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.
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.