"Imagine that you’d like to quit smoking cigarettes…" This sentence alone is enough to tell me that this "game changing" technique of "prefrontal workouts" is

"Imagine that you’d like to quit smoking cigarettes…" This sentence alone is enough to tell me that this "game changing" technique of "prefrontal workouts" is misguided. As a former smoker, I can tell you that there is definitely a mental rivalry going on in the head of someone who would like to quit cigarettes. However, I want to emphasize the "someone who would like to quit cigarettes" part because it makes an important distinction. Smokers who have no desire to quit don't have the tug-of-war that the author speaks of. When I first started smoking I never once gave thought to quitting because, in my mind, I didn't have a problem. Only when I realized I was hooked and WANTED to quit did I start to have the mental rivalry he speaks of. What does this have to do with criminals? The same rules apply. Let's rework that sentence a bit: "Imagine that you’d like to quit crime…" Huh??? How many criminals enter the penal system with such lofty goals? My guess would be not many. I can see this being useful for someone who has already been reformed to some degree, because that person actually does possess a desire to change. That being said, it still isn't THAT useful because, despite the fact that you may know which camp your thoughts fall into, you still need to deal with the day-to-day task of actualizing that knowledge. As anyone who has ever tried to make a significant change can likely attest, knowledge is only half the battle- and the easiest half at that.