Much of our motivation to do things is controlled by our brains and by the hormones and neurochemicals circulating within. (Hormones are a kind of neurochemical that works both inside the central nervous system and outside of it.) We tend to think that our motivation and desire to do things are driven by our own ideas, our will. We decide to go out for a brisk walk and then we do it. But the hormones are the hidden strings that pull our bodies. For example, estrogen production in women follows a monthly cycle and reaches its peak around the midpoint of the menstrual cycle. Women are far more
...more
