It's 1725, and an 18-year-old named Ben from Boston is working in London.

He's broke, but he's found a job as a printer's apprentice. Most nights his fellow

apprentices would head out together after work to a pub, for pints of beer, roasted meats,

all the comforts a teenager far from home might crave. And naturally, Ben wanted to join. But he didn't go.

Instead, he saved his hard-earned money,

ate cheaper meals, plain bread or gruel,

and instead of beer, he drank water.

Why? Because he wanted something bigger.

He was hoarding every shilling, not for beer tonight, but for books tomorrow.

Books that would feed a different kind of hunger.

That choice, bread instead of beer, books instead of banquets,

helped shape the young man who would become Benjamin Franklin,

printer, inventor, diplomat, and founding father.

In this episode, we look at the power and challenge of exerting the kind of self-control

that Ben Franklin embodied, whether that's at the pub, in the checkout line,

or on the baseball diamond.

I'm Dr. Katie Milkman, and this is Choiceology, an original podcast from Charles Schwab.

It's a show about the psychology and economics behind our decisions.

We bring you true and surprising stories about high-stakes choices, and then we examine

how these stories connect to the latest research in behavioral science. We do it all to help you

make better judgments and avoid costly mistakes. Ladies and gentlemen, he makes his debut, opening day at first base.

This is really something.

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