How to Increase Your Willpower & Tenacity
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In this episode, I discuss neuroscience and psychology studies that address the basis of willpower and tenacity, how they differ from motivation and how we can all increase our levels of willpower and tenacity. I discuss whether willpower is a limited resource, the controversial “ego depletion” theory of willpower and the role that beliefs play in determining our tenacity and willpower. Then I discuss the neural basis of willpower in the brain and body and how tenacity and willpower relate to sleep, stress, focus and possibly to lifespan. Then, I provide a series of science-supported tools and protocols to increase your level of tenacity and willpower.
Articles
- Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource? (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology)
- Self-control relies on glucose as a limited energy source: Willpower is more than a metaphor (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology)
- Beliefs about willpower determine the impact of glucose on self-control (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
- The tenacious brain: How the anterior mid-cingulate contributes to achieving goals (Cortex)
- The Will to Persevere Induced by Electrical Stimulation of the Human Cingulate Gyrus (Neuron)
- Aerobic Exercise Training Increases Brain Volume in Aging Humans (The Journals of Gerontology)
- Stress relief as a natural resilience mechanism against depression-like behaviors (Neuron)
- The Good, the Bad, and the Irrelevant: Neural Mechanisms of Learning Real and Hypothetical Rewards and Effort (The Journal of Neuroscience)
Other Resources
- Dr. Roy Baumeister
- Dr. Carol Dweck
- Dr. Lisa Feldman Barret
- Sleep Toolkit: Tools for Optimizing Sleep & Sleep-Wake Timing (Huberman Lab episode)
- Toolkit for Sleep (Huberman Lab Neural Network newsletter)
- Dr. Matthew Walker: The Science & Practice of Perfecting Your Sleep (Huberman Lab episode)
- Healthy Eating & Eating Disorders - Anorexia, Bulimia, Binging (Huberman Lab episode)
- Dr. Robert Sapolsky: Science of Stress, Testosterone & Free Will (Huberman Lab episode)
- Fitness Toolkit: Protocol & Tools to Optimize Physical Health (Huberman Lab episode)
This transcript is currently under human review and may contain errors. The fully reviewed version will be posted as soon as it is available.
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