Summary of ¿Pueden cambiar las personas? | Ramón Nogueras | TEDxMadrid

00:00:00 - 00:15:00

The speaker discusses how people can change by looking at their environment and how it affects them. He explains that change is possible if the environment is made easier or harder for the individual to do what they want to do.

• 00:00:00 The speaker tells the story of how US soldiers in Vietnam became addicted to drugs, and how traditional explanations for the addiction, such as gangs and an apocalyptic zombie-like state, failed to account for the phenomenon. One possible answer to the problem came years later, when Bruce K. Alexander demonstrated that drug addiction is caused by the environment, not just the drugs themselves.
• 00:05:00 Ramón Nogueras discusses the idea that willpower is a limited resource, and that it is difficult to change behaviors. He cites the Ego Depletion model, which is being disputed by some psychologists because it is difficult to replicate. Baumeister's model is that decisions, not habits, take willpower. This metaphor is easier to understand, but it leaves out the context of the situation.
• 00:10:00 Ramón Nogueras discusses how the environment can influence our habits without us realizing, and how small contextual changes can lead to huge behavioral changes. He gives the example of a study at the Kaiser South Hospital in San Francisco where reflective jackets were used to stop nurses from being distracted.
• 00:15:00 The speaker discusses how people can change by looking at their environment and how it affects them. He explains that change is possible if the environment is made easier or harder for the individual to do what they want to do.