Willpower (Summary)

Willpower (Summary)The following is a summary of Willpower: Rediscovering our greatest strength byRoy F. Baumeister & John Tierney. Further info is given in the linked posts.WillpowerWe use our willpower, also known as self-control and self-regulation, to control our thoughts, our emotions, our impulsive actions and to control our performance. Willpower is important for getting along with other people and achiving long-term goals. Is posited that willpower, more precicely self-control, evolved to enable us to live in social groups.

[] self control is not selfish. Willpower enables us to get along with others and override impulses that are based on personal short-term interests. [p.163]

Willpower (Ego) DepletionWhen you use your willpower, for example to control your emotions, it becomes depleted. You have less avalible to control subsequent thoughts, emotions, impulive actions or to control your performance. It is only by by resting and by having something to eat that your willpower is restored.

Willpower is like a muscle that gets fatigued through use. This fatiguing, Baumeister turmed ego depletion.

Other depleters of willpower Physical pain

[] experiments have shown that chronic physical pain leaves people with a perpetual shortage of willpower because their minds are so depleated by the struggle to ignore the pain. [p.36]

Decision fatigueDecision making depletes your willpower, and once your willpower is depleted, youre less able to make decisions. [] Youll lock for excuses to avoid or postpone decisions. Youll for the easiest and safest option, which often is to stick with the status quo [p.98]

The ability to compromise is [] one fo the fist abilities to decline when our willpower is depleted [p.102-103]

Conflicting goals

Having conflicting goals, like conflicts between work and family, consumes willpower. Worrying that you are doing the right thing, that you have made the right choice, depletes your willpower.

Signs of Depleted WillpowerWhen your ego is depleted, the intensity of your feelings increase and it becomes harder to make decisions.

If you find yourself especially bothered by frustrating events, or saddened by unpleasant thoughts, or even happier about some good newsthen maybe its because your [willpower is depleted]. [p.30-31]

Do things seem to bother you more than they should? Has the volume somehow been turned up on your life os that things are felt more strongly than usual? Is it suddenly hard to make up your mind about even simple things? Are you more than usually reluctant to make a decison or exert yourself mentally or physcially? If you notice such feelings, then reflect on the last few hours and see if it seems likely that you have depleted your willpower.

Willpower & Blood LevelsUsing willpower to control your thoughts, emotions,impulsiveactionsor to control your performance, consumes glucose. When your glucose is low, your brain stops doing some things and starts doing others. That may help explain why [willpower] depleted people feel things more intensely than normal: Certain parts of the brain go into high gear just as others taper off. [p.50-51]

As the body uses glucose during self-control, it starts to crave sweet things to eat [p.50-51]to replenish their glucose levels.

If you have no glucose, you will have no willpower.

Ways of Preventing Low GlucoseSelf-control will be most effective if you take good basic care of your body, starting with diet and sleep. [] be sure to get enough healthy food on a regular basis so that your mind has adequate energy. Sleep is probably even more important than food [p.251-252]

Feed the beast[] The old advice about eating a good breakfast applies all day long,particularlyon days when youre physically or mentally stressed. .

Sugar works in the lab, not in your diet. There might be times when you could use sugar to boost your self-control right before a brief challenge, like a math test or a track meet. [] But a sugar spike is promptly followed by a crash that leaves you feeling more depleted, so its not a good long-termstrategy. []

When you eat, go for the slow burn. To maintain steady self-control, youre better off eating foods with a low glycemic index: most vegetables, nuts (like peanuts and cashews), many raw fruits (like apples, blueberries, and pears), cheese, fish, meat, olive oil []

When youre sick, save your glucose for your immune system. [Dont go to work when youre sick.]

When youre tired, sleep. [] By resting, we reduce the bodysdependsforglucose, and we also improve its overall ability to make use of the glucose in the bloodstream. [p.57-59]

Strengthening & Conserving Willpower Conserving Willpower

[] the best strategy is not to rely on [willpower]. Save it for emergencies. [p.150]

Distraction

[] in the classical marshmallow experiment [] Those who kept looking at the marshmallow quickly depleted their willpower and gave in to the temptation to eat it right away; those who distracted themselves by looking around the room (or sometimes just covering their eyes) managed to hold out. [p.161]

Pre-commitment

[Make] it impossible in advance to fail through weakness of will. [p.152]

[] If you want to be sure you dont gamble at acasino, youre better off staying out of it rather than strolling past the table and counting on your friends to stop you from placing a bet. Better yet is to put your name on the list of people [] who are not allowed to collect any money if they place winning bets. [p.151]

Use willpower to establish good habits and break bad ones

Habits areautomatic mental process that dont require decisions. Once established they requirelittle or no further willpower.

Self-control turned out to be most effective when people used it to establish good habits and break bad ones. [p.157-158]

[] people with strong self-control []develop effective habits and routines in school and work. [] They give themselves enough time to finish a project; they take the car to the shop before it breaks down; they stay away from all-you-can-eat buffets. [p.239]

Strengthening Willpower Improving stamina

By exercising your willpower, you improve its staying power, so it takes longer for you willpower to become depleted.

You could try the two-week posture experiment to improve you own willpower, or you could try other exercises. Theres nothing magical about sitting up straight [] The key is to concentrate on changing a habitual behaviour.

[ use] a different hand for routine tasks. [] change your speech habits [] for instance, try speaking only in complete sentences. Break the adolescent habit of peppering your discourse with like and you know constantly. []

Any of these techniques should improve your willpower and could be a good warm-up for tackling a bigger challenge, like quitting smoking or sticking to a budget. [p.131-133]

Like a muscle, your willpower needs to be continually exercised or else it weakens.

[] the biggest self-control challenge of all: maintaining the discipline not just for days or weeks but for years and years. [p.141]

Thus, a better exercise is to use willpower to establish good habits and change bad ones.

External order =Inner self-discipline

Having a clean house, for example, encourages internal-disciple

Using Willpower to Achieving Goals Willpower & Self-awarenessSelf-awareness evolved because it helps self-regulation. [p.112]

Our ancestors lived in groups that rewarded members for living up to the common values, norms and ideals. Therefore, people who could adjust their actions to meet those standards fared better than the ones who were oblivious to their own social faux pas. Changing personal behaviour to meet standards requires willpower, but willpower without self-awareness is as useless as c cannon commanded by a blind man. Thats why self-awareness evolved as an innate trait among our early ancestors on the savannah and why it has keep developing recently in more treacherous social environs. [p.114]

Monitoring performanceMonitoring is crucial for any kind of plan you makeand it can even work if you dont make a plan at all. Weighting yourself every day or keeping a food diary can help you lose weight, just as tracking your purchases will help you spend less. [] The mere knowledge that youll have to put down a number will discourage procrastination [] The more carefully you keep track, the better. Weighing yourself every week is good. Weighing yourself every day is better. Weighing yourself and recording it is even better.

[]

Besides offeringimmediateencouragement, monitoring lets you improve your long-term planning. If you keep records, you canperiodicallycheck how faryouve come so that you can set more realistic goals for the future. [p.256]

For contentment, apparently, it pays to look at how far youve come. To stoke motivation and ambition, focus instead on the road ahead.[p.120]

There are many appsavailablethat aid in monitoring(e.g.mint.com; RescueTime; Quantified Self movement; Moodscope)

Public Commitment & MonitoringA failure, a slipup, a lapse in self-control can be swept under the carpet pretty easily if youre the only one who know about it. You can rationalize it or just plain ignore it. But if other people know about it, its harder to dismiss. []

By going public, youre not just exposing yourself to potential shame. Youre also outsourcing the job of monitoring. which can ease the burden on yourself. An outsider can often encourage you by pointing out signs of progress that youre taken for granted. And when things are going badly, sometimes the best solution is to look elsewhere for help. [p.112]

Setting goals The hot-cold empathy gap

Dont setgoals that you wont be able to follow in the heat ofthe heat of passion and temptation.

Rules: Bright lines vsFuzzy lines

Use blight lines:clear, simple, unambiguous rules.

Pick your battles

Start an exercise program. Learn a new skill. Quit smoking, reduce drinking, make one or two lasting changes toward a healthy diet. These are all best done during times of relatively low demand, when you can allocate much of your willpower to the task. []

Aiming for huge and quick transformations will backfire if they seem impossible. If you cant bring yourself to quit smoking altogether, try cutting down to two or three cigarettes a day. [p.247-248]

Focus on one project at a time. [] People who are trying to quit smoking, for example, will have their best shot at succeeding if they arent changing other behaviours at the same time.[p.38]

Beware the Planning Fallacy

Make a realistic estimate of how long it will take.

Prioritize goals

Do the most important goal first

Reward Often

When you set a goal, set a reward for reaching itand then dont stiff yourself.If you just use willpower to deny yourself things, it becomes a grim, thankless form of defence. But when you use it to gain something, you can wring pleasure out of the dreariest task.[] Achieving a big goal, like quitting smoking for a year, deserves a bigreward [] its just as important to have lots of little rewards for little feats. [p.257-258]

Willpower as a Key to Goal Attainment

September 30, 2012 by Ann Holm Leave a Comment

Willpower actually has three faces, according to Kelly Mc Gonigal, author of the Willpower Instinct. There is I Will Power, I Wont Power and I Want Power. Every willpower challenge requires doing something difficult, or taking a path that is opposite what we usually do, or what might be most tempting. Meeting goals require a significant amount of willpower and it requires that the prefrontal cortex of the brain is very active.

The 3 regions of the PFC corresponding to each type of will power are:

1. The upper left side of the PFC specializes in I Will. It helps you move forward with or stick to difficult, boring, or stressful tasks.

2. The right side of the PFC specializes in I Wont. It helps you resist temptations and cravings.

3. The I Want region is in the middle and it keeps track of goals and desires.

The prefrontal cortex is the most sophisticated and energy consuming part of the brain. In order or the prefrontal cortex to serve us well, it needs adequate glucose through the foods we eat, sleep, and training via meditation and other mindful practices. In addition, it needs external support by way of removing external distractions, clear definition of goals, and encouragement from others including family, friends, and coaches.

Here are a few ways you can boost your willpower when it is being tested:

1. Immediately boost willpower by slowing breath to 4-6 breaths per minute. That is approximately 10-15 seconds per breath.

2. Increase willpower by stepping outside for fresh air and a green break.

3. Take a refreshing power nap. Even 10-20 minutes can restore and re-energize the PFC.

4. Use imagery to address a craving. Temptation is like a wave on the ocean. Rather than battle it the temptation, allow it to crest like a wave and dissolve gently into the shoreline.

5. Remove distractions and temptation. Nothing can drain the PFC more than expending its energy trying to resist temptations that are in your immediate environment! Think of it as running in place but not moving anywhere!

There are many other ways understanding the nature of willpower can help you reach your goals. Stay tuned to future blogs where you will learn more about this topic and how it can help you uncover personal potential.

Willpower Summary written by: Herbert LuiThere has always been a certain mystique that surrounds willpower. We are in awe of the athletes who seem to have it in bulk, and we are constantly trying to get more of it for ourselves. We can always use more willpower: for our diets, for our families, for our careers, etc.

Two traits correlate to positive outcomes in these areas of life: intelligence and self-control. While we havent yet figured out how to permanently increase intelligence, we have discovered how to improve self-control. This is through the science of willpower.

Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney, explores the principles and driving mechanics behind self-control and discipline.

Golden Egg

Where Does Willpower Come From?

Chips and circuit boards are useless without a source of energy. So is the brain.Willpower, page 42

What is the fuel for willpower? Where do we find the strength or the energy to keep ourselves in check?

As it turns out, the source of our willpower comes from food. The calories we intake are the foundation of willpower. More specifically, the glucose that food produces is the crucial element behind willpower. The link between glucose and self-control appeared in studies of people with hypoglycemia, the tendency to have low blood sugar. Researchers noted that hypoglycemics were more likely than the average person to have trouble concentrating and controlling their negative emotions when provoked. Overall, they tended to be more anxious and less happy than average.

What advice do Baumeister and Tierney have with regards to food? Above all, dont skimp on calories when youre trying to deal with more serious problems than being overweight.

When youre faced with a stressful meeting, a long day at a new job, or anything that may require willpower, dont skimp out on food. Indulge yourself in a hearty breakfast and make sure to stock up on the right types of food: To maintain steady self-control, youre better off eating foods with a low glycemic index: most vegetables, nuts (like peanuts and cashews), many raw fruits (like apples, blueberries, and pears), cheese, fish, meat, olive oil, and other good fats.

Similarly, dont deprive yourself of rest and restoration: By resting, we reduce the bodys demands for glucose, and we also improve its overall ability to make use of the glucose in the bloodstream. Sleep deprivation has been shown to impair the processing of glucose, which produces immediate consequences for self-control and, over the long term, a higher risk for diabetes.

GEM #1

Limit Your Decisions

When asked whether making decisions would deplete their willpower and make them vulnerable to temptation, most people say no. They dont realize that decision fatigue helps explain why ordinarily sensible people get angry at their colleagues and families, splurge on clothes, buy junk food at the supermarket, and cant resist the car dealers offer to rustproof their new sedan.Willpower, page 90

Baumeister and Tierney explore various self-control scenarios in Willpower. One example they bring up is former-Governor Eliot Spitzers scandal with prostitution, which ended with his resignation once his affairs were discovered. He knew the scrutiny he was under as governor; he had seen firsthand the risks and legal dangers of prostitution. In his long quest to become governor, hed built a reputation for political savvy, firm discipline, and moral righteousness. Why, once he got his dream job, did he lose his bearings?

As it turns out, making decisions actually requires some of the same reserves of energy that our brain uses to manage our willpower. Thats why marathon shopping can be exhausting, and its where the stress from leading a company originates.

Making decisions is an inevitable part of life; sometimes, though, it may be a better move to take a break and eat a small snack or catch forty winks before going back into series of decisions you need to be making. One smart decision now could save on many in the future.

Also, spend as little energy as possible on the trivial decisions that dont make a difference in your satisfaction with life.

GEM #2

Outsmarting Yourself

Willpower introduces a fallacy that many of us may be thinking through, called the hot-cold empathy gap: the inability, during a cool, rational, peaceful moment, to appreciate how well behave during the heat of passion and temptation.Willpower, page 148

How many of us have put a task off till tomorrow, only to repeat the same delay the next day? (Who really wants to procrastinate?) How many of us recognize that we have to do something that were not comfortable with in order to succeed at our goals?

We are not doomed to failure. Instead, all we need to do is outsmart our current selves and take into account the hot-cold empathy gap. In other words, we make it inevitable for us to succeed. You recognize that youll face terrible temptations to stray from the path, and that your willpower will weaken. So you make it impossible or somehow unthinkably disgraceful or sinful to leave the path.

There are tons of applications out there that will make it a lot more difficult for you to fail. For example, theres stickK.com, which holds a certain amount of money for you and actually donates it to a friend or a charity (or an anti-charity, an organization that you really despise) if you fail to execute on your plan within a specified time.

Another way to outsmart ourselves would be to make use of our bodys adaptability to habits. Explorer Henry Stanley used to shave every day when he woke up, even in some of the harshest environments in the world. Why? orderly habits like that can actually improve self-control in the long run by triggering automatic mental processes that dont require much energy.

We all have those things that we cringe when we see ourselves doing, yet often times were unable to help ourselves. If youre interested in how to make discipline work naturally in your life, you need to check out Roy Baumeister and John Tierneys Willpower.

WHAT INCREASES OR DIMINISHES YOUR WILLPOWER RESERVE? USE THESE TO MANAGE THIS EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELYUSE THIS AS A REFERENCE CHART/SUMMARYUse this summary to help you notice where you are violating the rules about what increases reserves or engaging in what reduces reserves. If you let yourself go, without adjusting and doing the right thing, your confidence, and thus your reserves, will go down, in a vicious spiral. It is essential that you be aware of your reserve "balances" in your account and that you not allow wide variances. (See Homeostasis, instead of being "off balance".)Notice which ones of these you do and what you'd like to change to. Note that, essentially, willpower reserve is the same as psychological energy and power. This is the chart attached to the piece calledWillpower Reserve - read it to get the overall context of how this works and what to do about it. Formula (duh!):Increase increasers + Reduce reducers = Willpower that works! (Within human limits!)Increases Practicing (and doing in the moment): Pause and breathe slowly (which reengages the PFC)Physical energy/powerDiet: Eat plant-based, unprocessed foods, no junk food, be in good air quality, Exercise Quick energy/power - 5 minutes of exercise or even 1 minute, preferably outdoors (instead of harmful or temporary means) Rest, being fresh: Adequate sleep, short naps; accumulating extra sleep or catching up Psychological energyQuality time with friends and family Participate in a religious or spiritual practiceFocus meditation (rewires brain for PFC to be in action more)Power questions, as if a coach (wake up, send energy to PFC) (on a card?): "How committed are you?" - set up so you are (simple shift in focus - as with other questions. "What is a good reason to resist?" [What is you "why"?] "Do I want the consequences of ... Setting clearer rules, standards (do zero vs. "only a few'), clearer definition - Takes energy to redecide all the time. Avoid anything that increases stress!Rejuvation times. Reward, celebrate every little positive action.Increasing your sense of certainty, in actuality Self-care, self-compassion Decision powerDon't let vague feelings dictate; "stop, what would I better choose?" (See Life Dictated By Feelings) DrainsStress (even "slight" ones, waiting til last minute, criticizing self, trying to control others) "Learning how to manage your sttess is one of the most important things you can do to improve your willpower." Physical Pain, illness - Of course. You'll have more illness if you deplete your psychological energy. Physical imbalances: Blood sugar variation, incl. coffee effect, sleep deprivation; low hydration. Dysfunctional operating = Body and mind operating out of range of homeostasis, in dysfunction, chaos physically and emotionally. Impaired frontal lobe functioning, via affectors.Disempowering conversation"I can't", lack of optimism, lack of confidence in abilityI will do it later when I am more able or 'feel like it' - giving yourself credit for the future, your "why" becomes less visibleIdentifying, labeling yourself as being lazy, bad, - so fight self (Know: the self I am is the one that wants the best for me; I am not any "permanent condition"; laziness is temporary not fixed)Self-criticism for lack of self control (should give self understanding and compassion as being human, operating with human equipment which cannot "win" all the time; punishment does not work, as it triggers fear thinking, which lowers self-control). Punish yourself for falling short. Believing you are fatigued (instead of realizing you have more energy and the ability to gin it up)PsychologicalLack of self-confidenceBeliefs that there is danger where there isn't or believing all dangers are 'big' (Proper, Proportionate Response) Appropriate sizingToo big of a chunk at once (can only "purchase" what you can afford, so to speak)Let me just say that change does not happen without willpower. The majority of guys on these forums are trying to change themselves because they're unhappy with where they're at. Good on ya guys I'm on that path as well. It shocks me how much people underestimate the force that is going to drive them toward change. The most important thing you need to learn about is will power.

Here's a very basic and straightforward rundown on how it works.

Willpower is the trait of resolutely controlling your own behaviour.

Willpower works like a MUSCLE.It is a limited resource. You only have so much of it per day. It may be wise to consciously allocate your willpower to certain areas of your life until you have enough for every area.Your willpower needs time to rest and regenerate, just like your muscles.When your willpower regenerates, it grows back stronger.

You should use and deplete your willpower every day for maximum growth (be sure to get your rest, though).Not sure how to use it? It really is the simplest thing.DOTHINGS THAT YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO.

Don't want to go out tonight? Do it.Don't want to approach that 10? Do it.Don't want to eat a salad for lunch? Do it.

Obviously there is limits.Don't want to jump off that cliff? Do it....

It is up to you to decide exactly WHAT you do in your life.Having willpower is like being your own life coach. You think of something that will be beneficial to you but you don't want to do it. Maybe you're feeling lazy and would rather just chill and watch tv.No.DO that thing. USE your willpower.

Every time you do something you don't want to, you are growing your willpower.

Remember, the hardest part is starting.

Short answer: willpower is controlling your impulses to seek pleasure in the short-term, as well as motivating yourself to take action despite not feeling like it

Tyler's video on the "right way and wrong way to do things" is good

willpower is a means to an end, you don't want to have willpower for the sake of having willpower in other words--the whole point of having willpower is so you can take action.

Common opinion these days is that willpower is a limited resource, but a recent paper in PNAS showed that one's beliefs about the nature of willpower actually influence how much of it one can exert: http://www.pnas.org/content/110/37/14837.abstract

From a neuroscientific perspective, willpower is actually a rather complicated construct. There is no brain area that "does" willpower. You have two pathways in your midbrain that initiate and inhibit actions, respectively, based on reward incentive as well as control signals originating from your prefrontal cortex. The control signals are based on 1) your goals for the particular context, 2) your motivation based on the amount of reward at stake. Most of your behaviors are "autopilot", which means that cognitive control is by default not factored in. Controlling your actions instead of being on autopilot is not exactly the same as willpower (closer to "intent" IMO), but it is something similar. When you change the incentive for acting, your brain has to either turn up or turn down those autopilot behaviors, and your motivation to engage in cognitive control in the first place changes depending on the incentives. You have several time-scales of control though--contextual (immediate-term), episodic (medium-term) and probably long-term as well. So, when you prioritize long-term motivation over short-term motivation, you're also doing something that's kinda close to willpower. Ultimately, I think the term "willpower" is a psychological construct that is useful in interpreting and motivating our own behaviors.

In conclusion:IMO there are several independent factors involved in willpower1) Having a clear goal independent of immediate incentives2) Judging whether a recent or impending action is in alignment your longer-term goal3) Acting on the basis of your judgments, indpendent of incentives4) The relative strength (or salience) of short-term vs. long-term incentives5) The efficiency of dopamine signaling in your PFC and midbrain (which is why adderall/cocaine gives you willpower in the short term)