Increase Your Will Power

The Times has an article in the op-ed section today -- one that, by all accounts, actually belongs in the science section -- about people's capacity for self-control. Apparently, in the short term, people have only limited willpower available to them. The amount of willpower available at any given moment may be, at least in part, a function of blood-sugar levels; the brain needs blood sugar to function, and it takes quite a bit of energy to resist something tempting (or not resist something repellant). People asked to do two self-control-intensive activities in a row had more difficulty with the second task when given diet lemonade (no sugar) between tasks, but did equally well on the two tasks when given regular lemonade (lots of sugar). In the short term, sugar seems to actually increase self-control.

The article does not discuss the implication that this will revolutionize modern parenting methods. ("Pixie stix before homework, kids! You know the rule!")

Despite the quick pick-me-up available in glucose-rich foods, the authors caution readers to save their willpower for things that really need doing; let the housework go, they say, if you've got a test to study for.

I don't doubt the results of the studies cited by Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang, but my approach is usually the opposite: If I've got a test to study for, the first thing I do is start cleaning. Procrastination is as good a study method as last-minute panic is a reliable motivator. But maybe they're right; maybe I should have been spending my time eating Oreos and watching Simpsons reruns instead of stacking papers and vacuuming. My test scores may have suffered as a result of my diligence.

Aamodt and Wang also say that over time, people can build up their overall capacity for self-control, and practicing self-control in one area of life seems to help other areas, too. The article notes that people committing to a two-month exercise regimen also experience a reduction in "impulsive spending, junk food intake, alcohol use and smoking. They also study more, watch less television and do more housework." Willpower is like a muscle that can be strengthened, they say.

In addition to the tasks given to study participants, who were asked to eat radishes or stare at an unchanging video of a table and chair, "other activities that deplete willpower include resisting food or drink, suppressing emotional responses, restraining aggressive or sexual impulses, taking exams and trying to impress someone."

"Trying to impress someone" seems like a strange addition to this list, until you take a moment to consider what it really means: suppressing the impulse to act like an idiot. (For some reason, this impulse is highly correlated with being around someone you want to impress.)

Aamodt and Wang conclude that any activity that requires self-control will increase willpower -- "and the ability to resist impulses and delay gratification is highly associated with success in life."

Well in that case, bring it on, life.

I'm ready to resist all you have to offer.