech University. You can find links to learn more about her and the things she talked about in today’s show notes.
CODY: Let’s do a quick recap of what we learned today
[ad lib optional]
CODY: Today’s first story was written by Kelsey Donk, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Today’s episode was produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: Join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!