All of us have experienced the dreaded apprehension of doing something we don't enjoy. It often doesn't start so severe; vows to follow a new diet, wake up before work to exercise, or wash your dishes before they overflow - like so much water - out of the sink begin with all the zeal of New Years resolutions. But, over time, as the drudgery of repeating the same, monotonous task wears on your willpower, you start to feel an almost physical ball and chain holding you back.
In science, energy is very strictly and concretely defined. Thermal, kinetic, potential, electric, magnetic, etc. It's very quantifiable. But, hear a friend say, "Wow, I have no willpower left; it feels like all of my energy has been drained," and you understand exactly what they mean. Well, science is getting closer to understanding too. In a recent article on NPR, scientists talk about how willpower is a form of 'mental energy'. Akin to a muscle, one's will can be fatigued through use, and exercised through workouts.
Our willpower is used everywhere and affects everything. Studying vs. watching television, eating cookies vs. carrots, planning for the future, living in the present, being social when we're depressed, even getting up when our alarm goes off instead of clicking snooze all require various amounts of willpower and motivation to achieve. And that's what's so incredibly fascinating: Motivation and willpower are intrinsically linked.
There are two parts of the brain that are important to understand when discussing willpower: The prefrontal cortex and the reward center. The prefrontal cortex is the part of our brain involved in extrapolating from experience to predict present and future outcomes. It allows delayed gratification and is integral in impulse control (e.g. getting up for class instead of sleeping another hour when you're tired). The reward center is responsible for wanting instant gratification; it finds class in ten minutes irrelevant – you're tired now. Likewise, it's responsible for relief. If you're thirsty, the reward center is responsible for the sense of satisfaction received after drinking water.
These two parts of the brain dance intricately to find a healthy medium of present and delayed rewards. Simply put, the reward center says, “I'm hungry,” and the prefrontal cortex says “If I don't eat, I'll starve.” However, the prefrontal cortex could also say, “I have a test in 10 minutes, food will take 20, and if I don't pass this exam I flunk this course, can't afford another term, can't get a decent job, can't pay my student loans, and then I'll starve.” Meanwhile, the reward center says, “I'm hungry.”
When these parts of the brain send conflicting messages, an internal struggle ensues. The outcome relies on many factors – a predominant one being your strength of will. That is determined by the 'strength' of your prefrontal cortex. The muscle metaphor is extraordinarily fitting. Actions that require willpower can fatigue it; overworking your will can strain it; and consistently and healthily pushing your willpower will grow it. The prefrontal cortex literally grows in both physical size and density of neural connections.
Deliberately exercising your willpower is simple and increases impulse control, your ability to make and follow through on goals, and mental organization. Small actions such as,
- Never pressing the snooze button on your alarm.
- Limiting the number of times you check facebook/personal email/reddit/etc. in a single hour or day.
- Use full words and proper grammar/punctuation when IMing and Texting.
And here is where I must end for know; I have to go outside and jog in the rain, even though I don't really want to, before I succumb to procrastination.
