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The science of character

Warm-up

Film maker Tiffany Shlain founded a project called The Science of Character, which explores the neuroscience and social science that proves that we can shape who we are and who we want to be in the world. You are going to watch and listen to two extracts from the film.

Pexels. Art (CC0)

Before you watch, please consider these questions that will be answered in the texts:

    • In your opinion, what determines your character most? Is it genetics, life choices, origin, family, birth order or environment?
    • Do you think it is possible to develop our character throughout our lifetime? 

Now check if you were right in the tasks below!

Find out!

You are going to watch the film trailer in which the following questions are answered. 

  1. What determines our character? 
  2. Can we develop our character?
  3. What have two social psychologists done since 2004?
  4. What are the 24 character strengths?

The questions will be displayed on the screen during the film. Watch, and answer the multiple choice questions as they appear. Please note that when you receive your feedback, you can either play the video and continue, or listen to that segment again.

Listening: A film trailer

mp4

Listening: Cloze

Now you are going to listen to an extract from the film which explains the latest theory about the importance of focusing on the qualities we have and learning how to strengthen them. 

Before you listen, take a moment to examine the information in the image. Then listen and complete the gaps 1-7  with one or two words. Gap 0 is an example. Listen twice before you check your answers.

Excerpt from The Science of Character by Tiffany Shlain, Let it Ripple. All Rights Reserved
Ana Isabel Fernández (CC0)

e.g. fixed

1.  

2.

3 upon

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7. of who we are.

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