{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Alcohol Minimalist: Mindful Drinking & Behavior Change","title":"Think Thursday: The Brain's Love of Beginnings-Seasonal Resets","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/a7727741\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":859,"description":"In this Think Thursday episode, Molly explores why September so often feels like a natural reset and how the brain is wired to love fresh starts. Building on the earlier episode The Illusion of Starting Over in Habit Change, this conversation distinguishes between the harmful idea of “starting over” and the positive psychology of seasonal resets.\nFrom the Fresh Start Effect and temporal landmarks to the role of the Default Mode Network (DMN) in shaping your self-narrative, you will learn how your brain uses beginnings to motivate you. Molly also shares three practical ways to harness seasonal energy without falling into the trap of believing your progress has been erased.\nWhat You’ll Learn in This Episode\nWhy the Fresh Start Effect makes new seasons and beginnings feel so motivating\nHow the Default Mode Network acts as your brain’s internal narrator and helps you mark life chapters\nThe difference between seasonal resets and the illusion of “starting over”\nHow neuroplasticity ensures that every attempt, even slips, strengthens your brain’s pathways\nThree science-backed strategies to make September resets stick\nKey Quote\n“Your brain loves fresh starts because it loves stories. Temporal landmarks like September are invitations to say, that was then, this is now. What’s the next chapter I want to create?”\n\nResources and References\nThink Thursday: The Illusion of Starting Over in Habit Change (companion episode)\nDai, H., Milkman, K., & Riis, J. (2014). The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior. Management Science\nMenon, V. (2023). 20 Years of the Default Mode Network: A Review and Synthesis. Neuron\nLuppi, A. I., Lyu, D., & Stamatakis, E. A. (2025). Core of Consciousness: The Default Mode Network as Nexus of Convergence and Divergence in the Human Brain. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences\nKristin Neff’s research on self-compassion and sustainable change","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/zu3PtA3XzNKb2qSH95OKvfAaoixqds182Hao41kpkws/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8wZjY5/NjVmY2Y2MGQ0NmMx/NGNiMzdiZGY0OTMz/OWQzMy5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}