Will Or Won't Power?

Psychologist Walter Mischel conducted experiments in the 1960's where he had preschoolers choose one marshmallow now or two 15 minutes later to test their willpower.  Decades later his follow up studies revealed that four-year olds who waited turned into adults less likely to abuse drugs, had higher self-esteem and better relationships. They earned higher degrees, had better financial balance, and handled stress better than those who chose immediate gratification.

I wonder about those who didn't like marshmallows?  Would they choose to eat the mushy thing to get it over or ask for M&M's?  At that age,  I would definitely have asked for a different treat.

Now in a new study on willpower, Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney probe what they call "the greatest human strength."

Baumeister and his collaborators believe the will, like a muscle, can become fatigued.  They call this "ego depletion."  They found an individual's willpower consists of a circuitry in the brain that runs on glucose.  Their research revealed that the ego can become invigorated by a sugary pick-me-up  although not by a diet sweetener.  They also showed self-control requires exercise.

They observed students in a study that required them to keep track of eating habits, exercise regularly, use a mouse with their weaker hand, and speak in complete sentences without swearing.  After several weeks the students appeared more resistant to ego depletion and showed greater self-control in their lives. They smoked, drank and snacked less. They washed more dishes and studied more. Although they watched less television, no one monitored computer or cell phone use from what I can tell.

After these observations, the researchers offered advice to build the strength of willpower:

Don't try to tame every bad habit at once. Don't diet because it starves the system that implements self-control.  You may actually have to eat something sweet to avoid overeating.

Exercise!

Sweets and exercise alone will strengthen self-control?  Hmmmm

I would add that writing about issues will assist in self-discovery while it instills a positive habit.  Keep the M&M's handy and go for a long walk or run each day.

Check out their book, WILLPOWER, Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength.

Creative Write:  What do you observe about your self-control issues?  Do you think you feel an "ego depletion" when trying to break or make a habit?  What do you do to keep to your goals? Can you resist one temptation and not another?  What is won't power?

Tell us how you strengthen your ego to keep writing.