It's okay; you are not alone. Most of us wish we had a stronger will, but is it possible to strengthen our willpower? What is the best way to do this? Science offers some answers that may surprise you.
Why is willpower so important?
“Most of the problems experienced by contemporary society, such as addiction, overeating, crime, domestic violence, prejudice, debt, educational failure, declining academic and professional performance, waste, and lack of commitment to exercise, result in one way or another from a failure of self-regulation,” says self-regulation researcher Roy Baumeister.
The psychology of intelligence and self-regulation is one of the most critical qualities that benefit the individual. Despite decades of research and attempts, scientists have not found effective ways to increase human intelligence but have found that it is possible to enhance the ability to self-regulate, so it is an opportunity for psychologists to make a tangible positive difference in the lives of ordinary people."
Research on self-regulation affirms that enhancing one's willpower has a positive effect on all facets of one's life. Self-regulation-enthusiasts are frequently wealthier, happier, healthier, and more successful in their careers. They also tend to have more fulfilling relationships. Thus, one of the wisest choices you can make is to dedicate yourself to developing your willpower.
What is willpower?
First, to understand how willpower works, it is necessary to define the term from a scientific point of view. How do specialized scientists define willpower?
In her book Maximum Willpower, Professor Kelly McGonigal talks about three different aspects of willpower:
- The power of inaction: the ability to resist temptations.
- Power of action: the ability to do what needs to be done.
- The power of desire: awareness of one's long-term goals and desires.
According to Professor Kelly, willpower involves harnessing these three forces to achieve your goals and avoid problems.
Why do humans have willpower?
Willpower is regarded by some scientists as a remarkable phenomenon and the primary factor that sets humans apart from other animals. No other creatures have such an advanced ability to control their motives.
Early humans lived in an environment where the individual relied primarily on the group to survive. They had to control their motives to conform to and harmonize with other group members. That prompted human brains to develop means to control the individual's motives to avoid any problems that threaten their existence. Our current ability to control our motives is due to thousands of years of adaptation to an increasingly complex social environment.
Willpower and the human mind
The prefrontal cortex is an area of the brain located just behind the eyes and forehead. Throughout our evolutionary history, it has been responsible for controlling physical movements such as walking, running, etc. This region has grown, become more connected to other areas, and taken on new roles over time. Now, the prefrontal cortex is in charge of controlling your actions, thoughts, and even feelings.
There are three different areas of the prefrontal cortex, each controlling one of the three aspects of willpower:
- The left area of the prefrontal cortex is responsible for doing what needs to be done.
- The right area of the prefrontal cortex is responsible for resisting temptations.
- The lower-middle region of the prefrontal cortex is responsible for an individual's awareness of their long-term goals and desires.
Together, these three areas give us self-regulation and self-awareness; in other words, they provide us with willpower.
Examining the experiences of those who have suffered injuries to this region of the brain is one of the best ways to demonstrate the importance of the prefrontal cortex. In 1848, Phineas Gage was a calm, respectful, and diligent person working as a foreman. Unfortunately, he suffered a severe brain injury that damaged his prefrontal cortex and never returned to his former self. He turned into an impulsive and impatient person.
Phineas is one of the many examples of prefrontal cortex damage symptoms, and this shows that willpower is not intangible; rather, it is one of the many functions of the human brain.
Why were our grandparents more disciplined than us?
One of the most shocking discoveries regarding self-regulation is that willpower is like a muscle; it gets tired when overused, and researcher Roy Baumeister has conducted many experiments in a controlled environment, asking people to direct themselves and try to resist eating sweets and controlling anger, putting the hand in ice water for as long as possible and so on.
It turned out that people who had to use their willpower in all previous experiences had a reduction in their ability to control themselves, which showed up in plenty of ways. People who were asked to control their emotions were more likely to waste and buy unnecessary products, while resisting sweets led to procrastination.
Roy finally concluded that willpower decreases whenever we use it. In addition, research indicates that many things drain our willpower without us realizing it, such as attending boring meetings, trying to impress others, and not coping at work, all of which deplete our willpower. Each time you have to reject an incentive or make a choice, no matter how small, you exhaust your willpower reserve.
Kathleen Vohns, a marketing professor at the University of Minnesota, says: "Some research suggests that people still have the same capacity for self-regulation as our ancient ancestors. We are drowning in temptations every day more and more, and our psychological system is not used to dealing with all this potential instant gratification."
We may envy previous generations for their self-discipline, but the decline of our generation's discipline compared to previous generations is not necessarily related to personal flaws but to the temptations surrounding us. Would the ancients have practiced the self-discipline they practiced if they had the Internet and social media, for example?
Boosting Willpower: Meditation
The upside is that if we commit to teaching our minds self-control, our willpower will get stronger. It turns out that meditation is one of the most effective ways to enhance willpower. Research indicates that three hours of meditation can increase self-control and the ability to focus. After eleven hours of meditation, you can notice evident changes in the individual's brain. The reason for the effectiveness of meditation is its ability to increase blood flow to the prefrontal cortex.
The brain reacts to training just as muscles do to sports. For example, by doing push-ups that strengthen the muscles of your arms and by meditating, you improve the neural connections between the brain's areas responsible for self-regulation.
What is the best way to meditate to strengthen your willpower?
“The following meditation technique boosts blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, which is the fastest way to speed up the development process and make the most of our brain's potential,” says Professor Kelly McGonigal:
1. Sitting and maintaining your posture
You can pose on a chair and put your feet on the floor or sit on the ground and put one leg over the other.
Try to resist any impulse to move, and test if you can ignore the feeling of itching or urgency to change your sitting position. Being motionless while meditating is crucial because it trains your mind to resist following your instincts.
2. Turn your attention to your breath
Close your eyes, focus on your breathing, and say to yourself the words "inhale" with each inhale and "exhale" with each exhale. When you find yourself busy with other thoughts, stop and continue to focus on your breathing. That activates the prefrontal cortex and calms your brain's stress and desire centers.
3. Observe your feelings
After a few minutes, when you breathe, stop saying the words "inhale" and "exhale" and focus only on the sensation of breathing. You may tend to wander more without these words. However, when you notice that you are thinking about something else, return your attention to breathing.
If you find it challenging to regain your focus, you can say “in” and “out” again when you breathe a few times, which helps you practice self-awareness and self-regulation.
You may find meditation very challenging when you first start practicing it, and that is absolutely normal. It is difficult to notice how distracted our minds are in our daily lives, but sitting down and trying to focus on breathing draws our attention to this mental mess, and research proves that up to five minutes of meditation a day helps increase self-regulation and self-awareness.
In conclusion
Don't be too hard on yourself. One of the most important conclusions of the current search for willpower is the need to stop feeling guilty and blame ourselves every time we fail to discipline ourselves. Sometimes, our brain chemistry is the reason we lack willpower, not personal flaws.
Just as you know that your muscles cannot supply infinite energy, it is inconceivable to expect your brain to provide unlimited willpower, and remember that you must train to enhance your willpower just as you practice to develop your physical strength.
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