deepstash
Beta
Willpower Is Not a Limited Resource
Willpower as emotion
According to the psychology professor Michael Inzlicht, the individual is able to control his or her willpower, taking into account current feelings and events.
This is perceived as a decision-making tool that enables its owner to have full disposal of the mental energy and, therefore, to accomplish even the most challenging tasks.
56 SAVES
This is a professional note extracted from an online article.
Read more efficiently
Save what inspires you
Remember anything
IDEA EXTRACTED FROM:
3
Key Ideas
Ego depletion
The theory of 'ego depletion' refers to the idea that there is a connection between willpower and one's limited reserve of mental energy.
However, evidence has been brought to support an opposite point of view, according to which ego depletion is caused most likely by self-defeating thoughts, rather than biological limitations.
A self-defeating state of mind
Having a self-defeating state of mind makes one believe that he or she is not able to achieve certain goals, by providing a logical reason to give up.
Willpower as emotion
According to the psychology professor Michael Inzlicht, the individual is able to control his or her willpower, taking into account current feelings and events.
This is perceived as a decision-making tool that enables its owner to have full disposal of the mental energy and, therefore, to accomplish even the most challenging tasks.
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
4
Key Ideas
The Ego-Depletion Myth
One of the most popular folk psychology may be the belief that self-control is somehow "spent."
The idea received support in the late 1990s and has been cited over three thousand times...
The ego-depletion study error
A recent study that involved over 2,000 participants attempted to reproduce the experiment that led to the ego-depletion theory but found no evidence of ego depletion.
Scholars looked into a 2010 meta-analysis of nearly 200 experiments and discovered that the meta-analysis showed a "publication bias" in which studies that produced contradictory evidence were not included.
Looking at willpower differently
The idea of ego depletion may have caught on because it satisfies a need to justify why we sometimes do things we know we shouldn't.
Instead of looking for an excuse, we should perhaps accept that we are fragile, distractible beings and cut ourselves some slack. Maybe our waning energy and wandering minds are trying to tell us something.
one more idea
8
Key Ideas
Ego Depletion
Ego depletion happens when people use up their available willpower on one task.
We all have natural urges, desires, and tendencies that demand attention. When we curb those ...
Self Control
People having a high level of self-control experience better relationships and have higher achievement levels. Lack of self-control is associated with social conflict and low-grade academic performance.
Example: While following a diet regime, a person spends a lot of willpower the whole day trying to avoid junk food, but by the end of the day, all his mental energy has been exhausted, and there is no self-control left, resulting in snacking on unhealthy food.
Causes of Ego Depletion
Many emotional and physical factors contribute to ego depletion, like:
- Emotional distress
- Struggling to learn something new
- Mental fatigue due to anxiety
- Low levels of blood sugar
- Too much choice
- Conflicting beliefs and actions (cognitive dissonance)
- Heart Rate
- Hormonal imbalance
- Being young and immature.
5 more ideas
5
Key Ideas
Sticking to a healthy lifestyle
Staying in shape is mostly about program compliance.
It’s not about having the best fitness program, but about having one that’s good enough, eating less junk food and making sure you...
Off limits foods
Successful dieters usually declare certain foods to be completely out of bounds, or allowed only during occasional designated cheat meals, rather than expecting themselves to eat everything in moderation.
Saying no to bad habits
2 more ideas