Interesting. So the willpower seems to be in the mind. Who would have guessed that? :D
How can we exploit this information to get more willpower? The first idea is to give youself rewards for using the willpower successfully. Imagine that you keep a notebook with you, and every time you have to resist a temptation, you give yourself a “victory point”. For ten victory points, you buy and eat a chocolate (or whatever would be your favorite reward). Perhaps for succumbing to a temptation, you might lose a point or two.
Perhaps this could rewire the brain, so it goes from “I keep resisting and resisting, but there is no reward, so I guess I better give up” to “I keep resisting and I already won for myself a second chocolate; let’s do some more resisting”.
But how to deal with long-term temptation. Like, I give myself a point at the morning for not going to reddit, but now it’s two hours later, I still have to resist the temptation, but I will not get another point for that, so my brain expects no more rewards. Should I perhaps get a new point every hour or two?
Also, it could have the perverse effect of noticing more possible temptations. Because, you know, you only reward yourself a point for the temptation you notice and resist.
I think that’s cheating. Willpower is the ability to unpleasant activities in exchange for positive future consequences. The chocolate / victory point is shifting the reward into the present, eliminating the need for willpower by providing immediate gratification.
I don’t know about the first question, but for the second: yes.
Apparently the answer to the second question depends on what you believe the answer to the second question to be.
Interesting. So the willpower seems to be in the mind. Who would have guessed that? :D
How can we exploit this information to get more willpower? The first idea is to give youself rewards for using the willpower successfully. Imagine that you keep a notebook with you, and every time you have to resist a temptation, you give yourself a “victory point”. For ten victory points, you buy and eat a chocolate (or whatever would be your favorite reward). Perhaps for succumbing to a temptation, you might lose a point or two.
Perhaps this could rewire the brain, so it goes from “I keep resisting and resisting, but there is no reward, so I guess I better give up” to “I keep resisting and I already won for myself a second chocolate; let’s do some more resisting”.
But how to deal with long-term temptation. Like, I give myself a point at the morning for not going to reddit, but now it’s two hours later, I still have to resist the temptation, but I will not get another point for that, so my brain expects no more rewards. Should I perhaps get a new point every hour or two?
Also, it could have the perverse effect of noticing more possible temptations. Because, you know, you only reward yourself a point for the temptation you notice and resist.
I think that’s cheating. Willpower is the ability to unpleasant activities in exchange for positive future consequences. The chocolate / victory point is shifting the reward into the present, eliminating the need for willpower by providing immediate gratification.
(No one said cheating was a bad thing, of course)
I once heard of a study finding that the answer is “yes” also for the first question. (Will post a reference if I find it.)
And the answer to the second question might be “yes” only for young people.