★Praised unanimously by Korea’s leading psychologists, the theory of self-determination offers a guide to achieving true happiness.

Why do we feel guilty even after just a few days of rest?
Why do we sacrifice relationships, give up on love and marriage, and devote ourselves entirely to self-improvement just to meet societal expectations?
And yet, why do we endure toxic relationships that only bring us distress?

It’s because the illusion of a “happy future” is holding the present hostage.

Over more than 20 years, she has theoretically explored the path to happiness, ultimately concluding that the key lies in “living as myself.” Students who attend her lectures quickly realize that the gradual accumulation of happiness is the very method by which they can achieve the future of their dreams—a fact that has earned her talks the nickname “the lecture of a lifetime” among students.

Self-Determination: The Power to Live as Myself compiles the remarkable lectures and introduces ways to find “happiness in the here and now” based on the theory of self-determination.

Eun-joo Kim，

Eun-joo Kim is a professor at Yonsei University’s Graduate School of Education and the first research fellow at Yonsei University’s Center for Teaching & Learning. She has conducted research on neuroscience-based motivation and teaching and learning methods. She teaches courses such as Educational Methods & Technology, Learning Motivation, and Speaking and Debate for undergraduate and graduate students.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Yonsei University and graduated with the highest honors in both her undergraduate and graduate studies in education, obtaining her master’s and doctoral degrees. She has received several prestigious awards, including the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Graduate School of Education (2020, 2006), the Yonsei Outstanding Research Achievement Award (2020, 2012), and the Best Paper Award from the International Communication Association (ICA). As a visiting professor, she has conducted research on neuroscience and motivation at institutions such as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), the Neuroscience Center at University College London (UCL), and the Neuroscience Center at the University of Virginia.
Her major publications include Neuroscience-Based Motivation and Learning, A New Paradigm for Research and Application of Teaching and Learning Methods Based on Neuroscience and Motivation Theory, and Key Strategies for Outstanding Lectures.