Long before Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and self-help books, Benjamin Franklin was experimenting on himself. He developed elaborate programs to modify his own behaviour, noting his impulses, failures, and triumphs in letters no one intended to read. This is consequential because not until two centuries later that this became a discipline in modern psychology.&nbsp;Benjamin Franklin, also known as “The First American", was a printer and publisher, author, inventor, scientist, and diplomat. He was one of the most influential of the Founding Fathers of America and helped draft the “Declaration of Independence” in 1776. Among all his achievements, some of the least known were his private letters.&nbsp;<h2>What were Franklin's private writings?</h2>Franklin was a prolific writer, many believing he wrote more than 8,000 letters, which still survive. Some of them were about scientific experiments, observations about society and politics, personal reflection, habit tracking, moral conditioning and philosophical advice. Some letters also involved communication with a secret society group, “Freemasonry”, a fraternal, intellectual, and moral organisation, which till today embroils in conspiracy theories.Benjamin Franklin treated the self as a malleable subject which can be reshaped and disciplined through systematic observation. His “bold and arduous Project of arriving at moral Perfection” can be found in Part II of his Autobiography, which is clearly written as a model that others would do well to imitate. His other private writings, such as personal letters, habit and virtue tracking, notebooks and drafts, have traces of modern behavioural psychology.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/jallikattu-history-ban-supreme-court-rules-2026-1768536790747">Jallikattu explained: history, Supreme Court ban and how the bull-taming sport is played in 2026</a><h2>Franklin's Private writings and project of moral perfection</h2>Franklin put together a list of 13 virtues: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquillity, chastity and humility. He then focused on each and repeated the cycle four times a year. He maintained a visual ledger, where he would record "daily integrity report," marking black spots in the grid whenever he failed.Franklin came up with a phenomenon that is now used to manage the cognitive dissonance effect. Cognitive dissonance is the effect when we encounter two mutually exclusive and opposing beliefs, and the discomfort that arises from it. He devised a simple effect that is now known as the Benjamin Franklin effect- “When someone does not like you, ask them for a favour? If they help you, then their brain will rationalise that they must have liked you or why else they would have helped". These are some methods nowadays used in CBT in modern psychology.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/journalist-laura-jedeed-ice-job-offer-without-vetting-1768482436595">Journalist Laura Jedeed claims ICE hired her without vetting despite positive drug test</a>He is also credited with the discovery of the placebo effect or the blind trial. From his private notes and personal letter, it was found that patients' improvements came from themselves rather than external sources, just by the power of suggestion. Something that is the foundation of clinical psychology. In his personal correspondence with family and friends, he mentions identity as a public construct. He would deliberately soften his tone to practice "modest persuasion," and not to trigger defensiveness in others.&nbsp;He was not perfect; he himself owned slaves and engaged in the slave trade. But in later life, he became a vocal advocate of the abolition of slavery. Which shows a pattern of always evolving; in essence, his writing presents a legacy. Through self-actualisation, systematic self-observation, reflection, and structured improvement, he tried to achieve moral perfection. When he sat down, during the last twenty years of his life, to write his autobiography (a work written in four different spurts), he crafted an account of himself and his life which seems intended to serve as a model for every American, then and now: He addressed his audience as “Dear Son”.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Benjamin Franklin’s private letters reveal early ideas about CBT, cognitive dissonance, identity, habit tracking, and moral self-improvement.

Long before Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and self-help books, Benjamin Franklin was experimenting on himself. He developed elaborate programs to modify his own behaviour, noting his impulses, failures, and triumphs in letters no one intended to read. This is consequential because not until two centuries later that this became a discipline in modern psychology. Benjamin Franklin, also known as “The First American", was a printer and publisher, author, inventor, scientist, and diplomat. He was one of the most influential of the Founding Fathers of America and helped draft the “Declaration of Independence” in 1776. Among all his achievements, some of the least known were his private letters. What were Franklin's private writings? Franklin was a prolific writer, many believing he wrote more than 8,000 letters, which still survive. Some of them were about scientific experiments, observations about society and politics, personal reflection, habit tracking, moral conditioning and philosophical advice. Some letters also involved communication with a secret society group, “Freemasonry”, a fraternal, intellectual, and moral organisation, which till today embroils in conspiracy theories. Benjamin Franklin treated the self as a malleable subject which can be reshaped and disciplined through systematic observation. His “bold and arduous Project of arriving at moral Perfection” can be found in Part II of his Autobiography, which is clearly written as a model that others would do well to imitate. His other private writings, such as personal letters, habit and virtue tracking, notebooks and drafts, have traces of modern behavioural psychology. Also Read: Jallikattu explained: history, Supreme Court ban and how the bull-taming sport is played in 2026 Franklin's Private writings and project of moral perfection Franklin put together a list of 13 virtues: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquillity, chastity and humility. He then focused on each and repeated the cycle four times a year. He maintained a visual ledger, where he would record "daily integrity report," marking black spots in the grid whenever he failed. Franklin came up with a phenomenon that is now used to manage the cognitive dissonance effect. Cognitive dissonance is the effect when we encounter two mutually exclusive and opposing beliefs, and the discomfort that arises from it. He devised a simple effect that is now known as the Benjamin Franklin effect- “When someone does not like you, ask them for a favour? If they help you, then their brain will rationalise that they must have liked you or why else they would have helped". These are some methods nowadays used in CBT in modern psychology. Also Read: Journalist Laura Jedeed claims ICE hired her without vetting despite positive drug test He is also credited with the discovery of the placebo effect or the blind trial. From his private notes and personal letter, it was found that patients' improvements came from themselves rather than external sources, just by the power of suggestion. Something that is the foundation of clinical psychology. In his personal correspondence with family and friends, he mentions identity as a public construct. He would deliberately soften his tone to practice "modest persuasion," and not to trigger defensiveness in others. He was not perfect; he himself owned slaves and engaged in the slave trade. But in later life, he became a vocal advocate of the abolition of slavery. Which shows a pattern of always evolving; in essence, his writing presents a legacy. Through self-actualisation, systematic self-observation, reflection, and structured improvement, he tried to achieve moral perfection. When he sat down, during the last twenty years of his life, to write his autobiography (a work written in four different spurts), he crafted an account of himself and his life which seems intended to serve as a model for every American, then and now: He addressed his audience as “Dear Son”.

Benjamin Franklin’s private letters reveal early ideas about CBT, cognitive dissonance, identity, habit tracking, and moral self-improvement.

How Benjamin Franklin's private writings reveal a proto-modern psychology?

US Independence Day 2022: What is the history behind it and how it's celebrated

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Daylight saving time(DST) is also known as summer time in some countries it is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months so that evening daylight lasts longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise time.&nbsp;Typically regions that uses daylight saving time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring and adjust them backward in the autumn to standard time.

Most areas of North America, Europe and some areas in the Middle East, while the most area of Asia and Africa don&#39;t observe Daylight saving time.

DST clock shifts sometimes complicate timekeeping and can disrupt travel, billing, record keeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleep patterns. Computer software often adjusts clocks automatically, but policy changes by various jurisdictions of DST dates and timings may be confusing.

It is believed that Daylight saving time practice was the idea of Benjamin Franklin in 1978 &nbsp;while serving as the US brand Ambassador to France. In Franklin&#39;s calculation Parisians could save more than 96 million lives each year in the cost of candles (about $200 million in today&rsquo;s dollars) if they simply shifted their clocks back an hour each spring to make better use of the extra daylight.

This year it will happen on 5th of November but in many parts of American people have already shifted their clocks one hour ahead after 31 October.&nbsp;

It has been in a debate that how useful this practice actually is, Century ago, when DST was introduced, more daylight was a good thing because it meant less use of artificial light, helping to save energy. Modern society, with its computers, TV-screens, and air conditioning units uses more energy, no matter if the Sun is up or not. Today, the amount of energy saved from DST is negligible.&nbsp;

 
The only advantage you have now is you get longer evenings and less artificial lights.&nbsp;

Daylight saving time(DST) is also known as summer time in some countries it is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months so that evening daylight lasts longer.

Daylight saving time(DST) is also known as summer time in some countries it is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months so that evening daylight lasts longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise time. Typically regions that uses daylight saving time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring and adjust them backward in the autumn to standard time. Most areas of North America, Europe and some areas in the Middle East, while the most area of Asia and Africa don't observe Daylight saving time. DST clock shifts sometimes complicate timekeeping and can disrupt travel, billing, record keeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleep patterns. Computer software often adjusts clocks automatically, but policy changes by various jurisdictions of DST dates and timings may be confusing. It is believed that Daylight saving time practice was the idea of Benjamin Franklin in 1978 while serving as the US brand Ambassador to France. In Franklin's calculation Parisians could save more than 96 million lives each year in the cost of candles (about $200 million in today’s dollars) if they simply shifted their clocks back an hour each spring to make better use of the extra daylight. This year it will happen on 5th of November but in many parts of American people have already shifted their clocks one hour ahead after 31 October. It has been in a debate that how useful this practice actually is, Century ago, when DST was introduced, more daylight was a good thing because it meant less use of artificial light, helping to save energy. Modern society, with its computers, TV-screens, and air conditioning units uses more energy, no matter if the Sun is up or not. Today, the amount of energy saved from DST is negligible. The only advantage you have now is you get longer evenings and less artificial lights.

Things to know about daylight saving time