Saturday, September 13, 2014

2 Distraction


to distract constructively; 
to distract in ways that are in themselves satisfying; 
to do things that are intrinsically gratifying


Niven Professor of Humane Letters in Psychology(Ph.D. Ohio State, 1956)
401A Schermerhorn Hall
212-854-3957

310 Schermerhorn Hall
212-854-8450


At 84, instead of slowing down, he’s preparing for his American book tour and fielding questions from Polish journalists.

His secret seems to come straight from the marshmallow test: distraction. “It’s to keep living in a way one wants to live and work; to distract constructively; to distract in ways that are in themselves satisfying; to do things that are intrinsically gratifying,” he says. “Melancholy is not one of my emotions. Quite seriously, I don’t do melancholy. It’s a miserable way to be.”

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