From a 2013 study conducted by Wilhelm Hoffman, “people with high self control are happier than those without”. Self-control is the only working tool to fully overcome unwanted behaviors such as addiction to smoking or drinking, fear etc.
You wish to quit smoking, but still find your way back to a cigarette shop. Here comes the necessity of Willpower.
The willpower response is a reaction to an internal conflict. You want to do one thing, such as smoke a cigarette or supersize your lunch, but know you shouldn’t. Or you know you should do something, like file your taxes or go to the gym, but you’d rather do nothing.
Thus, increase in one’s willpower will strongly and positively affect other areas of one’s life. Roy Baumeister, another leading researcher on Willpower also noted that:
“Most of the problems that plague modern individuals in our society — addiction, overeating, crime, domestic violence, sexually transmitted diseases, prejudice, debt, unwanted pregnancy, educational failure, underperformance at school and work, lack of savings, failure to exercise — have some degree of self-control failure as a central aspect.
Psychology has identified two main traits that seem to produce an immensely broad range of benefits: intelligence and self-control. Despite many decades of trying, psychology has not found much one can do to produce lasting increases in intelligence. But self-control can be strengthened. Therefore, self-control is a rare and powerful opportunity for psychology to make a palpable and highly beneficial difference in the lives of ordinary people”
To be able to control our urges and make good decisions, the Prefrontal Contex which is the section of the brain situated behind the forehead that helps in regulating behavior must be monitored.
Now that we know we are all embedded with the willpower, let’s look into some ways with which it can be improved to secure our self-control and rediscover this greatest Human Strength.