Reading parts of the C's transcripts, I was struck by the simple realization that the more knowledge one gathers, the more FreeWill one can employ in their immediate life. I know, I know, put "obvious" in neon letters on my forhead. But...by gathering this knowledge, does the mere fact of having & understanding this knowledge give one the willpower/emotional strength to APPLY it in everyday life? Or does that come from someplace else? Because, allthough I'm learning these things here, its a bit different arranging it all into a practical "tool" & using it in regards to personal relationships, family, friends, etc...so I ask of those who've acquired it: does willpower/emotional strength come from the knowledge, or from somewhere within?
Knowledge=FreeWill=WillPower?
- Thread starter Ominous
- Start date
Well as you say it is the application of knowledge which is so beneficial, as simply having the knowledge and expecting this to bring results within the context of the Work (and here I'm assuming that you have some understanding of the 4th Way) is a mechanical process. I'm confused however as to why you seem to be separating knowledge from the function of 'willpower', which as we know is simply not present in our normal mechanical state. As I understand it knowledge applies to everything, including the recognition that 'will' is not present and how it can be developed.
One could have the knowledge but not apply it, so no just understanding is not enough, one must apply it as well. This takes effort, will and work, and reading and understanding the knowledge alone does not necessarily ensure willpower, application, etc.Ominous said:
As I'm not one of those who have acquired it yet :) - this is just my understanding now - others may be able to give you more insight.Ominous said:
I think willpower is something we have to consciously develop by active application of same. Like Gurdjieff says, "The evolution of man is the evolution of his consciousness, and 'consciousness' cannot evolve unconsciously." That is, you will not spontaneously and mechanically develop willpower or knowledge without a constant conscious effort on your part. The problem is, the reason it is so difficult to do anything that helps us and others develop is because of the massive resistence our machine puts up to this effort.
As such, it stands to reason that the elimination of our machine, and the development of our higher centers to the point of creating a conscious "I" will make it easier and easier to do the Work to develop ourselves and help others do the same. It becomes less of a struggle against yourself and simply a natural and eventually effortless thing, as what you *Do* will be inseparable from who you *Are*. But right now, if we are a chaotic mechanical mess, it is difficult to force ourselves to comply with a higher goal and direction. But without the conscious and persistent effort towards that end, no progress can be made. And there are no shortcuts, no "easy way out", no free lunch, and no exceptions.
As for the details, the esoteric literature and the study of it in the various works on this site explore how to go about doing the "Work" on ourselves to remove our predator, develop all our centers, and by that, create a conscious "I".
Edit: Some more excerpts from Gurdjieff's books:
As such, it stands to reason that the elimination of our machine, and the development of our higher centers to the point of creating a conscious "I" will make it easier and easier to do the Work to develop ourselves and help others do the same. It becomes less of a struggle against yourself and simply a natural and eventually effortless thing, as what you *Do* will be inseparable from who you *Are*. But right now, if we are a chaotic mechanical mess, it is difficult to force ourselves to comply with a higher goal and direction. But without the conscious and persistent effort towards that end, no progress can be made. And there are no shortcuts, no "easy way out", no free lunch, and no exceptions.
As for the details, the esoteric literature and the study of it in the various works on this site explore how to go about doing the "Work" on ourselves to remove our predator, develop all our centers, and by that, create a conscious "I".
Edit: Some more excerpts from Gurdjieff's books:
In Search of the Miraculous said:
Life Is Only Real When I Am said:
I think this leads naturally into the C's statement regarding "religion":Views From the Real World said:
C's said:
I think some people misunderstood what I meant, which is my fault for not explaining it clearly. But ScioAgapeOmnis not only hit the nail on the head - he drove it home. Reading those quotes, I realize that I still need more knowledge to be able to deal with the "programs" in my own life. If things really were black and white, boy, would that make it simpler. The biggest hindrance to the full application of my "tools" is doubt. Doubt has been a shadow that has haunted me my entire life. Hopefully, with more knowledge, the doubt will be gradually replaced by confidence.
Valuable sources of knowledge for shining light on one's own psychological issues are the books in the psychology section of the list of Recommended Books from the QFS. I will soon finish reading Trapped in the Mirror - Elan Golomb, and it also "hit the nail" of my main programming - fear and self-doubts - on the head.Ominous said:
Indeed, I've filled entirely my free time w/ reading material from & suggested by this website. I'm in awe of the sheer volume AND quality of work Laura, Ark, and the rest of this team have done, between the books, SOTT, QFG, Cass.com and Cassiopedia...all that while also living day to day? Truly amazing and something to hold up as an inspiration. Thanks, guys.
mada85
The Cosmic Force
My understanding of what you are asking is : HOW do we begin to develop will power? Are there any practical exercises we could use to develop will power? I think there are. For example, make a conscious decision to get up at a certain time in the morning, earlier than 'it' would like, and act on that decision. The important part is to ACT on the decision. This would be a small baby step.Ominous said:
One can easily think of other examples, some of which can be quite mundane. You could decide, for instance, not to eat dessert at a predetermined meal, when that would have been your usual habit. You could decide not to look at a certain building or billboard on your usual route home. You could make an appointment with yourself to stand absolutely still, for a period of time that you previously decided upon. There are many possibilities.
It's also important not to give yourself a hard time if sometimes you don't meet your goal. When small children are learning to walk, they fall over, pick themselves up, fall over and pick themselves up, over and over again, hundreds of times if necessary, until they can walk.
Reading and thinking about people like Gurdjieff who have demonstrated a well developed will-power, it is very easy to compare ourselves negatively with them and to wonder, 'How do I get from where I am to where Gurdjieff is?' It looks like such a long and difficult road, and these people seem to occupy such lofty heights.
I think the key lies in setting small goals, and then keeping to them, and observing one's machine as 'it' tries to return to the old habit. Gurdjieff would describe this as "doing what 'it' doesn't like"; but to do this in baby steps. This is something that will bring more confidence, imho, and from there one can begin to apply one's will to other areas.
The Chinese proverb says : The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
PepperFritz
The Cosmic Force
Another applicable quote that I like is from C.S. Lewis: "We must wear masks until we have faces" -- i.e. disciplining ourselves to perform such exercises of will may at first feel awkward and artificial, and contrary to the "New Age" mantra to do only what "feels natural".mada85 said:
The comfort of familiar routines can be an impediment to waking up and facing the "shocks" that are necessary for personal growth. As a long-time "creature of routine", I have always disliked stepping outside my comfort zone, but am starting to to be much more "adaptable" to sudden changes. Case in point: I have been self-employed freelancer for a number of years, working to my own schedule out of my own home. However, I just accepted a challenging and better-paying job within a more formal office environment. It starts early in the morning and will require a drastically different routine for me and my dogs, (not to mention a drastically different environment) which I at first balked at. However, I am trying to consciously turn my mind away from ideas like "I am just not a morning person", and instead see all "routines" as artificial in nature. It's just a case of wearing the mask until it becomes your face. I'm looking forward to facing the various challenges this job will provide, confident that I am armed with all the valuable knowledge provided by this site.
Cyre2067
The Living Force
Hey Ominous, no one mentioned self-remembering or self-observation, so I thought I'd through that in the pile of 'exercises'. The goal being to be able to see oneself and the world objectively. Ya might wanna search the forum for those terms as they've been discussed in several threads.
Other then that, reading the reccomended list of literature is a great exercise. As is reading the news stories posted on SOTT. Imho those are the best first steps.
Other then that, reading the reccomended list of literature is a great exercise. As is reading the news stories posted on SOTT. Imho those are the best first steps.
obyvatel
The Living Force
I have been recently thinking about willpower and trying out an approach which suggested itself naturally to me while working on some personal issues. Endymion's recent question in the "Thinking, Fast and Slow" thread regarding whether willpower was a property of "system2 " led me to search for some material on this topic. There are a couple of books which have come out very recently which address this willpower question in terms of behavioral and cognitive psychology. I just finished reading one of them called "The Willpower Instinct" by Kelly McGonigal (KM), Ph.D, a health psychologist at Stanford University and teacher of a popular course through the distance learning program at Stanford by the name of "The Science of Willpower". Her writing style is easy-going with some humour added in places and while the information is not earth-shaking, I found it practical. She mostly deals with popular willpower challenges - dieting, smoking, shopping etc but the principles can be applied to other situations as well. What KM has to say about willpower is backed up by scientific studies - about a quarter of the book is devoted to references.
Going back to the current discussions on the two systems and the mechanicalness of human beings, it is apparent that failures of system2 to monitor and actively influence behavior in appropriate situations are related to ignorance and laziness. Ignorance can be remedied through adding knowledge. Laziness can be related to willpower (or the lack of it). At the outset, KM states that to succeed at self-control, one needs to know how exactly one fails. In most willpower/self-control failures, it is not that people do not know what was the right thing to do - they are just unable to do it. KM states that self-knowledge - especially how we find ourselves in willpower trouble - is the foundation of self-control. The approach she advocates is to "become a willpower scientist" - observe behavior, collect data and apply knowledge gained to personal situations of "willpower challenge".
KM divides up willpower into three parts - "I will", "I won't" and "I want". It was an interesting coincidence for me as before reading this book, the approach I was trying to follow did consist of essentially these 3 parts - what I would do, what I won't do and the overall aim that I am trying to follow. KM treats her "I want" component of willpower as the ability to remember what one really wants - the overall long-term goal behind the willpower challenge.
The Neuroscience of I will, I won't and I want
The prefrontal cortex is said to be the seat for willpower. It controls what we pay attention to, what we think about and eventually controls behavior. Robert Sapolsky, a Stanford neurobiologist has argued that the job of the modern prefrontal cortex is to bias the brain towards doing the "harder thing". In contrast the typical System1 goal is to seek immediate rewards and feel good.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
The prefrontal cortex is not one unified blob of gray matter; it has three key areas which divvy up the jobs of I will, I won't and I want. One region near the upper left side of prefrontal cortex, specializes in "I will" power. It helps you start and stick to boring, difficult or stressful tasks, like staying on the treadmill when you'd rather hit the shower. The right side in contrast, handles "I won't" power, holding you back from following every impulse or craving. You can thank this region for the last time you were tempted to read a text message while driving, but kept your eyes on the road instead. Together, these two areas control what you do.
The third region, just a bit lower and in the middle of the prefrontal cortex, keeps track of your goals and desires. It decides what you want. The more rapidly its cells fire, the more motivated you are to take action or resist temptation. This part of the prefrontal cortex remembers what you really want, even when the rest of the brain is screaming, "Eat that! Drink that! Smoke that ! Buy that!".
[/quote]
KM goes on to talk about the "two mind problem" which essentially brings out the conflict between two parts of ourselves. We need both parts and the challenge is to activate the right system under the right conditions. Along with self-control we also have self-awareness: the ability to realize what we are doing as we do it and understand why we are doing it. Without self-awarenss, the self-control system is useless. But self-awareness is usually not engaged and our lives are lived by autopilot under which condition the brain always defaults to doing what is the easiest at the moment. As stated in the "Thinking, Fast and Slow thread, preoccupying the thinking mind (System 2) with distractions leads to System1 being predominant and that means that impulses and not long-term goals would guide one's choices.
KM gives an example of someone who compulsively checks e-mails
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
Michele, a 31 year old radio show producer, was constantly checking e-mail on her computer or her phone. It was disrupting her productivity at work and annoying her boyfriend, who could never manage to get Michele's full attention. Her willpower challenge for the class was to check e-mail less, and she set an ambitious goal of checking no more than once an hour. After the first week, she reported that she did not come even close to her goal. The problem was that she often did not even realize that she was checking e-mail until after she was scrolling through new messages. She could stop once she realized what she was doing, but whatever impulse led her to look at her phone or click over to her e-mail was happening outside conscious awareness. Michele set the goal to catch herself sooner in the process.
By next week, she was able to notice when she was reaching for her phone or opening her e-mail. That gave her an opportunity to practice stopping before she got fully sucked in. The impulse to check was more elusive. Michele had trouble recognizing what was prompting her to check before she was in the process of checking. With time, though, she came to recognize a feeling almost like an itch - a tension in her brain and body that was relieved when she checked her e-mail. That observation was fascinating to Michele; she had never thought of checking e-mail as a way to relieve tension. She had thought she was just seeking information.
[/quote]
One of the scientifically approved :) ways of increasing self-awareness and self-control is meditation. When asked to meditate regularly, the brain not only becomes better at meditation, but at a wide range of self-control skills including attention, focus, stress management, impulse control, and self awareness. Regular meditators have more gray matter in the prefrontal cortex, as well as regions of the brain that support self-awareness. . KM goes on to say that even if one is struggling with meditation and feels that he/she is not cut out for it, the effort put in during meditation pays rich dividends afterwards in helping control impulses and manage stress when one is not meditating.
Biology of Self-Control
Suppose one is on a diet and is walking past a bakery where sits the most delectable strawberry cheesecake.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
Before you can say, "Oh, wait, I'm on a diet", you feet are moving toward the door, your hand is pulling the handle and bells chime your tongue-hanging, mouth-drooling arrival.
What's going on in the brain and body now? A few things. First, your brain is temporarily taken over by the promise of reward. At the sight of the cheesecake, you brain launches a neurotransmitter called dopamine from the middle of your brain into areas of the brain that control your attention, motivation and action. Those little dopamine messengers tell the brain " Must get cheesecake NOW, or suffer a fate worse that death." This might explain the near automatic movement of your feet and hands into the bakery. (Whose hand is that? Is that my hand on the door? Yes, it is. Now, how much is that cheesecake?)
While all this is happening, your blood sugar drops. As soon as your brain anticipates your mouth's first creamy bite, it releases a neurochemical that tells the body to take up whatever energy is circulating in the bloodstream. The body's logic is this: A slice of cheesecake, high in sugar and fat, is going to produce a major spike in blood sugar. To prevent an unsightly sugar coma and the rare (but never pretty) death by cheesecake, you need to lower the sugar currently in the bloodstream. How kind of the body to look out for you in this way! But this drop of blood sugar can leave you feeling a little shaky and cranky, making you want the cheesecake even more.
................
Unlike the saber toothed tiger in the Serengeti, the cheesecake is not the real threat. Think about it: the cheesecake cannot do anything to you, your health or your waistline unless you pick up the fork. This time the enemy is within. You don't need to flee the bakery (though it might not hurt). And you definitely don't need to kill the cheesecake (or the baker). But you do need to do something about those inner cravings. You can't exactly kill a desire, and because the cravings are inside your mind and body, there is no obvious escape. The fight or flight stress response, which pushes you toward your most primitive urges, is exactly what you do not need right now. Self-control requires a different approach to self-preservation - one that helps you handle this new kind o threat.
[/quote]
This new approach is nothing but what we know from polyvagal theory - the author here calls it the pause-and-plan response.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
To help the prefrontal cortex, the pause-and-plan response redirects energy from the body to the brain. For self-control, you don't need legs ready to run or arms ready to punch, but a well-fueled brain ready to flex its power.
.................
{W}hen people successfully exert self-control, the parasympathetic nervous system steps in to calm stress and control impulsive action. Heart rate goes down but variability goes up. When this happens, it contributes a sense of focus and calm.
.................
Heart rate variability (HRV) is such a good index of willpower that you can use it to predict who will resist temptation, and who will give in. For example, recovering alcoholics whose HRV goes up when they see a drink are more likely to stay sober. Recovering alcoholics who show the opposite response - their HRV drops when they see a drink - have a greater chance of relapse. Studies also show that people with higher HHRV are better at ignoring distractions, delaying gratification, and dealing with stressful situations. They are less likely to give up on difficult tasks, even when they initially fail or receive critical feedback. These findings have led psychologists to call HRV the body's reserve of willpower - a physiological measure of your capacity for self-control. If you have high HRV, you have more willpower available for whenever temptation strikes.
...................
Anything that puts stress on your mind and body can interfere with the physiology of self-control and by extension, sabotage your willpower.
[/quote]
The importance of diet and meditation is obvious in this context. EE/pipe breathing are excellent tools to boost willpower. Also proper sleep is essential in this context. The prefrontal cortex is energy-hungry and if sleep patterns are disturbed or inadequate for the energy needs of the body, it is the first to bear the brunt of the energy crisis. The more primitive aspects of our physiology would deem the prefrontal cortex as not essential for survival and cut off its energy supply to protect the body and leave us depleted of willpower.
To be continued.
Going back to the current discussions on the two systems and the mechanicalness of human beings, it is apparent that failures of system2 to monitor and actively influence behavior in appropriate situations are related to ignorance and laziness. Ignorance can be remedied through adding knowledge. Laziness can be related to willpower (or the lack of it). At the outset, KM states that to succeed at self-control, one needs to know how exactly one fails. In most willpower/self-control failures, it is not that people do not know what was the right thing to do - they are just unable to do it. KM states that self-knowledge - especially how we find ourselves in willpower trouble - is the foundation of self-control. The approach she advocates is to "become a willpower scientist" - observe behavior, collect data and apply knowledge gained to personal situations of "willpower challenge".
KM divides up willpower into three parts - "I will", "I won't" and "I want". It was an interesting coincidence for me as before reading this book, the approach I was trying to follow did consist of essentially these 3 parts - what I would do, what I won't do and the overall aim that I am trying to follow. KM treats her "I want" component of willpower as the ability to remember what one really wants - the overall long-term goal behind the willpower challenge.
The Neuroscience of I will, I won't and I want
The prefrontal cortex is said to be the seat for willpower. It controls what we pay attention to, what we think about and eventually controls behavior. Robert Sapolsky, a Stanford neurobiologist has argued that the job of the modern prefrontal cortex is to bias the brain towards doing the "harder thing". In contrast the typical System1 goal is to seek immediate rewards and feel good.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
The prefrontal cortex is not one unified blob of gray matter; it has three key areas which divvy up the jobs of I will, I won't and I want. One region near the upper left side of prefrontal cortex, specializes in "I will" power. It helps you start and stick to boring, difficult or stressful tasks, like staying on the treadmill when you'd rather hit the shower. The right side in contrast, handles "I won't" power, holding you back from following every impulse or craving. You can thank this region for the last time you were tempted to read a text message while driving, but kept your eyes on the road instead. Together, these two areas control what you do.
The third region, just a bit lower and in the middle of the prefrontal cortex, keeps track of your goals and desires. It decides what you want. The more rapidly its cells fire, the more motivated you are to take action or resist temptation. This part of the prefrontal cortex remembers what you really want, even when the rest of the brain is screaming, "Eat that! Drink that! Smoke that ! Buy that!".
[/quote]
KM goes on to talk about the "two mind problem" which essentially brings out the conflict between two parts of ourselves. We need both parts and the challenge is to activate the right system under the right conditions. Along with self-control we also have self-awareness: the ability to realize what we are doing as we do it and understand why we are doing it. Without self-awarenss, the self-control system is useless. But self-awareness is usually not engaged and our lives are lived by autopilot under which condition the brain always defaults to doing what is the easiest at the moment. As stated in the "Thinking, Fast and Slow thread, preoccupying the thinking mind (System 2) with distractions leads to System1 being predominant and that means that impulses and not long-term goals would guide one's choices.
KM gives an example of someone who compulsively checks e-mails
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
Michele, a 31 year old radio show producer, was constantly checking e-mail on her computer or her phone. It was disrupting her productivity at work and annoying her boyfriend, who could never manage to get Michele's full attention. Her willpower challenge for the class was to check e-mail less, and she set an ambitious goal of checking no more than once an hour. After the first week, she reported that she did not come even close to her goal. The problem was that she often did not even realize that she was checking e-mail until after she was scrolling through new messages. She could stop once she realized what she was doing, but whatever impulse led her to look at her phone or click over to her e-mail was happening outside conscious awareness. Michele set the goal to catch herself sooner in the process.
By next week, she was able to notice when she was reaching for her phone or opening her e-mail. That gave her an opportunity to practice stopping before she got fully sucked in. The impulse to check was more elusive. Michele had trouble recognizing what was prompting her to check before she was in the process of checking. With time, though, she came to recognize a feeling almost like an itch - a tension in her brain and body that was relieved when she checked her e-mail. That observation was fascinating to Michele; she had never thought of checking e-mail as a way to relieve tension. She had thought she was just seeking information.
[/quote]
One of the scientifically approved :) ways of increasing self-awareness and self-control is meditation. When asked to meditate regularly, the brain not only becomes better at meditation, but at a wide range of self-control skills including attention, focus, stress management, impulse control, and self awareness. Regular meditators have more gray matter in the prefrontal cortex, as well as regions of the brain that support self-awareness. . KM goes on to say that even if one is struggling with meditation and feels that he/she is not cut out for it, the effort put in during meditation pays rich dividends afterwards in helping control impulses and manage stress when one is not meditating.
Biology of Self-Control
Suppose one is on a diet and is walking past a bakery where sits the most delectable strawberry cheesecake.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
Before you can say, "Oh, wait, I'm on a diet", you feet are moving toward the door, your hand is pulling the handle and bells chime your tongue-hanging, mouth-drooling arrival.
What's going on in the brain and body now? A few things. First, your brain is temporarily taken over by the promise of reward. At the sight of the cheesecake, you brain launches a neurotransmitter called dopamine from the middle of your brain into areas of the brain that control your attention, motivation and action. Those little dopamine messengers tell the brain " Must get cheesecake NOW, or suffer a fate worse that death." This might explain the near automatic movement of your feet and hands into the bakery. (Whose hand is that? Is that my hand on the door? Yes, it is. Now, how much is that cheesecake?)
While all this is happening, your blood sugar drops. As soon as your brain anticipates your mouth's first creamy bite, it releases a neurochemical that tells the body to take up whatever energy is circulating in the bloodstream. The body's logic is this: A slice of cheesecake, high in sugar and fat, is going to produce a major spike in blood sugar. To prevent an unsightly sugar coma and the rare (but never pretty) death by cheesecake, you need to lower the sugar currently in the bloodstream. How kind of the body to look out for you in this way! But this drop of blood sugar can leave you feeling a little shaky and cranky, making you want the cheesecake even more.
................
Unlike the saber toothed tiger in the Serengeti, the cheesecake is not the real threat. Think about it: the cheesecake cannot do anything to you, your health or your waistline unless you pick up the fork. This time the enemy is within. You don't need to flee the bakery (though it might not hurt). And you definitely don't need to kill the cheesecake (or the baker). But you do need to do something about those inner cravings. You can't exactly kill a desire, and because the cravings are inside your mind and body, there is no obvious escape. The fight or flight stress response, which pushes you toward your most primitive urges, is exactly what you do not need right now. Self-control requires a different approach to self-preservation - one that helps you handle this new kind o threat.
[/quote]
This new approach is nothing but what we know from polyvagal theory - the author here calls it the pause-and-plan response.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
To help the prefrontal cortex, the pause-and-plan response redirects energy from the body to the brain. For self-control, you don't need legs ready to run or arms ready to punch, but a well-fueled brain ready to flex its power.
.................
{W}hen people successfully exert self-control, the parasympathetic nervous system steps in to calm stress and control impulsive action. Heart rate goes down but variability goes up. When this happens, it contributes a sense of focus and calm.
.................
Heart rate variability (HRV) is such a good index of willpower that you can use it to predict who will resist temptation, and who will give in. For example, recovering alcoholics whose HRV goes up when they see a drink are more likely to stay sober. Recovering alcoholics who show the opposite response - their HRV drops when they see a drink - have a greater chance of relapse. Studies also show that people with higher HHRV are better at ignoring distractions, delaying gratification, and dealing with stressful situations. They are less likely to give up on difficult tasks, even when they initially fail or receive critical feedback. These findings have led psychologists to call HRV the body's reserve of willpower - a physiological measure of your capacity for self-control. If you have high HRV, you have more willpower available for whenever temptation strikes.
...................
Anything that puts stress on your mind and body can interfere with the physiology of self-control and by extension, sabotage your willpower.
[/quote]
The importance of diet and meditation is obvious in this context. EE/pipe breathing are excellent tools to boost willpower. Also proper sleep is essential in this context. The prefrontal cortex is energy-hungry and if sleep patterns are disturbed or inadequate for the energy needs of the body, it is the first to bear the brunt of the energy crisis. The more primitive aspects of our physiology would deem the prefrontal cortex as not essential for survival and cut off its energy supply to protect the body and leave us depleted of willpower.
To be continued.
anart
A Disturbance in the Force
I think developing will power is a very simple thing. You do what 'it' does NOT like. You start by doing what 'it' does not like once, and then you continue until you do what 'it' does not like every day. It is the struggle with the self every day, in thousands of different ways, until your will becomes your own and becomes Will.
obyvatel
The Living Force
Willpower as a muscle
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
The first scientist to systematically observe and test the limits of willpower was Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University with a long-standing reputation for studying puzzling phenomena. .........For the last 15 years, he has been asking people to exert their willpower in the laboratory - turning down cookies, tuning out distractions, holding back their anger, and holding their arms in ice water. In study after study, no matter what task he used, people's self-control deteriorated over time. A concentration task didn't just lead to worse attention over time; it depleted physical strength. Controlling emotions didn't just lead to emotional outbursts; it made people more willing to spend money on something they didn't need. Resisting tempting sweets didn't just trigger cravings for chocolate; it prompted procrastination. It was as if every act of willpower was drawing from the same source of strength, leaving people weaker with each successful act of self-control.
These observations led Baumeister to an intriguing hypothesis: that self-control is like a muscle. When used, it gets tired.
[/quote]
This observation can be used to strategize willpower challenges - like if struggling with something that one wants to do, it is useful to schedule it for a time when one has more strength and energy.
For training willpower, researchers have asked people to challenge the self-control muscle by asking people to control one small thing that they are not used to controlling.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
Studies have shown that committing to any small consistent act of self-control - improving your posture, squeezing the handgrip every day to exhaustion, cutting back on sweets, and keeping track of your spending - can increase overall willpower. And while these small self-control exercises may seem inconsequential, they appear to improve the willpower challenges that we care about most, including focusing at work, taking good care of our health, resisting temptation, and feeling more in control of our emotions.
................
The important "muscle" action being trained in all these studies isn't the specific willpower challenge of meeting deadlines, using your left hand to open a door, or keeping the F-word to yourself. Its the habit of noticing what we are about to do, and choosing to do more difficult thing instead of the easiest.
[/quote]
So modern studies are saying the same thing as Gurdjieff said, " work on small aims at first" and "do what It does not like".
KM also states that willpower fatigue is not unlike what researchers have found about muscle fatigue. Research of Timothy Noakes, professor of exercise and sports science at University of Cape Town, on what happens to endurance athletes under extreme conditions (following the work of Nobel prize winning physiologist Archibald Hill) has shown
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
no evidence for physiological failure happening within the muscles; instead it appeared that the brain was telling the muscles to stop. The brain, sensing an increased heart rate and rapidly depleting energy supply, literally puts the brakes on the body. At the same time, the brain creates an overwhelming feeling of fatigue that has little to do with the muscles' capacity to keep working. As Noakes puts it, "Fatigue should no longer be considered a physical event but rather a sensation or emotion." Most of us interpret exhaustion as an objective indicator that we cannot continue. This theory says it is just a feeling generated by the brain to motivate us to stop, in much the same way that the feeling of anxiety can stop us from doing something dangerous, and a feeling of disgust can stop us from eating something that will make us sick. But because fatigue is only an early warning system, extreme athletes can routinely push past what seems to the rest of us like the natural physical limits of the body.
............
Some scientists now believe that the limits of self-control are just like the physical limits of the body - we often feel depleted of willpower before we actually are. In part, we can thank a brain motivated to conserve energy. Just as the brain may tell the body's muscles to slow down when it fears physical exhaustion, the brain may put the brakes on its own energy-expensive exercise of the prefrontal cortex. This does not mean we are out of willpower; we just need to muster up the motivation to use it .
[/quote]
Gurdjieff knew what he was talking about when he talked about putting super-efforts.
Moral Licensing Effect
Moral licensing refers to the situation where after one does something good and feels good about oneself, chances are that one is likely to give in to impulses afterwards. Shoppers who restrain themselves from buying something tempting are more likely to go home and eat something tempting. Employees who put in extra time on a project may feel justified putting a personal expense on the company credit card.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
Anything you moralize becomes fair game for the effect of moral licensing. If you tell yourself that you are "good" when you exercise and "bad" when you don't, then you are more likely to skip the gym tomorrow if you work out today. Tell yourself you are "good" for working on an important project and "bad" for procrastinating, and you are more likely to slack off in the afternoon if you made progress in the morning. Simply put: Whenever we have conflicting desires, being good gives us permission to be a little bad.
Importantly this is not just a matter of running out of blood sugar or willpower. When psychologists ask people about their licensed indulgences, the indulgers report feeling in control of their choices, not out of control. Instead they report feeling proud of themselves for earning a reward. They offer the justification, "I was so good, I deserve a little treat". This sense of entitlement too often becomes our downfall. Because we are quick to view self-indulgence as the best reward for virtue, we forget our real goals and give in to temptation.
...............................
Anything that makes us feel warm and fuzzy about our virtue - even just thinking about doing something good - can license us to follow our impulses. In one study, people were asked to choose which type of volunteer work they would prefer: teaching children in a homeless shelter or improving the environment. Even though they are not signing up for any actual service, just imagining the choice increased their desire to splurge on a pair of designer jeans. Another study found that merely considering donating money to a charity - without actually handing over any cash - increased people's desire to treat themselves at the mall.
..............
{F}eeling good about ourselves for past (or future hypothetical) good behavior helps us justify indulgences. When you feel like a saint, the idea of self-indulgence does not feel wrong. It feels right. Like you earned it . And if the only thing motivating your self-control is the desire to be a good enough person, you are going to give in whenever you are already feeling good about yourself.
..........................
While most of us believe that making progress on our goals sours us on to greater success, psychologists know we are all too quick to use progress as an excuse for taking it easy. Ayelet Fishbach, professor at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and Ravi Dhar, professor at the Yale School of Management, have shown that making progress on a goal motivates people to engage in goal-sabotaging behavior. In one study, they reminded successful dieters of how much progress they had made toward their ideal weight. They then offered the dieters a thank-you gift of either an apple or a chocolate bar. 85% of the self-congratulating dieters chose the chocolate bar over the apple, compared with only 58% of the dieters who were not reminded of their progress. A second study found the same effect for academic goals: students made to feel good about the amount of time they had spent studying for an exam were more likely to spend the afternoon playing beer pong with friends.
Progress can cause us to abandon the goal we have worked so hard on because it shifts the balance of power between our competing selves. Remember that by definition, a willpower challenge involves two conflicting goals. Part of you is thinking about your long-term interests; the other part wants immediate gratification. In the moment of temptation, you need your higher self to argue more loudly than the voice of self-indulgence. However, self-control success has an unintended consequence: it temporarily satisfies and therefore silences the higher self.
[/quote]
Essentially, the same point mentioned in the "Thinking, Fast and Slow" thread comes up: a state of feeling smug and good weakens System2 operation and lets automatic reactions take center stage.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
Progress can be motivating, and even inspire future self-control, but only if you view your actions as evidence that you are committed to your goal. ... These two mindsets have very different consequences. When people who have taken a positive step toward meeting a goal - for example exercising, studying or saving money - are asked, "How much progress do you feel you have made on your goal?" they are far more likely to then do something that conflicts with that goal, like skip the gym the next day, hang out with friends instead of studying, or buy something expensive. In contrast, people who are asked "How committed do you feel to your goal" are not tempted by the conflicting behavior. A simple shift in focus leads to a very different interpretation of their own actions - "I did that because I wanted to", not "I did that, great, now I can do what I really want!".
[/quote]
A consistent reminder of the overall aim is thus necessary to stay on track. Reiterating the aim to oneself periodically may be of help in this regard. Another suggestion coming from research is that when attempting to change a behavior, aiming to reduce the variability in the behavior is useful. Instead of setting unrealistic goals in changing a behavior (like aiming to exercise everyday and failing at it) starting off with achievable goals and aiming to stick to it (exercise twice a week and keep track of the variability) yields better results.
Role of Self Compassion
Beating oneself up for failure at willpower tasks is counterproductive. It leads to the "what he hell effect" (psychologists have names for everything).
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
If you think that the key to greater willpower is being harder on yourself, you are not alone. But you are wrong. Study after study shows that self-criticism is consistently associated with less motivation and worse self-control. It is also one of the biggest predictors of depression, which drains both "I will" power and "I want" power. In contrast, self-compassion - being supportive and kind to yourself, especially in the face of stress and failure is associated with more motivation and better self-control.
................
One reason forgiveness helps people recover from mistakes is that it takes away the shame and pain of thinking about what happened. The what-the-hell effect is an attempt to escape the bad feelings that follow a setback. Without the guilt and self-criticism, there is nothing to escape. This means it is easier to reflect on how the failure happened, and less tempting to repeat it.
On the other hand, if you view your setbacks as evidence that you are a hopeless loser who screws everything up, thinking about your failure is a miserable exercise in self-hate. Your most urgent goal will be to soothe those feelings, not learn from your experience. This is why self-criticism backfires as a strategy for self-control. Like other forms of stress, it drives you straight to comfort coping, whether that's drowning your sorrows at the nearest dive bar, or lifting your spirits with a Visa sponsored shopping spree.
[/quote]
Ironic Rebound - or do not think about the white bear
Trying not to think about something does not work. Efforts to not think about something usually rebounds and results in the the opposite effect. Reminded me of experiences when I was learning to ride a bike and hard as I tried not to hit the post, I would be left flat on the back thinking what went wrong. That was not a willpower but a skill challenge but the dynamics could be similar. Anyway, according to an approach adopted by Philippe Goldin, Stanford Neuroscientist working with people having social anxiety, what works is the acceptance of the feelings of anxiety but not to be immersed in them - very similar to the traditional Buddhist mindfulness approach.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
He (Goldin) teaches social anxiety sufferers to observe and accept their thoughts and feelings - even the scary ones. The goal is not to get rid of the anxiety and self-doubt, but to develop a trust that they can handle these difficult thoughts and feelings. If they learn that there is no inner experience that they need to protect themselves from, they can find more freedom in the outer world.
[/quote]
And in this context, mindful breathing as well as body awareness serve as great aids in combating powerful feelings. The goal is not to suppress thoughts - but to accept their presence but not believe in them. We cannot control what thoughts automatically come to the mind - but we do not have to accept the content of that thought. But for this to happen, the prefrontal cortex has to be active. As research suggests, system1 is likely to believe the thought that comes to the mind by default and it is the task of system2 to unbelieve it.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
The first scientist to systematically observe and test the limits of willpower was Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University with a long-standing reputation for studying puzzling phenomena. .........For the last 15 years, he has been asking people to exert their willpower in the laboratory - turning down cookies, tuning out distractions, holding back their anger, and holding their arms in ice water. In study after study, no matter what task he used, people's self-control deteriorated over time. A concentration task didn't just lead to worse attention over time; it depleted physical strength. Controlling emotions didn't just lead to emotional outbursts; it made people more willing to spend money on something they didn't need. Resisting tempting sweets didn't just trigger cravings for chocolate; it prompted procrastination. It was as if every act of willpower was drawing from the same source of strength, leaving people weaker with each successful act of self-control.
These observations led Baumeister to an intriguing hypothesis: that self-control is like a muscle. When used, it gets tired.
[/quote]
This observation can be used to strategize willpower challenges - like if struggling with something that one wants to do, it is useful to schedule it for a time when one has more strength and energy.
For training willpower, researchers have asked people to challenge the self-control muscle by asking people to control one small thing that they are not used to controlling.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
Studies have shown that committing to any small consistent act of self-control - improving your posture, squeezing the handgrip every day to exhaustion, cutting back on sweets, and keeping track of your spending - can increase overall willpower. And while these small self-control exercises may seem inconsequential, they appear to improve the willpower challenges that we care about most, including focusing at work, taking good care of our health, resisting temptation, and feeling more in control of our emotions.
................
The important "muscle" action being trained in all these studies isn't the specific willpower challenge of meeting deadlines, using your left hand to open a door, or keeping the F-word to yourself. Its the habit of noticing what we are about to do, and choosing to do more difficult thing instead of the easiest.
[/quote]
So modern studies are saying the same thing as Gurdjieff said, " work on small aims at first" and "do what It does not like".
KM also states that willpower fatigue is not unlike what researchers have found about muscle fatigue. Research of Timothy Noakes, professor of exercise and sports science at University of Cape Town, on what happens to endurance athletes under extreme conditions (following the work of Nobel prize winning physiologist Archibald Hill) has shown
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
no evidence for physiological failure happening within the muscles; instead it appeared that the brain was telling the muscles to stop. The brain, sensing an increased heart rate and rapidly depleting energy supply, literally puts the brakes on the body. At the same time, the brain creates an overwhelming feeling of fatigue that has little to do with the muscles' capacity to keep working. As Noakes puts it, "Fatigue should no longer be considered a physical event but rather a sensation or emotion." Most of us interpret exhaustion as an objective indicator that we cannot continue. This theory says it is just a feeling generated by the brain to motivate us to stop, in much the same way that the feeling of anxiety can stop us from doing something dangerous, and a feeling of disgust can stop us from eating something that will make us sick. But because fatigue is only an early warning system, extreme athletes can routinely push past what seems to the rest of us like the natural physical limits of the body.
............
Some scientists now believe that the limits of self-control are just like the physical limits of the body - we often feel depleted of willpower before we actually are. In part, we can thank a brain motivated to conserve energy. Just as the brain may tell the body's muscles to slow down when it fears physical exhaustion, the brain may put the brakes on its own energy-expensive exercise of the prefrontal cortex. This does not mean we are out of willpower; we just need to muster up the motivation to use it .
[/quote]
Gurdjieff knew what he was talking about when he talked about putting super-efforts.
Moral Licensing Effect
Moral licensing refers to the situation where after one does something good and feels good about oneself, chances are that one is likely to give in to impulses afterwards. Shoppers who restrain themselves from buying something tempting are more likely to go home and eat something tempting. Employees who put in extra time on a project may feel justified putting a personal expense on the company credit card.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
Anything you moralize becomes fair game for the effect of moral licensing. If you tell yourself that you are "good" when you exercise and "bad" when you don't, then you are more likely to skip the gym tomorrow if you work out today. Tell yourself you are "good" for working on an important project and "bad" for procrastinating, and you are more likely to slack off in the afternoon if you made progress in the morning. Simply put: Whenever we have conflicting desires, being good gives us permission to be a little bad.
Importantly this is not just a matter of running out of blood sugar or willpower. When psychologists ask people about their licensed indulgences, the indulgers report feeling in control of their choices, not out of control. Instead they report feeling proud of themselves for earning a reward. They offer the justification, "I was so good, I deserve a little treat". This sense of entitlement too often becomes our downfall. Because we are quick to view self-indulgence as the best reward for virtue, we forget our real goals and give in to temptation.
...............................
Anything that makes us feel warm and fuzzy about our virtue - even just thinking about doing something good - can license us to follow our impulses. In one study, people were asked to choose which type of volunteer work they would prefer: teaching children in a homeless shelter or improving the environment. Even though they are not signing up for any actual service, just imagining the choice increased their desire to splurge on a pair of designer jeans. Another study found that merely considering donating money to a charity - without actually handing over any cash - increased people's desire to treat themselves at the mall.
..............
{F}eeling good about ourselves for past (or future hypothetical) good behavior helps us justify indulgences. When you feel like a saint, the idea of self-indulgence does not feel wrong. It feels right. Like you earned it . And if the only thing motivating your self-control is the desire to be a good enough person, you are going to give in whenever you are already feeling good about yourself.
..........................
While most of us believe that making progress on our goals sours us on to greater success, psychologists know we are all too quick to use progress as an excuse for taking it easy. Ayelet Fishbach, professor at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and Ravi Dhar, professor at the Yale School of Management, have shown that making progress on a goal motivates people to engage in goal-sabotaging behavior. In one study, they reminded successful dieters of how much progress they had made toward their ideal weight. They then offered the dieters a thank-you gift of either an apple or a chocolate bar. 85% of the self-congratulating dieters chose the chocolate bar over the apple, compared with only 58% of the dieters who were not reminded of their progress. A second study found the same effect for academic goals: students made to feel good about the amount of time they had spent studying for an exam were more likely to spend the afternoon playing beer pong with friends.
Progress can cause us to abandon the goal we have worked so hard on because it shifts the balance of power between our competing selves. Remember that by definition, a willpower challenge involves two conflicting goals. Part of you is thinking about your long-term interests; the other part wants immediate gratification. In the moment of temptation, you need your higher self to argue more loudly than the voice of self-indulgence. However, self-control success has an unintended consequence: it temporarily satisfies and therefore silences the higher self.
[/quote]
Essentially, the same point mentioned in the "Thinking, Fast and Slow" thread comes up: a state of feeling smug and good weakens System2 operation and lets automatic reactions take center stage.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
Progress can be motivating, and even inspire future self-control, but only if you view your actions as evidence that you are committed to your goal. ... These two mindsets have very different consequences. When people who have taken a positive step toward meeting a goal - for example exercising, studying or saving money - are asked, "How much progress do you feel you have made on your goal?" they are far more likely to then do something that conflicts with that goal, like skip the gym the next day, hang out with friends instead of studying, or buy something expensive. In contrast, people who are asked "How committed do you feel to your goal" are not tempted by the conflicting behavior. A simple shift in focus leads to a very different interpretation of their own actions - "I did that because I wanted to", not "I did that, great, now I can do what I really want!".
[/quote]
A consistent reminder of the overall aim is thus necessary to stay on track. Reiterating the aim to oneself periodically may be of help in this regard. Another suggestion coming from research is that when attempting to change a behavior, aiming to reduce the variability in the behavior is useful. Instead of setting unrealistic goals in changing a behavior (like aiming to exercise everyday and failing at it) starting off with achievable goals and aiming to stick to it (exercise twice a week and keep track of the variability) yields better results.
Role of Self Compassion
Beating oneself up for failure at willpower tasks is counterproductive. It leads to the "what he hell effect" (psychologists have names for everything).
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
If you think that the key to greater willpower is being harder on yourself, you are not alone. But you are wrong. Study after study shows that self-criticism is consistently associated with less motivation and worse self-control. It is also one of the biggest predictors of depression, which drains both "I will" power and "I want" power. In contrast, self-compassion - being supportive and kind to yourself, especially in the face of stress and failure is associated with more motivation and better self-control.
................
One reason forgiveness helps people recover from mistakes is that it takes away the shame and pain of thinking about what happened. The what-the-hell effect is an attempt to escape the bad feelings that follow a setback. Without the guilt and self-criticism, there is nothing to escape. This means it is easier to reflect on how the failure happened, and less tempting to repeat it.
On the other hand, if you view your setbacks as evidence that you are a hopeless loser who screws everything up, thinking about your failure is a miserable exercise in self-hate. Your most urgent goal will be to soothe those feelings, not learn from your experience. This is why self-criticism backfires as a strategy for self-control. Like other forms of stress, it drives you straight to comfort coping, whether that's drowning your sorrows at the nearest dive bar, or lifting your spirits with a Visa sponsored shopping spree.
[/quote]
Ironic Rebound - or do not think about the white bear
Trying not to think about something does not work. Efforts to not think about something usually rebounds and results in the the opposite effect. Reminded me of experiences when I was learning to ride a bike and hard as I tried not to hit the post, I would be left flat on the back thinking what went wrong. That was not a willpower but a skill challenge but the dynamics could be similar. Anyway, according to an approach adopted by Philippe Goldin, Stanford Neuroscientist working with people having social anxiety, what works is the acceptance of the feelings of anxiety but not to be immersed in them - very similar to the traditional Buddhist mindfulness approach.
[quote author=Willpower Instinct]
He (Goldin) teaches social anxiety sufferers to observe and accept their thoughts and feelings - even the scary ones. The goal is not to get rid of the anxiety and self-doubt, but to develop a trust that they can handle these difficult thoughts and feelings. If they learn that there is no inner experience that they need to protect themselves from, they can find more freedom in the outer world.
[/quote]
And in this context, mindful breathing as well as body awareness serve as great aids in combating powerful feelings. The goal is not to suppress thoughts - but to accept their presence but not believe in them. We cannot control what thoughts automatically come to the mind - but we do not have to accept the content of that thought. But for this to happen, the prefrontal cortex has to be active. As research suggests, system1 is likely to believe the thought that comes to the mind by default and it is the task of system2 to unbelieve it.
Tigersoap said:
Yeah, that sheds some light on a lot of things. Thanks for sharing.
