Willpower And Self-control Can Change Your Life

Have you ever wondered what the secret is behind willpower and self-control? Keep reading to explore some strategies you can implement to your advantage!

Developing willpower and self-control can change many areas of your life. It can be acquiring and sticking to a healthy diet, reading more books, exercising and even working towards long-term goals, for example. In fact, their benefits seem to extend throughout life.

According to this, Terrie Moffit, from Duke University, and a group of colleagues studied self-control in a group of 1000 individuals. The researchers followed them from the time they were born until they were 32 years old.

It was part of a long-term health study in Dunedin, New Zealand. Together with his colleagues, Moffitt discovered that individuals with well-developed childhood self-control became healthier adults, both mentally and mentally.

With these results, it is clear that willpower and self-control are essential for a good life. Recent studies indicate that there are ways to strengthen willpower and self-control. All one has to do is put them into practice.

Facts about willpower and self-control

Researchers studying self-control often describe it as a muscle. This is because it gets tired of all the heavy lifting. However, they also say that there is another side to muscle analogy. For example, even if your muscles get sore for a while after training, they will also become stronger in the long run.

Introduce sustained willpower and self-control to one area, then the rest will improve

The Australian researchers, Megan Oaten and Ken Cheng from Macquarie University in Sydney, assigned a group of volunteers a training program (or other activity that required willpower) for two months.

Participants who performed better in self-control tests reported that they smoked and drank less. Moreover, they ate healthier, controlled their consumption and even improved their study habits.

By continually introducing willpower into physical training, it generalized and strengthened, apparently, all participants in other important areas.

Delayed satisfaction

More than 40 years ago, psychologist Walter Mischel of Columbia University examined children’s self-control. He did this with a simple but effective test. Some delicious sweets were left in front of the participants in the studio, and the participants were children.

Before the children were left alone with the candy, the researcher said he would go out for a moment, and if they could refrain from touching the candy during his absence, they would get an extra piece of candy when he returned.

They would not get an extra piece like that otherwise. This is a classic experiment. In fact, it has been repeated many times. The researcher analyzed, primarily, the influence of different variables.

Overall, the children who could not resist eating the lollipop were also less successful in self-control tests as an adult. An individual’s sensitivity to immediate stimuli seems to continue through a person’s life.

Willpower, self-control and glucose

Eating frequently to maintain blood sugar levels in the brain can also help recharge your reserves of willpower. However, do not let the word “sugar” fool you.

According to nutritionists, healthy foods that do not contain refined sugar are better than processed foods. They can, in fact, balance your blood sugar level.

Goals are better achieved one at a time

The findings in the studies of “willpower exhaustion” also indicate that lists with New Year’s resolutions are not a very good idea. At least, if you really want to achieve everything you write on it. Exhaustion in one area that your life can reduce willpower in other areas. Therefore, it makes more sense to chase one goal at a time.

If you think about it, it makes very good sense. In fact, according to Baumeister, it is no longer necessary to use willpower to maintain certain behaviors once one has acquired the first good habit. Over time, healthy habits become the norm and it only takes a little effort to continue with them.

Do not give in

It is an effective strategy for maintaining self-control. In the aforementioned study with candy by Walter Mischel, children who focused their attention on the candy either gave up or resisted less. Those who closed their eyes, looked the other way, or distracted themselves in some way could resist the urge to eat it.

Intention for implementation

Another useful strategy to improve your self-control is the “intention to implement” technique. For example, someone trying to keep their alcohol consumption in check may decide to ask for mineral water in advance every time someone offers them a drink.

Implementation intention promotes self-control. Thereby, planning enables you to make instant decisions that do not require willpower.

Motivation is crucial

Mark Muraven found that individuals, whose willpower had been exhausted, could still exercise self-control in certain tasks. Primarily when someone promised some form of compensation for their efforts. Either monetary or the mere satisfaction of helping another person.

He concludes that high motivation can help overcome weakened willpower. At least to some degree.

Neuroscientific findings

Researchers have found that the prefrontal cortex (a region of the brain that controls executive functions, such as making decisions) exhibits increased activity in people who have greater self-control.

Likewise, the ventral striatum (a region thought to handle the processes of desire and reward) shows increased activity in those who have less self-control.

In conclusion, there are many questions that need to be answered when it comes to the nature of self-control. However, it seems – with clear goals, self-vigilance and a bit of practice – that you can train your willpower and stay strong when it comes to resisting certain cramps and following the paths that have fewer demands and impositions.