One more episode and sleep: how the brain suppresses willpower. The Science of Self-Control: Is It Possible to Develop Willpower? The area of the brain responsible for willpower
Scientists have proven that willpower is not so much the ability to give up immediate desires, but the ability to remember what you REALLY want.
Previously, willpower distinguished us from animals. Animals do not know how to wait well and are easily tempted, they can enter into intimate relationships with close relatives and are driven by instincts. People know how to wait because they can hold important ideas in their heads. People have laws, moral and ethical standards and diplomacy that contradict instincts and preserve society. In primitive society, willpower saved people's lives, because an unrestrained person was more likely to be expelled from the tribe and die.
And in modern society Willpower is what distinguishes people from each other. People who better manage their attention, feelings and actions are more successful, are less distracted by unimportant things, understand better what they want and do it more effectively. Statistically, they even live longer.
There is a joke that to save your marriage and your figure you need the same thing - to close your mouth in time. This is what willpower helps with.
In the brain, the prefrontal cortex is responsible for willpower. Historically, this is the youngest part of the brain. And since it is new, it does not always work perfectly. It is located in the forehead area. This cortex controls what you pay attention to, what you think about, even what you feel. This way she can better control what you do.
The prefrontal cortex comes into conflict with the parts of the brain that control instincts. Instincts are millions of years old, and they are designed to help us survive. Millions of years ago, when food was scarce, instincts said “if you see food, eat it immediately!” Omnivores were more likely to survive. In modern society there are no problems with the availability of food. There is a problem with its overabundance. So it’s like we have two minds inside us. One says “eat this immediately”, and the other admonishes “fast food is harmful, you really want to maintain your figure and health.” Both of these intelligences are valuable. Instincts help you survive, and willpower helps you be happy and successful. But our instincts are already strong, because they are older than willpower. And they almost never fail. And willpower is still young and weak.
How to maintain willpower?
You need to know that distraction and absent-mindedness are the enemy of willpower. Therefore, you need to train your concentration. The easiest way to do this is through MEDITATION.
Neuroscientists have found that when you ask your brain to meditate, it not only learns to meditate better, but also acquires a whole set of important self-control skills, including mindfulness, focus, stress management, impulse control and self-awareness. People who meditate regularly are not just more successful in these areas. Over time, their brain begins to work like a well-oiled strong-willed machine. They have more gray matter in the prefrontal cortex and areas of the brain associated with self-awareness. The same scientists calculated the "minimum useful" duration of meditation. This is 8 weeks of 5 minutes.
Simple Practice
1. Sit on a chair with the soles of your feet completely touching the floor, or cross your legs on a cushion. Sit up straight with your hands on your knees.
It is very important not to fidget during meditation - this physical basis self-control. If you feel the urge to scratch or change the position of your arms or legs, notice this urge, but do not give in to it. The success of volitional training partly depends on this simple condition, a fixed posture. You learn not to go on autopilot with every impulse your brain or body sends you.
2. Focus on your breathing. Close your eyes or, if you are afraid to fall asleep, just focus your gaze on one point (on an empty wall, not on an online store website).
Start tracking your breathing. Say to yourself “inhale” and “exhale” as you inhale and exhale. When you notice that you are lost in your thoughts (and you will be), simply return to your breathing. This practice of continually returning to the breath strengthens the prefrontal cortex and calms the stress and craving centers.
3. Notice your breathing sensations and extraneous thoughts. After a couple of minutes, stop saying “inhale” and “exhale” to yourself. Just focus on the sensations of your breath. Feel the air flowing in and out through your nostrils and mouth. Feel your belly and chest expand as you inhale and deflate as you exhale.
You may have gotten distracted by your thoughts again. As before, when you notice extraneous thoughts, bring your attention to your breathing. If this is difficult, repeat to yourself “inhale” and “exhale” several times. This part of the practice trains self-awareness and self-control.
Start with five minutes a day. Once this becomes a habit, increase the time to 10 or 15 minutes a day. If it becomes a burden, go back to five minutes. A short workout every day is better than a long practice that you put off until tomorrow every day. It may be more convenient to set a specific time for meditation, for example before your morning shower. If this is not possible, be flexible - meditate when you can.
Failures in meditation are useful for self-control. The point of meditation is not to get rid of all thoughts. It teaches you how to not get lost in them and not forget what your goal is. Don't worry if you get distracted during meditation. Just return to the breath again and again.
In my opinion, in modern world you cannot live without meditation. Because there are a lot of temptations and attention is constantly “torn”. Instincts are easy enough to satisfy, but to go further, you need willpower. So I wish everyone success in life and in meditation.
Part of the text and idea taken
The brain is the most mysterious and mysterious human organ. It’s paradoxical, but our ideas about his work and how it actually happens are diametrically opposed things. The following experiments and hypotheses will lift the curtain on some of the secrets of the functioning of this “stronghold of thinking,” which scientists have not been able to capture to this day.
1. Fatigue is the peak of creativity
The work of the biological clock - internal system the body, which determines the rhythm of its vital activity - has a direct impact on a person’s daily life and his productivity in general. If you are a morning person, then it is best to do complex analytical work that requires serious mental investment in the morning or before noon. For night owls, in other words - “night owls” - this is the second half of the day, smoothly turning into night.
On the other hand, scientists advise taking on more creative work that requires activation of the right hemisphere when the body feels physically and mentally exhausted, and the brain is simply no longer able to understand the proof of Goldbach’s ternary problem. It sounds crazy, but if you dig a little deeper, you can still find a rational grain in this hypothesis. Somehow, this explains why moments like "Eureka!" occur while driving public transport after a long day at work or, if history is to be believed, in the bathroom. :)
With a lack of strength and energy, it is extremely difficult to filter the flow of information, analyze statistical data, find and, most importantly, remember cause-and-effect relationships. When it comes to creativity, the listed negative aspects take on a positive connotation, since this type of mental work involves generating new ideas and irrational thinking. In other words, a tired nervous system is more efficient when working on creative projects.
One of the articles in the popular American magazine Scientific American talks about why distraction plays a role in important role in the process of creative thinking:
“The ability to be distracted is very often the source of non-standard solutions and original thoughts. At these moments, a person is less concentrated and can perceive a wider range of information. This “openness” allows you to evaluate alternative solutions to problems from a new angle, promotes the acceptance and creation of completely new, fresh ideas.”
2. The effect of stress on brain size
Stress is one of the most powerful factors affecting the normal functioning of the human brain. Recently, Yale University scientists proved that frequent stress and depression literally reduce the size of the central part. nervous system body.
The human brain cannot synchronize decision-making processes in relation to two separate problems. Trying to do two things at the same time only exhausts our cognitive abilities by switching from one problem to another.
If a person is concentrated on one thing, the prefrontal cortex plays the main role, controlling all exciting and depressing impulses.
“The anterior part of the brain is responsible for forming goals and intentions. For example, the desire “I want to eat that piece of cake” in the form of an exciting impulse passes through the neural network, reaches the posterior prefrontal cortex, and you already enjoy the treat.”
4. Short naps improve mental alertness
The impact of healthy sleep is well known. The question is, what impact does napping have? As it turned out, short “blackouts” throughout the day have an equally positive effect on mental activity.
Memory improvement
After finishing the experiment on memorizing 40 illustrated cards, one group of participants slept for 40 minutes, while the second was awake. As a result of subsequent testing, it turned out that participants who had the chance to take a short nap remembered the cards much better:
“It’s hard to believe, but the group that got enough sleep was able to recall 85% of the cards in their memory, while the rest remembered only 55%.”
Apparently, a short nap helps our central computer “crystallize” memories:
“Research shows that newly formed memories in the hippocampus are very fragile and can be easily erased from memory, especially if space is needed for new information. A short nap appears to “push” recently learned data to the new cortex (neocortex), the long-term storage site for memories, thus protecting them from destruction.”
Improving the learning process
In a study conducted by professors at The University of California, a group of students was given a rather complex task that required learning a lot of new information. Two hours after the start of the experiment, half of the volunteers, just as in the case of the cards, slept for a short period of time.
At the end of the day, the well-rested participants not only completed the task better and learned the material better, but their “evening” productivity significantly exceeded the indicators obtained before the start of the study.
What happens during sleep?
Several recent studies have shown that during sleep, the activity of the right hemisphere increases significantly, while the left hemisphere remains extremely quiet. :)
This behavior is completely unusual for him, since in 95% of the world's population the left hemisphere is dominant. Andrey Medvedev, the author of this study, made a very funny comparison:
“While we sleep, the right hemisphere is constantly busy around the house.”
5. Vision is the main “trump card” of the sensory system
Although vision is one of the five components of the sensory system, the ability to perceive electromagnetic radiation The visible spectrum is significantly more important than the others:
“Three days after studying any text material, you will remember only 10% of what you read. A few relevant images can increase this figure by 55%.
Illustrations are much more effective than text, partly because reading itself does not produce the expected results. Our brain perceives words as tiny images. It takes more time and energy to understand the meaning of one sentence than to look at a colorful picture.”
There are actually several downsides to relying so heavily on our visual system. Here is one of them:
“Our brain is forced to constantly make guesses, since it has no idea where exactly the visible objects are. A person lives in three-dimensional space, while light falls on the retina of his eye in a two-dimensional plane. So we think of everything we can’t see.”
The picture below shows which part of the brain is responsible for processing visual information and how it interacts with other areas of the brain.
6. Influence of personality type
The mental activity of extroverts increases significantly when a risky deal “burns out” or they manage to pull off some kind of adventure. On the one hand, this is simply a genetic predisposition of sociable and impulsive people, and on the other, different levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain of different personality types.
“When it became known that the risky deal was successful, increased activity was traced in two areas of the brain of extroverts: the amygdala (lat. corpus amygdaloidum) and the nucleus accumbens (lat. nucleus accumbens).”
The nucleus accumbens is part of the dopaminergic system, which produces feelings of pleasure and influences motivation and learning. Dopamine, produced in the brains of extroverts, pushes them to do crazy things and gives them the opportunity to fully enjoy the events happening around them. The amygdala, in turn, plays key role in the formation of emotions and is responsible for processing exciting and depressing impulses.
Other studies have demonstrated that the biggest difference between introverts and extroverts is how the brain processes the various stimuli that come into the brain. For extroverts, this path is much shorter - exciting factors move through the areas responsible for processing sensory information. For introverts, the trajectory of stimuli is much more complex - they pass through areas associated with the processes of remembering, planning and decision-making.
7. The “total failure” effect
Professor social psychology At Stanford University, Elliot Aronson substantiated the existence of the so-called “Pratfall Effect”. Its essence is that by making mistakes, people like us more.
“The one who never makes mistakes is less liked by others than the one who sometimes does stupid things. Perfection creates distance and an invisible aura of unattainability. That is why the winner is always the one who has at least some flaws.
Elliot Aronson conducted a remarkable experiment that confirmed his hypothesis. A group of participants was asked to listen to two audio recordings made during the interviews. In one of them, a man could be heard knocking over a cup of coffee. When participants were asked which applicant they liked most, everyone voted for the clumsy applicant.”
8. Meditation - recharge your brain
Meditation is useful not only for improving attention and maintaining calm throughout the day. Various psycho physical exercise have many positive effects.
Calm
The more often we meditate, the calmer we become. This statement is somewhat controversial, but quite interesting. As it turned out, the reason for this is the destruction of the nerve endings of the brain. Here's what the prefrontal cortex looks like before and after 20 minutes of meditation:
During meditation, nerve connections are significantly weakened. At the same time, connections between the areas of the brain responsible for reasoning and decision-making, bodily sensations and the fear center, on the contrary, are strengthened. Therefore, experiencing stressful situations, we can evaluate them more rationally.
Creativity
Researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands, studying goal-oriented and clear-mind meditation, found that participants practicing a style of goal-oriented meditation showed no significant changes in areas of the brain that regulate the process. creative thinking. Those who chose clear-mind meditation far outperformed other participants in subsequent testing.
Memory
Catherine Kerr, Ph.D., a fellow at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at the MGH Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and the Osher Research Center at Harvard Medical School, argues that meditation improves many mental abilities, particularly the rapid retention of material. The ability to completely disengage from all distractions allows people who practice meditation to concentrate extremely on the task at hand.
9. Exercise - reorganization and training of willpower
Of course, exercise is great for our bodies, but what about our brains? There is exactly the same connection between training and mental activity as there is between training and positive emotions.
"Regular physical activity can cause significant improvements in human cognitive abilities. As a result of the testing, it turned out that people who are actively involved in sports, unlike couch potatoes, have good memory, quickly make the right decisions, without much difficulty concentrate on completing the task at hand and are able to identify cause-and-effect relationships.”
If you have just started exercising, your brain will perceive this event as nothing other than stress. Rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, cramps, muscle pain, etc. - all these symptoms occur not only in the gym, but also in more extreme life situations. If you have felt something similar before, these unpleasant memories will definitely come to mind.
To protect against stress, the brain produces the protein BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) during exercise. This is why we feel relaxed and ultimately even happy after exercising. In addition, as a protective reaction in response to stress, the production of endorphins increases:
“Endorphins minimize discomfort during exercise, block pain and promote a feeling of euphoria.”
10. New information slows down the passage of time
Have you ever wished that time didn't fly so fast? Probably more than once. Knowing how a person perceives time, you can artificially slow down its progress.
Absorbing huge amount information coming from different senses, our brain structures the data in such a way that we can easily use it in the future.
“Since the information perceived by the brain is completely disordered, it must be reorganized and assimilated in a form that is understandable to us. Despite the fact that the data processing process takes milliseconds, new information is absorbed by the brain a little longer. Thus, it seems to a person that time drags on forever.”
What's more strange is that almost every area of the nervous system is responsible for the perception of time.
When a person receives a lot of information, the brain needs certain time to process it, and the longer this process lasts, the more the passage of time slows down.
When we once again work on painfully familiar material, everything happens exactly the opposite - time flies by almost unnoticed, since we don’t have to put in much mental effort.
- Translation
Most of us regularly say to ourselves, “If only I had more willpower.” However, is it actually possible to develop it? And if so, what's the best place to start?
Some of these situations will seem familiar to you:
- You want to become a morning person, but when the alarm goes off, you cut yourself some slack and continue to sleep.
- You decide to switch to a healthier diet, but unexpectedly you order from McDonald's.
- You think it would be a good idea to hit the gym and lose a few extra pounds before summer starts, but after a long day at work you find yourself on the couch watching TV.
Why should we care about willpower?
Roy Baumeister, one of the leading researchers on willpower, notes:The root cause of most of the problems that plague our contemporaries - addiction, overeating, crime, domestic violence, sexually transmitted diseases, prejudice, debt, unwanted pregnancies, lack of education, poor performance in school and work, lack of funds, lack of exercise - is to one degree or another low level of self-control.
Psychology has identified 2 main parameters that seem to provide an extremely wide range of benefits: intelligence and self-control. Despite many years of attempts, psychology has not yet figured out what a person can do to permanently increase the level of mental abilities. But strengthening self-control is quite accessible. Therefore, self-control is rare and powerful tool, using which psychology can make tangible and beneficial changes in the lives of ordinary people
Research in this area strongly supports the idea that increasing a person's willpower has a positive effect on all areas of their life. People who are more prone to self-control have better health, more stable and happier relationships, higher earnings, and more successful careers. Not surprisingly, those with stronger willpower are also happier.
Therefore, declaring your willingness to work on your willpower may turn out to be one of the best decisions in your life.
What is willpower?
To understand how willpower works, we first need to figure out what we mean when we use the word. We all think we understand what we're talking about we're talking about. However, as scientists studying this item determine willpower?In the book "Maximum Willpower" by Professor Kelly McGonigal, who teaches the course "The Science of Willpower" (" The Science of Willpower") at Stanford, mentions three different aspects of this phenomenon:
- The power of “I Won’t” is the ability to resist temptation.
- The power of “I will” is the ability to do what needs to be done.
- The power of “I want” is the individual’s awareness of his long-term goals and desires.
Where do we get willpower from?
Willpower is an amazing phenomenon. Indeed, some scientists even say that perhaps it is what makes a person human. This is logical, because there are no other animals with such a developed ability to control their impulses. What made us so special?Ancient people lived in a society where the survival of each individual was very dependent on the group. To get along with others, everyone needed to watch their impulses. This had a huge impact on the brain and led to the development of impulse control techniques that could get a person into trouble.
Our current ability to fight our impulses is the result of several thousand years of adaptation to an increasingly complex social environment.
The Brain and Willpower: Meet the Prefrontal Cortex
The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain located just behind the frontal bone and the eyes. Throughout evolution, it mainly controlled physical movements (walking, running, climbing, etc.). Over time, it not only grew larger, but also strengthened connections with other parts of the brain and took on some new functions. The prefrontal cortex is now responsible for your actions, thoughts, and even feelings.In the prefrontal cortex there are 3 independent sections that control various aspects willpower:
- The left lobe of the prefrontal cortex is responsible for the “I will” part.
- The right lobe is in charge of the “I won’t” area.
- And the lower middle beat serves “I want.”
The importance of the prefrontal cortex is best illustrated by cases where people have suffered injuries that affect this particular part of the brain. In 1848, Phineas Gage, a calm, polite, and hard-working foreman, found himself in a situation that resulted in a very serious head injury that damaged his prefrontal cortex. The injury changed him forever. Friends could not recognize Gage: he had turned into an irritable, impulsive person - literally the opposite of himself.
Phineas's case is one of many examples of what happens when a person suffers from damage to the prefrontal cortex. This makes it clear that willpower is not something mystical, but just one of the functions of our brain.
Why our grandparents were more disciplined than us
One of the most shocking discoveries about willpower is this: willpower is like a muscle that gets tired when overused.Roy Baumeister conducted many experiments in which he asked people to exercise willpower in controlled laboratory conditions (refuse cake, hide their anger, hold their hands in ice water, etc.). It turned out that the details of these requirements did not have of great importance: People who had to use their willpower experienced a weakening of their ability to control themselves. This was expressed in different ways: those who were asked to control their emotions were more likely to buy unnecessary things, giving up sweets led to procrastination, and so on. In the end, Baumeister came to the conclusion that willpower becomes depleted during use.
Moreover, research has shown that there are many factors that can deplete willpower, some of which we would never have thought of. Attending a boring meeting, trying to impress a date, inappropriate workplace- all this drains willpower. Every time you are forced to restrain an impulse or make a decision - no matter how mundane - you use your “willpower muscle” and therefore deplete the corresponding reserves.
Kathleen Vaughns, assistant professor of marketing at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, notes:
There is research that shows that people's levels of self-control are the same as they were decades ago, but we are bombarded with more and more temptations. Our psychology is not designed to deal with all of our current potential pleasures.
We could look at people from previous generations and admire their self-discipline. As a martial artist, I remember reading stories about past masters and beating myself up for not practicing the same technique for hours, day after day, like they did.
But it seems that the reason that our generation is not as diligent as its predecessors is not at all a weakness of character, but environmental irritants. Would these martial artists be as dedicated to their craft if they had access to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube? I'm afraid we will never get an answer to this question.
Steroids for willpower: meditation
The good news is that we can increase our willpower and be able to use it regularly if we start training our brain.Meditation has proven itself to be one of the most effective methods increasing willpower. Research on this issue shows that 3 hours of meditation improves self-control and concentration, and after 11 hours of practice you can notice real changes in the brain. Why is it so effective?
Meditation increases blood flow to the prefrontal cortex. The brain seems to respond to exercise in the same way as your muscles: doing push-ups gives you strong arms, and meditating improves the neural connections between the parts of your brain responsible for self-control. What's the best way to meditate if you want to develop your willpower?
Kelly McGonigal says the meditation technique described will get the blood flowing to the prefrontal cortex, which is perhaps the simplest thing we can do to accelerate evolution and maximize our brain's potential.
- Sit and don't move. You can sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor, or lie cross-legged on the floor. Try to restrain your motor impulses: find out if you can ignore the itching and the need to change position. Stillness is an important part of meditation; it teaches you not to automatically give in to impulses.
- Shift your attention to your breathing. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Mentally say “inhale” as you draw in air, and “exhale” as you release it. If you notice your mind has started to wander, bring it back and continue to focus on your breathing. This activates the prefrontal cortex and calms the centers of the brain that respond to stress and desire.
- Notice how you feel when you breathe and when your mind wanders. After a few minutes, drop the words “in” and “exhale” and focus solely on the sensation of breathing. Your mind may get a little lost without these words. But if you notice that you are thinking about something extraneous, return your attention to your breathing. You can repeat “inhale” and “exhale” several times if you find it difficult to concentrate. This part helps train both self-awareness and self-control.
Conclusion: Don't beat yourself up too much!
I think one of the most important things we can take away from the recent research on willpower is that we should stop feeling guilty and beating ourselves up every time we fail to use it successfully.Most often, a lack of willpower is hidden by chemical processes in the brain, and not by natural weaknesses of character. Just as it makes no sense to expect unlimited physical strength from the muscles, it is also unreasonable to hope that the mind will demonstrate unlimited willpower. What you need to understand is that you need to exercise to increase your willpower in the same way that you exercise to increase your physical capabilities. Meditation can help you!
It turns out that willpower is a real muscle, like any other in our body. It can be easily trained using special techniques and exercises. Kelly McGonical, Ph.D., psychologist, and lecturer at Stanford University, talks about this in her book “Willpower.” I'm telling you the most interesting things.
Where does willpower come from?
There is an area in our brain called the prefrontal cortex. This is a very small area that performs a very important function: it is responsible for allowing us to make volitional decisions.
When the prefrontal cortex is not in good condition, we lose control of ourselves: we want to eat a lot of junk food, do impulsive things, yell at someone, or smoke a couple of cigarettes. But there is very simple ways bring this part of the brain back into action and become a self-control guru. About them below:
Available on schedule
Recently, the scientific community stunned the world with this statement: it turns out that the more mess a person has in his room, the more overweight he may be. Mess and excess weight are directly related. This happens because the brain likes to be in control. Any disorder makes him feel stressed.
This type of stress also includes eating out of schedule. The more uncertain our calendar is in this matter, the higher the temptation for the body to “mess up” in the form of an extra donut or glass of wine. And as you know, bribes from the body are smooth. It will simply say: “Sorry, I was just stress-eating.” In general, willpower starts with eating regularly.
Five minute meditation
Another great and simple way to avoid unnecessary temptations is to meditate. Moreover, by meditation we do not mean long immersion into oneself in a special pose. No, in order to regain self-control, you just need to retire for five minutes, close your eyes and be within yourself. If you don't know how to meditate, then just focus on your breathing. Repeat “inhale” and “exhale” to yourself. After this exercise, it will be much easier for you to avoid immediate gratification.
Correct breathing
Scientists have been saying for a long time that people do many things completely differently from what nature intended. We run incorrectly, walk incorrectly, and even breathe incorrectly. It is optimal if you take only 4-6 breaths per minute. To test this, take a stopwatch and start breathing. One inhalation and exhalation should take you 15 seconds. Try not to breathe more often. At the same time, draw in air through your nose as deeply as you can. Let the air penetrate into the very depths of your stomach.
This technique can be used if you are suddenly tempted to, say, make an impulsive purchase. Just breathe deeply near the product you are about to buy and slowly run away -) And the best thing is to go for a walk.
Walk
One of the most effective tools that helps develop and strengthen willpower is a walk. A walk helps to disperse the blood in the body, saturate it with oxygen, and during a walk, joy hormones are produced - endorphins. It turns out that you become automatically happy just by walking. Walking is very helpful in restoring the functions of the prefrontal cortex, so it is simply irreplaceable in increasing self-control. By the way, if you, for example, feel that you are at the limit and are about to break into loved one, then it’s better to go out and walk for 15-20 minutes. You will see that everything will immediately return to normal.
Mini sleep
What a pity that the afternoon nap initiative has not been legally introduced in our country. Many doctors have long been saying that sleeping after lunch is very beneficial. Literally 15-20 minutes of sleep, or just half-asleep in a quiet place, greatly restores the functions of our brain and we can again make volitional decisions, control our emotions and refuse temptations.
Find yourself a secluded place during lunch (even if it’s your car) and lie down there for 15-20 minutes. Wake up refreshed!
Today we will talk about willpower - that part inside everyone that is responsible for the decisions we make: to be or not to be, to do or not. Whenever there is a need for action, which is not part of our habits or contradicts internal desires and beliefs, we use willpower.
The ancient Greek philosopher Plato was the first to offer a description of man's internal struggle with himself, around 400 BC, by comparing the soul to a chariot. In the place of the charioteer, according to Plato, there was a rational principle endowed with a certain willpower. The chariot itself is drawn by a pair of horses, symbolizing the noble and sensual beginning. Obeying the hand of the driver, they carry the chariot forward, but if he is tired or drives the horses too much, he immediately loses control over them, going against his conscious desires.
Our minds are structured in the same way. In a tense struggle with our internal “I want”, he inevitably gets tired , willpower weakens, and, as a result, we can no longer make some decisions that require some effort from us. By taking care of personal productivity and controlling our inner desires, we want to make the “charioteer” stronger so that the “chariot” always goes in the desired direction. Simply put, we always want to see the results of our efforts. This can be achieved by training willpower.
Willpower is your main ace in the hole
Willpower at its core is the ability to successfully cope with tasks. It is this that determines how quickly you can get back to work, give up unhealthy food, and start going to the gym. Willpower applies to absolutely all aspects of life.
Consider willpower to be one of your muscles that, like all other muscles, requires regular stretching and training. Otherwise, they will atrophy, like an astronaut returning from an orbital station.
Scientists Mark Muravin and Roy Baumeister share the same opinion. (Muraven and Baumeister).To confirm their hypothesis, they once conducted an experiment that went down in history as the experiment with radishes and cookies. Its essence was as follows: hungry subjects were asked to divide into two groups, one of which could only eat radishes, and the other could only eat chocolate chip cookies. After some time, participants were asked to solve a complex geometry problem. However, not a single group of people knew that there was simply no solution.
During the experiment, it turned out that those who treated themselves to radishes gave up a good 20 minutes faster than those who got the cookies? Why? The point is that the last didn't have to make any effort and eat less palatable food, which means using willpower. The experiment clearly showed that the will also has achievable limits.
You may now be thinking, “Hmm, what kind of willpower is there... I couldn’t stand it and attacked the cookies.” I hasten to reassure you: meticulous servants of science have found that willpower, like any muscle, can be successfully trained, like a tiger that fell into the hands of the Zapashny brothers. With proper training, willpower allows a person to perform much more complex tricks. For example, going completely without food for five days, which, you see, is a very serious test.
Two ways to strengthen willpower
- Cultivate your will. To strengthen muscles, we put stress on them, and they become tired, and when they recover, they become stronger. Willpower is trained according to the same principle: take charge of your health, try to organize your thoughts and become more collected.
- Use power wisely. Willpower - especially. Sometimes it is better to go around the mountain than to climb it. Likewise, most everyday tasks actually require less effort than it seems at first glance.
So, if you are someone who wants to take self-control to the next level, we will continue to introduce you to tools designed to make your willpower stronger than diamond claws .
How to develop willpower
Let's face it - we are mostly weak-willed. Many people actually have a talent for vegetation and vice: we sit on social networks all day long, indulge in hamburgers, smoke, and do something else harmful. Try going to lunch after postponing mobile phone to the side,- it's not as simple as it might seem to you at first. Being in constant tension, you do not feel the need to train your will. But as soon as the thought of losing excess weight or opening your own business or finding a better job comes into your head, then you will have to learn about the disadvantages of its absence on the thorny path to success.
And yet there are chances to win in this unequal struggle with oneself. It's simple: pay attention to your health physical as well as mental. Try to follow a few simple recommendations that we offer you below.
1. Eat healthy
The human brain is a mystery to this day. The structure of this organ is very complicated, and its significance is not subject to the slightest doubt. The weakening of a person’s mental abilities leads to a disorder of habits and desires. The most obvious external sign This is what is called (BMI). If it is too high or tends to increase, then the blood sugar level begins to “jump”, and you feel inhibited and “sway for a long time”.
However, body weight is not the only indicator of health status that affects a person’s ability to self-control.
Deficiency of vitamins and microelements in the body, such as vitamin D, may lead to cognitive impairment. That is why healthy nutrition plays a decisive role: a person’s weight is in order, the necessary vitamins and microelements, and willpower is also present in the proper amount.
2. Exercise
Many have probably heard the saying “In A healthy body means a healthy mind." This is true. How more active person physically, the better he, as they say, thinks.
If we are without movement for a long time, and especially if we sit, then all the muscles gradually “fall asleep,” and with them our brain.
That's why it's so easy to doze off on a long-distance bus or at a lecture. Partly for the same reason, standing desks are gaining popularity today. The so-called desks can significantly increase productivity due to the fact that the muscles of the legs and back remain in motion, which means that the vessels fully participate in blood circulation, supplying the brain with oxygen. If working while standing is not possible, take time to stand up and stretch a little. You don't have to be a marathon runner or a heavyweight in oats - just be more active. To do this, include warm-up in the list of mandatory activities for every day. After all, we are ourselves, right?
Try to follow the “Japanese” norm, which prescribes 10 thousand steps daily to maintain good health. It will also be useful to climb the stairs a couple of times. Do whatever you want, the main thing is to be in motion.
Sometimes we feel like our strength is leaving us and it is no longer possible to continue working. You shouldn't fight this feeling. Get up and go for a walk! You will be surprised when you feel better within five minutes.
3. Sleep
To achieve the highest degree of concentrated willpower, combine healthy eating and exercise with quality sleep at night.
By sleep deprivation we mean sleeping less than seven to eight hours at night. A sleep-deprived brain works at half capacity, as if you “took it on the chest,” which can already be compared to a complete lack of willpower. Imagine, just an hour or two that you need to “get” to the eight-hour norm will make your willpower an order of magnitude stronger. But for someone who doesn’t get enough sleep, even if only infrequently, willpower will not be so easy.
4. Drink more water
This is the last point related to healthcare. Honestly.
Every living thing needs water - an indisputable fact. It turns out that the ability to concentrate efforts is largely determined by the water content in our body. Even minor dehydration can have serious consequences on human mental activity.
It is believed that to maintain normal functioning, you need to drink two liters or eight glasses of water daily. We recommend increasing this norm by one and a half to two times: beautiful skin and a healthy, moderate appetite will be advantages to good health.
Water also contains potassium, sodium and chlorine - the most important electrolytes for the human body.
5. Practice meditation
Kelly McGonigal, a psychologist, professor at Stanford University and author of a series of books on willpower, believes that meditation is one of the best methods for training it.
The concept of “willpower” is associated with a person’s ability to focus on the task at hand, controlling distracted consciousness. Many of us have a problem with this, which is aggravated by the continuous flow of a wide variety of information pouring at us from our mobile phones, laptops and social networks.
With the help of meditation, you can train self-awareness, the ability to abstract or concentrate your attention on some internal process - the goals may be different. If you have mastered the basic techniques of breathing control, then concentrating on work will not be much of an effort, even if the environment is not conducive to work.
Moreover, meditation teaches us to “control ourselves among the crowd of confused people,” instead of losing our temper or getting upset over any reason - you must admit, the latter is unlikely to make you employee of the month.
By concentrating on different sensations, we learn to get rid of unnecessary emotions in a given situation and their external manifestations.
If you want to try the wonderful effects of meditation on yourself today, check out, for example, the application. which will help you master the science of relaxation.
6. More practice
Whatever you want to succeed at, practice. When starting willpower training, start by checking yourself for lice. Let's do without wisdom, because with willpower, as in war or in love, all methods will be good.
Willpower itself is not enough to achieve your goals. Imagine that you have a Ferrari in your garage, under the hood of which there is a whole herd of horsepower hidden - the car is, without a doubt, very fast. However, if the fuel tank is dry, you won't get anywhere.
This is why it is important to use good and proven control methods. Why run to where you can get there without haste? In the following paragraphs, we will learn about ways to use willpower sparingly so that there is something left “for later.”
1. Divide and conquer
Sometimes, just looking at the front of the upcoming work, we already want to give up and admit: nothing will work out. The same goes for personal motivation. For example, if you say to yourself: “I have to lose 20 kilos,” then you need to understand that achieving this goal may take more than one month.
However, if you conditionally divide one large task into several smaller points, say, “read one paragraph from a microbiology textbook” or “lose two kilograms,” then the goal will no longer seem so unattainable to you.
The more difficult the task, the more effort you will have to make on your will. Understanding this, tackle the clearly feasible items first. This way you will “warm up” before doing everything else.
2. Form habits
Lifehacker has already talked about Charles Duhigg(Charles Duhigg) and his book "", in which he states: habits make up approximately 40% of our daily actions.
Overall this is good news. Imagine if every time you got into a car, you started a thought chain: “So, I take the handbrake off, press the clutch pedal, turn the key, look in the rearview mirror, look around, put the reverse gear in motion.” Do you understand? If these actions did not become habits, we simply would not have time to think about anything!
But, whether we like it or not, bad habits, alas, have not been canceled. It is because of them that we snooze the alarm several times a morning, twirl the keys in our hands and (oh, horror!) melancholy pick our nose. As soon as self-discipline weakens, they are right there.
On the contrary, good and healthy habits help maintain willpower in maximum tone and in a state of combat readiness. For example, if your regular schedule includes jogging every morning, jumping out of bed and running to the park is unlikely to be a problem for you. If not, force yourself to start, and within a week your body will get used to the new morning “ritual”. Use this simple technique to gain truly valuable skills.
When starting work, try spending half an hour of your time planning the most important tasks - after a few days this will become quite common for you.
Think about what actions in everyday life require special moral effort from you. Make a list of them and identify those that could become a habit. Service can be an additional source of motivation , which will display the progress of your achievements graphically, identify lazy people and “punish” with a ruble for weakness of spirit. This is Sparta, brother.
3. Avoid bad news
Someone who feels like a millionaire thinks clearly and is usually a strong-willed person. No stress and various kinds Sorrows will have the best impact on the development of self-control. That is why the expression “You are what you eat” will also be true for “mental” food - the information we consume.
Of course, our world is not ideal, and not every event can bring a smile to your face. Road accidents, wars, financial market collapses - in a word, everything that is continuously broadcast on TV screens and mobile devices, along with all other information, affects our mood and... willpower. In fact, even the vacation photos that your friend posted on his page in social network, can become a serious threat to willpower and bring your passion to naught. As you know, an ax is the same as chopping. It’s the same with our consciousness, which processes signals coming from outside in autopilot mode.
To avoid being overly “informed,” try to limit your consumption of information that is not directly related to your field of activity. Of course, if you are a broker by profession, then being aware of stock market fluctuations is your direct responsibility. But thoughts from the series “What will happen tomorrow if...” will not bring practical benefit.
4. Create a positive work environment
With willpower it’s like with money: the less you spend, the more you end up with. It would be logical to assume that you can make the environment work for you, that is, reduce the likelihood of situations where you may need willpower. This means you can calmly focus on the most important thing.
For example, you have a box of expensive chocolates on your table. From time to time, a desire arises in your head to open it and treat yourself, but you fight it with the help of willpower. Next to the box is a mobile phone, on the screen of which notification icons appear from time to time. Trying not to be distracted, you continue working. Know: willpower works with you.
The same applies to delicious food photographs in glossy magazines.
To make sure you don't fall into the list of spineless losers that Jonathan talks about, try the service : it will not only allow you to take into account your working hours, but will also help classify activities according to their degree of significance.
5. Prepare in advance
Psychologically, decisions are easier if we know about the need to make them in advance. Knowing this, we can minimize the use of our volitional resources in achieving our goals.
Just think about what you need to do and repeat to yourself, reinforcing the right thought in my head, as if it were a mandatory rule. For example, “When I get to work, I will immediately answer all emails” or “As soon as I wake up, I will get dressed and go to the gym.”
Such rules in to a large extent simplify a person’s struggle with himself, saving his internal resources. They also help keep promises. Sometimes doing and forgetting is better than not doing and being tormented by internal contradictions and remorse. Believe me, generated by cognitive dissonance, they will inevitably appear to ruin your mood. If you know that there is a long and hard work ahead for the result, tune in to it in advance and do a little more simple tasks to “warm up”.
6. Listen to yourself
Many people know their natural “clock”. There may be a feeling that you are about to lose your strength, or, conversely, when productivity is at the highest level, it seems that there is no problem that cannot be dealt with.
This occurs due to circadian rhythms -cyclical fluctuations in the intensity of various biological processes associated with change of day and night. That's why most people feel tired around two in the morning and energized after two in the afternoon. If you're one of them, plan to get everything important done before your activity level drops.
Another type of biological rhythm is also known - ultradian rhythms. They are responsible for concentration, changes in pain sensitivity and a number of other processes that occur during the day and night in the human body.
In fact, every hour and a half our brain goes through a cycle in which high level activity changes to low. If at the moment of peak activity you are busy with work, then work progresses and brings satisfaction.
On the contrary, by acting contrary to your natural rhythms, you mindlessly waste your limited supply of willpower and, as a result, quickly “burn out.”
If the time of day is not “yours”, and there is still a lot to do, we recommend working in sets for an hour and a half, interrupting for a 15–20-minute rest between each of these sets.
Even more will
So, if you already feel that the knowledge you have acquired is just dying to be put into practice, here are some tips for you to get started immediately:
- Think about what aspects of health you should pay attention to: excess weight, quality of sleep, exercise. Don't take on everything at once, start with one thing.
- Evaluate the benefits of currently known assistant services, such as And . They work, we checked.
- Alternate between simple and complex tasks throughout the workday to stay on your toes.
- Critically analyze the organization of your workspace for things that steal your attention and time. And try the service .
- Identify your activity peaks and lows during the day or evening. Remember these time periods and start planning with them in mind.
- Think about what good habits you could adopt and what must-have items on your list you can plan ahead for.
We hope you are finally convinced of the inevitable success of all your planned events. It’s even better if an action plan has already begun to emerge in your head. We will be glad to hear about others effective ways self-control and read your “winner story”!