The gist is that they find evidence against the (currently fashionable) hypothesis that willpower is an expendable resource. Here is the leader:
Veronika Job, Carol S. Dweck, and Gregory M. Walton Stanford University
Abstract:
Much recent research suggests that willpower—the capacity to exert self-control—is a limited resource that is depleted after exertion. We propose that whether depletion takes place or not depends on a person’s belief about whether willpower is a limited resource. Study 1 found that individual differences in lay theories about willpower moderate ego-depletion effects: People who viewed the capacity for self-control as not limited did not show diminished self-control after a depleting experience. Study 2 replicated the effect, manipulating lay theories about willpower. Study 3 addressed questions about the mechanism underlying the effect. Study 4, a longitudinal field study, found that theories about willpower predict change in eating behavior, procrastination, and self-regulated goal striving in depleting circumstances. Taken together, the findings suggest that reduced self-control after a depleting task or during demanding periods may reflect people’s beliefs about the availability of willpower rather than true resource depletion.
I'd previously suspected that the notion of limited willpower was something I'd adopted too readily, as it let me be more self-indulgent, so it got positive, short-term feedback. I was still pretty sure that willpower was limited - because that's how I experienced it - but my prior was weak.
I read this three days ago, and updated almost immediately. So far I've found that:
I have increased self-control since reading this abstract.
I spent more thought and energy on long-term goals.
I feel more capable than I did three days ago.
Now, clearly, three days isn't long enough for a convincing subjective measure in a self-test. It's certainly less evidence than the study provides. So, I'll return to this post in at least a few more weeks, and see how persistent this effect is.
Anyone else have other relevant experience: similar, contradictory, or enlightening?
Update: Telling myself that I have the will I need to accomplish a task, or update a belief, or take an action that I think is right but feel uneasy about, has turned out to be a pretty effective way to actually gather that will.
Stanford Report has a university public press release about a recent paper [subscription required] in Psychological Science. The paper is available for free from a website of one of the authors.
The gist is that they find evidence against the (currently fashionable) hypothesis that willpower is an expendable resource. Here is the leader:
(HT: Brashman, as posted on HackerNews.)