Willpower And Self-control Can Change Your Life
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Do not give in
Intention for implementation
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.