Episode 51 - Winston Churchill & Encouragement

What type of encouragement really motivates us, negative encouragement or positive? And which political figure was so good at encouragement he was said to have “mobilized the english language and sent it into battle...”?

Winston Churchill knew what it was like to fall down, both in politics and in career. In the first World War he sent a sizable chunk of the British navy to be blown up in the Dardanelles - a dangerous and strategically valuable location, and a risky maneuver that almost paid off. But his failure there would get Churchill kicked out as the First Lord of the Admiralty, and drummed out of politics. So how did he go from wartime disgrace in WWI, to the voice of encouragement for a war-torn Britain in WWII?

On the Re-Engineered You we take a few notes from the master of encouragement, Winston Churchill, as well as a few recent studies from universities, labs, and anti-depression pharmaceuticals. We also look into sports statistics and the world of professional coaching, all so we can answer the question: Does encouragement even work? And if so, how do we get the best out of the four most powerful words in the English language: “You Can Do It”?

Science:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-nfls-home-field-advantage-is-real-but-why/

https://kwiklearning.com/kwik-tips/why-compliments-are-amazing-for-your-brain-and-the-world/

https://www.amazon.com/Hardwiring-Happiness-Science-Contentment-Confidence/dp/0385347316

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12003280/

https://www.peakendurancesport.com/endurance-psychology/psychological-aides/encouragement-boosts-performance/

https://hbr.org/2013/07/if-you-want-to-motivate-someone-shut-up-already

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3353513/

History:

https://www.history.com/news/winston-churchills-world-war-disaster

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/winston-churchill-resigns-2

https://www.history.com/news/winston-churchills-world-war-disaster

https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-winston-churchill

https://www.history.co.uk/article/winston-churchill%25E2%2580%2599s-most-famous-ww2-speeches

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Later_life_of_Winston_Churchill#:~:text=Churchill%20suffered%20his%20final%20stroke,since%20W.%20E.%20Gladstone%20in%201898.

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Episode 50 - Mark Twain & Humor