Mindcoolness

A Cool Mind for a Full Life

Should You Use Willpower to Deal With Anxiety?

There are two types of emotion regulation: implicit regulation: automatic strategies explicit regulation: conscious, effortful strategies What neuroscientists (e.g., Etkin et al. 2015) describe as implicit emotion regulation is equivalent to defense mechanisms (Rice 2016)—manipulations and distortions of reality in order to defend against anxiety, to protect one's ego. Some common examples are: "I fear nothing whatsoever." (denial) "In my mind I'm a fearless superhero." … [Read more...]

The Path to Mindcoolness #3 – Asking Why

In his unpublished manuscripts, Nietzsche wrote: sieh hinaus! sieh nicht zurück! man geht zugrunde, wenn man immer zu den Gründen geht This exhortation translates roughly to: "look forward! look not back! one perishes if one always reverts to the reasons." It's an invocation of mindcoolness: Let your Will not be thwarted by overconsideration. Quiet your mind and march forth, undeterred by overthinking. For reconsideration disempowers the Will, replacing vigor with doubt, replacing How with … [Read more...]

Jocko Willink on Willpower Fatigue

I recently listened to a discussion about willpower fatigue on the Jocko Podcast (check it out! it's a goldmine of masculine wisdom). You can watch the debate between Jocko and Echo here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhYOoh-bNOI Jocko argues that exerting your will's power doesn't fatigue it, while Echo advocates the muscle metaphor of willpower. Let's take a closer look at their arguments. Jocko's Perspective 1) Willpower Momentum According to Jocko, using willpower propels you in … [Read more...]

What Is Fatigue? Muscles, Willpower, and Mental Toughness

What is fatigue? Fatigue is a state of weakness. Muscle fatigue is the temporary physical inability to use one's muscles optimally. Willpower fatigue is the temporary mental inability to self-regulate (control oneself) optimally. The Strength Model The strength model of willpower fatigue claims that willpower relies on a common and limited energy source that can be temporarily depleted. According to the glucose depletion hypothesis, this energy source is glucose. The depletion of … [Read more...]

Willpower: Lessons in Self-Discipline #4

The fourth principle in my series about how to have discipline in your life states: Don't use willpower if you don't have a plan! Whenever you exert willpower, you have a goal (a True Will): you want to build muscle, lose fat, get good grades, make more money, overcome a fear, win a sports competition, or break an addiction. Willpower is unreliable. Whenever you feel overly stressed, exhausted, or distracted, you're likely to fail to move toward your goal—not because you're weak but because … [Read more...]