The Science of Willpower: How Self-Control Works
Willpower has been studied extensively by psychologists and neuroscientists. The findings challenge the common belief that willpower is a character trait that some people have and others lack. Willpower appears to function more like a muscle than a fixed trait. It can be fatigued with use but also strengthened through practice. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for executive functions including self-control, consumes significant glucose when resisting impulses. This partly explains why self-control is harder when you are tired, hungry, or stressed. Decision fatigue describes the deterioration of decision quality after making many decisions. This is why successful people often reduce trivial decisions like what to wear or eat to preserve mental energy for important choices. Implementation intentions, specific plans for when and where you will perform a behavior, are remarkably effective. Rather than I will exercise more, plan I will walk for 30 minutes immediately after lunch on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Removing temptations from your environment is more effective than resisting them. Your environment shapes your behavior far more than most people realize.
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