It's often been said that people who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. According to new research published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology , though, it appears that being reminded of our failures actually makes us more likely to repeat such behaviors. Per the researchers, remembering our past mistakes will not necessarily help us make better decisions in the present. In fact, thinking about our failures at self-control -- whether it's blowing a diet, racking up more credit card debt than we intended, or cheating on a partner one or more times -- leads us to repeat them. For example, thinking about a time when you blew a diet by eating an entire pizza pie by yourself makes you more likely to blow another one in the same way. Titled "Haunts or Helps From the Past: Understanding the Effect of Recall on Current Self-Control," the study is the first of its kind and was conducted by professors at the University of Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt Universi...

If you really think about it, life is truly about resisting temptation. It lurks behind every corner in our present society. It has become far to easy for us to fall into temptation, putting our health and/or relationships at risk. The media, television, advertising, the internet, and technology in general are partly to blame for our being influenced into doing many of these things, but human beings, for their part, are notoriously bad at exercising self-control. Here are a couple of ways people fall are ensnared into temptation: Overeating, or eating too much of those foods they know aren't good for them Drinking in excess Taking illegal drugs Abusing prescription drugs Becoming addicted to pornography Spending money recklessly Gambling without restraint Engaging in extramarital affairs An uncontrollable urge to sleep with hookers Far too many of us continue to do things we know aren't good for us in the long run and get in trouble with friends, family, partner...