Caution: The following lines are a note to myself, not a judgment of others. 1. Alcohol weakens your will by impairing prefrontal functioning and thus self-control. 2. Alcohol weakens your will by dimming the focus on your goal and plan to achieve it. 3. Alcohol weakens your will by dulling the decision-making processes needed for leading groups and women. 4. Alcohol weakens your will by undermining opportunities to improve your social skills and core confidence. 5. Alcohol … [Read more...]
Can We Build Willpower like a Muscle?
The Muscle Analogy of Self-Control In my book Willpower Condensed, I wrote that we can strengthen our will like a muscle: Track the food you eat or improve your posture for two weeks and you'll be more tenacious at holding a handgrip. Stick to an exercise plan or keep track of your spending for two months and you'll have more willpower to resist distraction. Use your non-dominant hand for everyday activities or monitor your language for two weeks and you'll increase your puzzle-solving … [Read more...]
A Hard Workout Does Not Sap but Boosts Willpower
How does exercise intensity influence cognitive control? In a new experimental study (Peruyero et al., 2017), participants were assigned to one of three groups: no exercise, light-intensity exercise, or high-intensity exercise. Their inhibitory control was tested before and after the workout. The results: People who had just exercised intensely did better at the cognitive test than those who had exercised lightly, while those who had not exercised at all performed the worst. This drives yet … [Read more...]
Why I No Longer Take Caffeine Before My Workouts
I have been using coffee, energy drinks, and pre-workout boosters before my strength workouts for years. No more though! As part of my mindfulness challenge, I have quit all habitual drug use. Here is why. In general, psychoactive drugs put the brain in a special state. This is great for broadening the mind (psychedelic experimentation), socializing at parties (alcoholic celebration), and performing at a peak level (stimulantic achievement). Importantly, drugs are awesome if used … [Read more...]
Pride Experience Vs. Pride Anticipation
A key point in my book Willpower Condensed is that true pride fuels willpower and motivates self-discipline. Importantly, we must consider two different mechanisms: Pride experience (being prideful, being praised), the emotional reward for having done something great, conditions our will to keep aiming at long-term goals and to stay in line with our core values. Pride anticipation (wanting to experience pride), the emotional fuel for a pride-conditioned will, motivates our will to stay … [Read more...]
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