An akrasia fighting tool via Hacker News via Scientific American based on this paper. Read the Scientific American article for the short version. My super-short summary is that in self-talk asking “will I?” rather than telling yourself “I will” can be more effective at reaching success in goal-directed behavior. Looks like a useful tool to me.
This implies that the mantra “Will I become a syndicated cartoonist?” could be more effective than the original affirmative version, “I will become a syndicated cartoonist”.
It might also be a useful tool for attaining self-knowledge outside of goal-directed behavior. Consider this passage from The Aleph:
Turning the corner of Bernardo de Irigoyen, I reviewed as impartially as possible the alternatives before me. They were: a) to speak to Álvaro, telling him the first cousin of Beatriz’ (the explanatory euphemism would allow me to mention her name) had concocted a poem that seemed to draw out into infinity the possibilities of cacophony and chaos: b) not to say a word to Álvaro. I clearly foresaw that my indolence would opt for b.
An akrasia fighting tool via Hacker News via Scientific American based on this paper. Read the Scientific American article for the short version. My super-short summary is that in self-talk asking “will I?” rather than telling yourself “I will” can be more effective at reaching success in goal-directed behavior. Looks like a useful tool to me.
This implies that the mantra “Will I become a syndicated cartoonist?” could be more effective than the original affirmative version, “I will become a syndicated cartoonist”.
It might also be a useful tool for attaining self-knowledge outside of goal-directed behavior. Consider this passage from The Aleph: